Book details

Book description

Hatfield's Herbal is the story of how people all over Britain have used its wild plants throughout history, for reasons magical, mystical and medicinal. Gabrielle Hatfield has drawn on a lifetime's knowledge to describe the properties of over 150 native plants, and the customs that surround them: from predicting the weather with seaweed to using deadly nightshade to make ladies' pupils dilate appealingly, and from ensuring a husband's faithfulness with butterbur to warding off witches by planting a rowan tree. Filled with stories, folklore and remedies both strange and practical, this is a memorable and eye-opening guide to the richness of Britain's heritage. Gabrielle Hatfield is a distinguished historian of plant medicine. The winner of two literary prizes (Michaelis-Jean Ratcliff prize and John Thackray Medal), she is currently research associate at Kew and member of the council of management of Ethnomedica.