Herbal Handbook 50 Profiles in Words and Art from the Rare Book Collections of The New York Botanical Garden

A charming, information-packed guide to 51 herbs and their uses illustrated with rare botanical art from the renowned archives of The New York Botanical Garden.

Did you know that woodruff was used as a room freshener in the Middle Ages; that crushed bergamot leaves can soothe bee stings; and that dried fenugreek seeds were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamen?

Herbs are magical, and their uses myriad. Inside this informative, colorful handbook are fifty-one herbs portrayed in words and rare botanical art curated by experts at The New York Botanical Garden. Some, like saffron, are treasured and rare; others, like purslane, grow by the roadside. They all have a place—in the garden, in the kitchen, in the bed or the bath. Explore their history, how to grow them, and how they were used in the past and present. Then bring them into your daily life; each herb’s profile offers a recipe or project that highlights its unique properties.

So cleanse your face with calendula when you wake up, sip a bergamot tea at breakfast, have a lovage tuna sandwich for lunch, and mix a caraway cocktail at the end of the day. Let these herbs delight your senses as they have done to others for thousands of years.

The New York Botanical Garden is an iconic living museum founded in 1891. It is a National Historic Landmark, with 250 acres supporting over one million living plants. Each year more than one million visitors walk the grounds to enjoy the remarkable diversity of tropical, temperate, and desert flora and to attend beloved annual events such as The Holiday Train Show and The Orchid Show.