Earl Mindell's Herb Bible

The standard reference on herbs for the alternative medicine crowd.

Also posted on my site The Paperback Stash

Earl Mindell's New Herb bible was one of the first books I bought on herbs. While this book is useful as a reference, it is in no way a definitive source that should be called a 'bible.' The writing is well done and simple, and the text and information aimed more toward a beginner in every sense of the word.

Mindell is more of a supplement expert, and it does show from time to time here. Some of his comments gave me pause though. For instance, he says "Homeopathic extracts used by homepathic practitioners are much stronger than conventional herbal tinctures and are strictly regulated by the FDA. They should only be used in conjunction with treatment by a homeopath practitioner." This threw me a bit, I'll admit it.

He goes on to say that herbal powders are common, yet does not mention that powdered herbs lose potency amazingly fast. When he said bitters can be nasty tasting and that some may prefer them in capsules, it's also left out that when you don't taste a bitter on the tongue, you don't get the effect, which is the point of taking a bitter. He also discusses Hippocrates as the father of modern medicine, a slight peeve of mine but no fault of the authors.

Chapter 2 is the point of the book - the 'hot hundred' Here Mindell discusses briefly 100 herbs. Some have one paragraph, others have six, with a listing of possible benefits, then how to use it, then cautions if applicable. As a quick reference for the beginner this is useful; however, it's also quite vague. Many can sit and say what an herb has been historically used for, what evidence may or may not show (using these words), but I never got the feel he put much faith into the herbs themselves.

Some of the cautions are a bit overdone as well, such as not to use blue cohosh because it could be toxic in high doses. Well....lots of things are toxic if overdosed on, does this mean we shouldn't use them in the right amount? On Cayenne pepper he states that people with gastrointestinal problems should not take cayenne and that you should be careful on the dose. Actually cayenne has shown much benefit in treating several gastrointestinal disorders and even if it feels hot going down, does not do damage or harm (or heat impact) internally. As to it causing kidney damage in high dosages? Never heard of this either.

However, this is not to say he is overly cautious about all, for he is not. He provides much of the information in a non-biased, fair way. He states the facts or studies on some herbs as they are, and then may put in his personal recommendation, such as on the comfrey controversy. His inclusion of "how to use it" for each herb came in handy as well.

From the hot hundred we go on to a listing of traditional favorites, broken down in the same way as above, then herbs from around the world (nice touch). Finally the herbal medicine cabinet has some basic and helpful remedies for a variety of complaints, from indigestion to colds and flu prevention. It ends with a chapter dedicated to women, then men, looking good, and aromatherapy.

In short it is a good book but because the scope was so large everything was kept short, basic, and simple...too much so. You learned a small amount about every herb, but not enough to really know any herb well enough. I would rather have a book that covered them in depth than barely brushing across them. All of it is generic and cautious.

While good for a beginner, there are others out there that educate more and allow one to see the bigger picture of things. Sometimes people who are past the beginners stages take great joy and still learn from basic herbals, I know I do, but this isn't the case here. I'm afraid if you've passed Herbalism 101 you'll be bored soon with this. Stick to it if you only want to know the basics a small bit at a time.

This is a review of the first Fireside paperback edition from 1992. Fireside was a division of Simon and Schuster.

My mom bought this soon after it was published. It was still on her shelves when I was forced to move back home in 2005. Although the information inside is now hopelessly out of date, I've still hung on to the book for sentimental reasons.

Before the Internet (well, before 2000, really, since there wasn't much during the 1990s) you only had books, magazines and newspapers to find out information on anything like alternative medicine. Books on herbalism have been selling well since Nicholas Culpepper's Complete Herbal from 1653.

Earl Mindell is no Culpepper. Despite the string of letters after his name, he's just a nutritionist. It's only after I'd been using the book for five years did I find out that Mindell has rightfully been condemned as a quack. That means this book became suspect. I had already dismissed the tiny chapter on aromatherapy.

I used this as a reference book in my first years as a freelance writer. I got a lot of assignments about alternative medicine and made a lot of money. My mother and I were also experimenting with over the counter herbal preparations. The only benefits we got were placebo effects, at best. Empty wallets, at worst.

If you are going to use herbs, you basically have to grow them yourself. Since alternative medicines are not regulated, you have no idea what you're getting.

Now that the Internet has better search engines and more reliable medical websites like the Mayo Clinic, this book's "rah-rah herbs" vibe is only so much smoke up your arse.

The book does not go overboard on claims. For example, the only benefits listed for chives are classified as only "possible benefits" of aiding digestion and being a source of iron. The book does give warnings of not using any herbs if you take any kind of medication until you talk to your doctor, and herbs dangerous for pregnant women.

It's very well organized. Mindell is a bad nutritionist, but a good writer. The book is a good example of how to clearly and quickly present large chunks of information.

This will help me heal myself and the ppl around me cant wait to get started and open my apothecary

I put this on my "personal development" shelf because it was really one of the first books I bought that got me on the more natural path which, ultimately, got me on my spiritual path. So I guess you can say it developed my person ;-) I picked it up on a discount shelf somewhere in 1992-93 and have been using it ever since. (My version is not the "New" Herb Bible but the one published in 1992).

I love the organization of this book. It makes it an easy reference guide to herbal remedies, even if you are just beginning on the path to more holistic health. Includes the "Hot Hundred" - the top herbs used throughout history to cure all kinds of ailments, from skin problems to stress. That alone is fascinating reading. But if you're in a hurry and want more targeted help, you can refer to the second section of the book, where remedies are listed by area: Women's Health, Men's Health, Looking Good. Wondering what herbs to take to reverse heart conditions? To fight wrinkles? And just what nifty and unexpected benefit do onions have? It's all in this handy little book.

Like so many books on herbs and their benefits, it is more or less a huge listing, one-by-one of each herb and its use. This talks mostly about capsules or liquids and not about natural herbs you can grow and use. This book probably wasn’t written for a neophyte like me but for someone already familiar with the basics about herbology .

I'd love to have more time to play around with herbs!

(Note from Jelly Kate's mom -- some of the claims in this book are not verifiable, thus it's helpful to read this and other botanical books with considerable skepticism. It's nevertheless an interesting introduction to traditional uses of botanicals, something Jelly has been interested in, especially since she took a community class in medicinal botany last year.)