If you think that dill and garlic are only good for spicing up food, this superb work will open your eyes to the wonders of herbs. A comprehensive history, in both medicinal and flavoring terms, it provides a solid base for learning about the many modern uses and cultivation methods. Recipes using herbs for healing purposes date back to 2400 B.C. in Egypt, and many of them are still in use today. Guidance is given on every practical aspect, including buying, planting, and designing an herb garden, picking companion plants to enhance flavors of neighboring vegetables and ward off insects, and a number of other tips to keep you and your herbs healthy. Discover tricks for drying and preserving, flavoring oils and vinegars, preparing spirits, salves, and creams, and much, much more. Try sipping 2 cups of rosemary tea morning and night to ease stomach pain, or soak in a rosemary bath for rheumatism relief. The reference section lists a brief history of each herb, along with physical characteristics, active substances, cultivation, harvesting, culinary tips, and medicinal uses. For anyone interested in learning about the myriad of benefits found from herbs, this is the source for you. 144 pages (all in color), 6 x 8 1/4.