Review by Choice Review
Kindscher has two qualifications for writing this book: he holds a PhD in plant ecology, and he walked 700 miles from Kansas City to Denver, supplementing his diet along the way with edible prairie plants. He lists 203 plant species native to the Prairie Bioregion of North America, gives their native, common, and scientific names, and describes their use as folk remedies both by Native Americans and Anglos. He covers the habitats, medicinal history, and cultivation of the plants and the scientific research dealing with them. There are attractive black-and-white drawings of each plant, and a map showing the regions where they can be found. A glossary of medical and biological terms, an extensive bibliography, and an index make all the information readily accessible. Although other books describe how individual Native American tribes use plants, this is the only ethnobotanical guide to this particular geographic region. Since interest is increasing in the medicinal value of plants, libraries that collect in ethnobotany or have extensive collections on Native North Americans may want to consider adding this book. All levels of readers. N. Kupferberg; Montana State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
