i love this book - i wander around the yard with it - i practically read it to my plants. the history and folklore adds so much to my gardening experience and i get totally excited when somebody asks about this or that herb i have in a dish near my front door or tied in a bundle over the fireplace. each plant reference includes: latin name, folk name, gender, planet, element, deities, powers, uses, whether or not it's poisonous, and a black n white botanical sketch of the plant. mint is no longe...

I had this book for years but, unfortunately, didn't actually much use of it. It seems like it should be a great reference; it's packed with descriptions of various plants, their correspondences, and some of their properties. But this is very much a magical reference text, not an academic or medical-style herbal. If you're trying to figure out which herb to use for spellwork, this may be the book for you. If you're trying to figure out which herb to take for your headache, have a cup of mint tea...

You don't really "read" or "finish" this book because it's more of a look-up-what-you-need encyclopedic book, but it's very clear and concise and informative. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a down-to-earth magical herbal guide--interesting for folklore buffs as well as Crafters, ya know?

I've realized that my expectations for what I want n an herbal, and what is actually out there, are two completely different things. Yet Cunningham's Encyclopedia has more of what I would want, with some folk history of the different herbs. I don't like that everything is structured into the generic Greek 4 element model, but you get that with Wicca and ceremonialism. As a supplemental reference book, I feel it does pretty well, and it did spark my interest into herbalism.

This is an encyclopedia about herbs. Cunningham includes folklore, edibility, and ways these plants can be prepared. Symbols are included in each profile to signify for medical use or for spells. The reader should use their common sense. Out of all Cunningham's books I see this one as the most important. I use this book as a reference any time I am making gris-gris bags, tea, or gardening.

This is a must-have for every herbalist's shelf. Cunningham's work is accessible, well-written, and easy to follow, one of the better Herb guides on the market today for magical and health uses.

This is my herbal bible! My current copy is starting to fall apart by the binding from over use, the plastic on the cover is coming away from the paper, the pages are well loved...A lot of people think Cunningham is too simple, that he's a 'good place to start', but why overcomplicate things when they're so effective to begin with? I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants more info on magical herbs.

Difficulty Level: BeginnerNo magickal background necessary.Pros:- It's an occult/Pagan classic.I believe this book was written for Pagans in general.I know firsthand that virtually all Wiccans use this and most Hoodoo practitioners use it in conjunction with Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by Catherine Yronwode, cross-referencing herbs between them.I highly recommend getting the ebook, so you can quickly find what you need.- Botanical names are given to each plant so that you won't confuse them with

Certainly not the sort of book one would read from beginning to end, but a very useful reference book and one I use often. The index allows you to look up herbs by the proper name, Folk name or Latin name. For each herb you will find the related Gender, Planet, Element, Deities, Powers as well as magical and ritual uses. Only drawback here is while Cunningham's reference list is long, he does not indicate which source is used to back up the claimed properties of each herb. While this book is gre...

First let me explain why exactly I bought this book. The short answer? My next protagonist is really into herbs... Oh, and she's a witch. This encyclopedia was as perfect as I could get for what I was looking for. It includes chapters on the powers and intentions of herbs as well as specific spells to use. Then it breaks down each herb with its common, scientific and folk names, gender, planet, element, associated deities, powers, and ritual and magical uses. And an illustration of each herb. It...

The folk names and the suchlike were interesting, the illustrations are inspireing the books subject matter is nonsense. yes I do respect other peoples beliefs, but I have had access to books over three hundred years old and I can only say the magic from this book (if it's to be believed)is from the Sooty and Sweep school of "izzy wizzy lets get bizzy" magic.

Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting…did you know that herbs are magical things? Most people don’t realize that the witches in Shakespeare were really cooking up a potion made of flowers and herbs! Many herbs throughout history have been named some spooky things, but they have been found to help and heal. Folklore associated with these herbs led to the belief that some plants were magical. Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical He...

The 1-5 Star Review is the total of what I have to say about this book, specifically.Caveat: This review is historical/archival in nature. 'Date read' is speculative.This book is one of many books I have read about the occult/paganism/witchcraft. This was the readily available faith in my household as a child. Additionally, I worked for a company in this field, 2015-2016, and had to read an ocean of this stuff to do my job.Like televangelists, and snake-oil salesman, these publishers prey on the...

This may very well be a book I buy. Not only is this a solid magical herbalism encyclopedia, but once again, Cunningham has written a guide that is at once inclusive and specific. His introduction is really spot-on and I love that he leaves in some of the less practical rituals to "spark the imagination." My only real issues with this volume are (a) his use of gender in dealing with the properties of the plants (of course, this could easily be ignored by a practitioner that doesn't cotton to suc...

I have to say, this is one of the books on my shelf that is filled with post it notes and book marks.. I use it a LOT and you can really tell as I'm soon going to have to order another copy! It's been tremendously handy when I've been making incense and herbal kits as there's just so much to draw from.It's a fabulous go to book for just starting out as well as seasoned practitioners who work with herbs as it's filled with helpful information. There's quite a lot you can sink your teeth into.It's...

i’ve been using this book as a reference for all my medicinal herbs to align known medicinal properties with spiritual and energetic properties. i have a couple different books in this vein and this one i trust the most. it’s simply organized (it’s an encyclopedia, so it’s all alphabetical, by common name, not by latin names) and has some useful appendix tables in the back.EDIT: i lowered my rating to a 4, 3.5 more like it. while it is exactly what it says it is, an encyclopedia for reference, t...

This is one of my two absolute favorite books on the magical use of herbs. It is fun and easy to use, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in undertaking the practice of Wicca or modern Witchcraft. Scott Cunningham was a wonderful, light hearted, positive Light Being (I knew him personally), and everyone I know who uses this book loves it. There has been some criticism that everything in it is not based in perfect scholarship. However, that does not matter. This book has been in activ...

Originally posted here:http://nancythroughthelookingglass.bl...The Book is clearly laid out and easy to use, with many different herbs and flowers covered, many common ones and a few herbs I'd never heard of and objects thought of as magical items, like carrots and potatoes. It Gives you the name of the herb with a line drawing of it it's folk names gender planet element and powers, as well as it's magical uses.I'd recommend the book to anyone with an interest in herbs whether it be magical or n...

If you're wondering about which magical herbal book to pickup (As there are many! and not all are created equal haha) ...Although it's nice to have more sources to pull from in any realm of knowledge...I can honestly say I don't personally bother with any other book then this one when I'm needing this information. An absolute MUST have if your interested in learning more in this area, I promise you will return to it again and again.

The books by Scott Cunningham are truly informative for any practitioner of Paganism or the Wiccan paths, whether you be a solitary or coven practioner. Personally I am a solitary who reads all the Neo-pagan books of knowledge concerning herbs, practices, incense and oils, history, etc... I can get my hands on. to truly understand the path one must research and practice, Blessed Be.