Southwest Medicinal Plants

January 20, 2020
In this information-rich but somewhat nebulous field guide, herbalist Slattery (Southwest Foraging) offers a combination of technical expertise and personal musings. Emphasizing that “there are no absolutes” in plant science, Slattery encourages “developing one’s senses one’s true knowledge through the direct and discerning experience of Nature herself.” He touches on tools needed for harvesting plants and gives brief, generalized descriptions of how to process and store them for use in poultices, water extractions, infusions, tinctures, syrups, and salves. He also covers his work’s spiritual side, informing fellow foragers that “you should always offer your gratitude” to the plants. The alphabetized plant profiles (listed by common name, along with their scientific binomial)—which cite chief characteristics, location (in such varied terrain as deserts, high plains, and prairies), medicinal applications, and a few preparation suggestions—include the California poppy, used to help teething babies, and echinacea, “traditionally used for snakebite.” Slattery brings an impressive authority to this work, but its woozier passages may restrict its readership to those who share the author’s New Age–tinged perspective. 287 color photos.