An herb is defined as any useful plant. I grow lots of them, though some are decidedly more useful than others. I wage constant battles with rambunctious, self-sowing nuisances like perilla mint and lemon balm, which are on a perpetual campaign for garden, if not world domination. I gladly grow other, better-mannered herbs, including lavender, basil, agastache, thyme, ornamental oregano and poppy. All of them are slumbering right now, which gives me the time to indulge in a wonderful garden book, Stephen Orr’s The New American Herbal.
Orr, a veteran garden writer , editor and lecturer, has placed this comprehensive and entertaining reference work within a tradition that goes back to the ancient world. Compendiums of herbal knowledge date to at least the first century B.C., when they were mentioned by the great naturalist, Pliny the Elder. By the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, herbals had entered a golden age in Europe, with several important volumes published, excerpted and distributed during that time period. I am fond of Englishman John Gerard’s Herbal or General Histories of Plants, published in 1597. I also often turn to the more recent, A Modern Herbal, by Maud Grieve, published in 1931.
The old herbals are tasty stews of botanical knowledge, including plant descriptions, history, folklore, gossip, growing instructions, preparation and use guidelines, authorial opinion and fascinating anecdotes. Orr carries this tradition forward, in a stylish, lavishly illustrated and well organized way.
Before launching into the descriptions of individual plants, the author provides an herb primer, describing properties, major herb families, dominant flavor compounds, harvesting and propagation techniques, as well as preservation methods. Projects include tabletop herb gardens, topiaries, herbal beverages and popular spice mixtures like Middle Eastern za’atar.
Each herb entry starts with a category—culinary, medicinal, poison, etc.—and goes on to describe the plant’s size, USDA zone hardiness, season and common names. Plant descriptions are only one page each, but are comprehensive, covering chemical/flavor compounds, historical references and traditional uses. Entries are interwoven with recipes, like the Turkish Stuffed Peppers with Dill that accompany the section on that herb.
It is fun to rediscover familiar herbs, like licorice, which not only flavors candies, Asian and western foods, but is being evaluated for use as a treatment for hepatitis, cirrhosis and other complaints. Surprises jumped off of almost every page. Who would have thought that pulmonaria or lungwort was anything but a pretty, shade-loving plant? It turns out that its flavenoid compounds may be useful for healing skin problems. And horseradish, which my father spread on all kinds of cold meats, has been used over the centuries to treat respiratory, rheumatic and urinary complaints. And horseradish may have been significant, but ordinary garlic leaped for immortality in 1858, when the great Louis Pasteur wrote of the bulb’s antibacterial properties The herbal world is full of wonders and many of them live between the pages of Stephen Orr’s book.
The New American Herbal is a great reference book, but I found myself temped to read through it in one sitting. Recipes accompany many of the herb descriptions, like the one for Morta Pie with Marjoram—similar to the Greek spanakopita—and made me want to make tracks for the kitchen.
Orr is not finished at the end, either. The last pages list a comprehensive array of sources, a recommended reading list, round-up of the various schools of herbal practice, not to mention botanical institutions that contain herb gardens.
Each section is highlighted by photos of herbs, all of which were taken by the author.
Orr’s book can be digested in dainty bites or devoured all at once. No matter which way you do it, it is impossible not to be awakened to the world of useful plants that surrounds us.