This exquisitely detailed, full-color field guide provides the identification details and practical information needed to find and properly use many of the medicinal plants and wild plant foods that provide chemicals necessary for optimum health and disease prevention.

The book takes the user from simple and familiar plants to ones that are less common and more difficult to identify. Each of the 122 plant entries includes a color photograph, plant description, and location. Plants are grouped according to how common or rare they are, as well as to where they are found: prairies, woodlands, mountains, deserts, and wetlands.

Relevant facts about each plant include toxicity, historical uses, modern uses, as well as wildlife/veterinary uses. Additional information featured in this extraordinary field guide: explanations of how each plant affects the human body; cultural and ethnic uses of medicinal herbs and cooking spices; other creatures who consume the plants; a list of most recommended garden herbs; web site resources, and much more.

For a generation, the Basic Illustrated series has been as much a part of the outdoors experience as backpacks and hiking boots. Information-packed tools for the novice or handy references for the veteran, these volumes distill years of knowledge into affordable and portable books. Whether you're planning a trip or thumbing for facts in the field, Basic Illustrated books tell you what you need to know.

Learn how to:

Forage for wild plants and herbs and identify edible berries
Treat a variety of ailments and illnesses, from colds to heart disease and more
Distinguish between edible and nonedible parts of plants
Moderate your intake of certain plants and herbs to avoid physical illness
Make delicious desserts, herbal teas, and other healthy recipes

BASIC ILLUSTRATED Poisonous and Psychoactive Plants identifies wild and cultivated plants that are:

- Toxic and dangerous
- Psychoactive
- Allergenic
- Inflammatory

Detailed descriptions of edible mushrooms; tips on finding, preparing, and using mushrooms; a glossary of botanical terms; color photos. Use Foraging Mushrooms as a field guide or as a delightful armchair read. No matter what you're looking for, be it the curative Heal-All or a snack, this guide will enhance your next backpacking trip or easy stroll around the garden, and may just provide some new favorites for your dinner table.