Includes bibliographical references (p. 363-378) and index.

Ch. 1. Herbs without the herbals : retracing a lost tradition -- Ch. 2. Introduction to the compendium of uses -- Ch. 3. Bryophytes, lichens, algae and fungi -- Ch. 4. Pteridophytes and conifers -- Ch. 5. Water-lilies, buttercups and poppies -- Ch. 6. Elms to docks -- Ch. 7. St. John's-worts to primulas -- Ch. 8. Currants, succulents and roses -- Ch. 9. Legumes, spurges and geraniums -- Ch. 10. Ivy and umbellifers -- Ch. 11. Gentians and nightshades -- Ch. 12. Comfrey, vervain and mints -- Ch. 13. Plantains, figworts, foxglove and speedwells -- Ch. 14. Bedstraws, valerian and scabious -- Ch. 15. Daisies -- Ch. 16. Pondweeds, grasses, lilies and orchids -- Ch. 17. Distribution patterns of folk medicinal uses -- App. Veterinary remedies.

"This book provides the first comprehensive account of medicinal uses of wild plants by the country folk of Britain and Ireland. Two of Britain's foremost ethnobotanical scholars mined nearly 300 published and unpublished sources, including information gathered by the Irish Folklore Commission in more than 1000 manuscript volumes, to chronicle the fascinating uses of more than 400 plant species. This mass of unwritten herbal lore constitutes a medical tradition in its own right, yet one overlooked by historians." "An appendix of veterinary uses is provided. Illustrations include 57 carefully chosen drawings, and 31 colour photographs by Deni Bown." "Medicinal Plants in Folk Tradition: An Ethnobotany of Britain & Ireland will be valuable to anthropologists, archaeologists, botanists, geographers and historians as well as anyone with an interest in natural healing."--BOOK JACKET.