Wild Roots

by Doug Elliott

For more than two decades Doug Elliot has wandered the fields, forests, and marshlands of North America gathering roots and herbs, and plant lore. A labor of love, Wild Roots is filled with practical information, extraordinary drawings and lively commentary, and offers a wealth of information about the roots, rhizomes, and tubers of North America.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[tout · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not an herbalist and haven't read many herbals, but I did very much enjoy this book for its emphasis on relating to herbs, plants and specifically roots through personal experiences rather than through a detached scientific categorization and analysis. The book offers many hilarious and insightful experiences that the author has had with roots ranging from wild ginger to burdock, from making tea out of chicory root to the lore of american ginseng. While reading this I wandered not too far from my house to uproot some dandilion, burdock, wild carrot, and false solomon's seal. Excellent.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly well written book of information about medicinal and edible roots. It has excellent historical and folk references for the roots described including origin and uses. Instructions for processing the roots are mostly sufficient. Unfortunately it is almost useless as an identification guide. Although it describes the visible portions of the plants in some detail there is only a tiny picture of the plant included with each entry. I'd recommend finding your own color photographs to add to the book if you want to use it as a guide while on the trail.

[Yuki]

Not for beginners or novices! The writing is charming enough, but if you can not identify ginseng, burdock, or coral root above ground this book will not help with actual foraging.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to spend three days with the author at the Omega Institute for holistic studies learning about gathering food in the wild, This book is a study of edible roots that can be found in the woods.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book.