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Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn's Sourcebook Series) | 
| Author: Scott Cunningham
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications,U.S.
Category: Book
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £11.99
You Save: £1.00 (8%)
New (34) Used (13) from £0.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 14231
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0875421229
Dewey Decimal Number: 133.43
EAN: 9780875421223
ASIN: 0875421229
Publication Date: October 31, 1985
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 magical herbs only, but very practical guide July 10, 2008
i will admit, it frustrates me a little that there is only magic herbal properties in this book. however, I understand that cunningham has done this so as not to confuse readers
despite this it is a book i constantly read through for all my magical herbal needs. clearly written with helpful tables, pictures and a folk name cross reference, it is my first recommendation for a magical herbal book
 Doubtful accuracy May 31, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Don't use this as a source for information about medicinal herbs. There are a lot of inaccuracies in this area- for an introduction to medical herbalism, look for works (for example) by either David Hoffman or Penelope Ody.
Knowing about the inaccuracies in the information on the medicinal qualities of herbs has made me very wary about the information given on the magical qualities of herbs. Cunningham may be more knowledgable and accurate when it comes to magical uses of herbs than he is on the subject of medical herbalism, but I have been reluctant to rely on this as a single source for magical herbalism. Unfortunately there are very few other reference works on magical herbalism in print to use for cross-referencing, and Cunningham's book is usually recommended as the standard work.
 Dreadful - gives genuine practitioners a bad name. January 12, 2006
63 out of 71 found this review helpful
I was very disappointed with this book. After reading so many positive reviews I was expecting a serious work based on careful research, but it is nothing of the kind. The descriptions of magical properties of herbs are extremely vague and give no information as to the source of the lore. Some of them miss out traditional magical properties that have been recognised for thousands of years (e.g. mandrake) while others descriptions are just plain wrong. For example, he tells us that Absinthe is 'highly addictive' and dangerous, both of which are simply untrue. Most of the books in the bibliography are American. While this is not necessarily a bad thing (there are some worthwhile books by American authors on this subject), it does suggest a certain laziness in his research. He makes very grand claims for the power of herbs, going so far as to claim that hanging a herb bag in your house is a more effective deterrent to burglars than getting decent locks. This is very obviously not true, but similarly outlandish claims are made throughought the book with no evidence to back them up and no sources given. My impression is that he has not critically analysed any of his sources, and has simply made up information to fill in any gaps. Lots of illustrations are missing and some of the descriptions appear in the wrong place (e.g. garlic under aloe instead of allium). Books like this give practitioners of magic a bad name. There is a sound basis for herbal magic, and it's unfortunate that the author could not restrict himself to these rather than abandoning sense and manufacturing claims which have no basis. It is a book for people who would like to feel that they can work effective magic without doing any research, but is of no use to anyone with a serious interest in the uses of herbs or the nature of magic. Strictly for new-agers - a very shoddy piece of work.
 How did I cope before it! December 22, 2004
8 out of 13 found this review helpful
I have had mine a few years now and I wish I had put a protective cover on it as I have really given mine a bashing! It is great for information when working spells and a fantastic read for when you are creating. A great book for novices or more familiar Wiccans, a source of inspiration.
An essential for people who work with herbs. July 9, 2004
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
This is a brilliant book and very informative. It's an essential for those who work with herbs a lot for magical uses, it's a great handbook to use when looking up certain properties of a herb, so great if you are also wanting to make your own gifts (herb pillows, bath teas etc).
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