this book may be okay for beginners who don't know anything, but it is mostly a recipe book. if you have been studying herbal medicine for a while, Backyard Medicine is the book for you. It has every plant I ever hear of and a bunch that I never did. it covers vastly more territory and they believe the best way to get the medicine out of plants is to soak them in brandy, vodka or whiskey. I agree with that method because it was taught me to by my grandmother, who was the daughter of a moonshiner. So, if you are a beginner and want to make a few healthy soups, buy this book. if you want to learn a lot, buy the other. And if you don't trust the word of a great grandson of a moonshiner, ask a biochemist if bonding medicine to an alcohol molecule is the fastest way to get it from your stomach to your bloodstream.