Medicinal Plants in Australia: Volume 1: Bush Pharmacy by Cheryll Williams

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Ex library copy with no external stickers. Sticker on inside page. Remnant date due slip now covered with blank ex libris bookplate sticker. Wear to book corners. Body text and binding are still very good. Rare copy.

It has taken centuries to truly appreciate the healing attributes of much of the Australian flora. This book tells about the influential role early discoveries played in medicinal practice in Australia and the role these traditional medicines continue to play.

Should you have any interest in the present or future potential for pharmaceutical compounds from plants, in botany in general, then you cannot afford to be without Cheryll Williams volumes.

Plants defend themselves against predators, including man. There are obvious defences such as stinging nettle-like strategies, and burning or blistering latex resins. Others use different methods to incapacitate. They include gastrointestinal distress (vomiting or purgation), blindness, neurological disability, or even asphyxia. This clearly illustrates the ingenuity of plant chemistry, which, while daunting, has led to some rather extraordinary discoveries. The poisonous potential of many plants coincides with a medicinal effect that cannot be ignored.