1st Edition

Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible

By James A. Duke Copyright 2007
    552 Pages 98 Color & 23 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Known for their ease of use, artful presentation of scientific information, and evidence-based approach, James Duke’s comprehensive handbooks are the cornerstone in the library of almost every alternative and complementary medicine practitioner and ethnobotanist. Using the successful format of these bestselling handbooks, Duke’s Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible covers 150 herbs that scholars speculate, based on citations, were used in Biblical times.

    Introduction
    Format of book
    GEOGRAPHIC/LINGUISTIC ABBREVIATIONS
    CHEMICAL/MEDICAL ABBREVIATIONS
    Catalog of Herbs (A to Z)
    Bibliographic Abbreviations
    References
    Scientific Name Index
    Common Name Index

    Biography

    James A. Duke

    "I strongly recommend this book."
    —Daniel F. Austin, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, in Economic Botany, No: 62(4), 2008, pp. 628-639.

    "…superbly organized…provides both academicians and no-specialist general readers with a complete and descriptive listing of herbs that…were utilized by the people of the biblical era. …superbly enhanced with full color drawings…. A superb writer and expert, James A. Duke…has provided a seminal invaluable contribution that should be a part of every academic library reference collection, as well as on the supplemental reading lists for students…"
    — Margaret Lane, The Midwest Book Review, February 2008

    "…will prove to be of immense interest to medical practitioners, ethnobotanists, biblical scholars, and non-specialists general readers with an interest in this fascinating subject. …handbook is replete with beautifully executed color full color illustrations of individual plants. A seminal contribution to the field of ethnobotony, Duke’s Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible is an important work of impressive scholarship from beginning to end—and a core addition to academic library reference collections."
    — Michael Dunford, The Midwest Book Review

    "… opens with extensive introductory material, including charts of the many, many abbreviations used throughout the text… deserves a place in university and some professional libraries…"
    —Douglas Darnowski, Department of Biology, Indiana University Southeast

    "The book describes nearly 200 plant species used in medicine from the biblical times until now. The idea of choosing species of medicinal plants from the Bible is original and intriguing. … the subject matter of the book is an extremely interesting choice of medicinal plants together with references to biblical texts. The choice is special and in view of its originality, it is excellent. Attention is turned to not only medical but also historical and cultural aspects of using plants. The book is elegantly bound and edited, with many illustrations (in colour) and with great meticulousness it collects data concerning common names (very numerous), activities, indications, downsides or dosages."
    —G. Marszalkowski, in Actal Physiol Plant, 2008

    "A seminal contribution to the field of ethnobotony, Duke’s Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible is an important work of impressive scholarship from beginning to end – and a core addition to academic library reference collections."
    —In Midwest Book Review

    "This handbook is a seminal contribution to the field of ethnobotany that provides a general account of medicinal plants mentioned in the Bible including their botanical nomenclature, common names, biological activities, folkloric indications, and dosages. As usual, comments are provided by Dr. Duke in his entertaining writing style. It well serves as a valuable desktop reference for scientists and researchers as well as for nonscientists who are interested in the topic."

    —Chun-Tao Che, in Jounral of Natural Products, 2018