A Brief History of Thyme: And Other Herbs [Hardcover]

Packed with fascinating information concerning not only the literary and classical heritage of each herb, but their use in the kitchen. -- The Sunday Times 20021124 Arranged alphabetically, from Angelica to Yarrow, and modestly, but charmingly, illustrated by Jane Macfarlane, this fragrent little volume will delight both gardener and cook. -- The Lady 20021128 It is better written (by journalist and biographer) than many po-faced herb books, and is full of gorgeous trivia. -- The Irish Times 20030201 There's medicinal lore, gardening magic and culinary titbits; all wonderfully researched by Seymore and beutifully illustrated by her cousin Jane Macfarlane's line drawings. -- Worcester Evening News 20020927

This illustrated volume collects the best of Miranda Seymour's weekly pieces for the Independent. Each piece covers a single herb, whether henbane, parsley, cannabis or woad, and describes its characteristics, its growing habits tame or wild, its effects, the lore and beliefs attached to it, and the history of its use. The result is a compendium of plant information - often useful and fascinating and occasionally very strange.;Here you can discover what Homer's Greeks used as sleeping potions and what the Romans took for indigestion, why Henry VIII fined any farmer who refused to grow marijuana, and which herb the 72-year-old Queen of Hungary used to extract a proposal from the King of Poland. You can also discover the herb used today to counter the detrimental effects of chemotherapy, or which one you could use as a shampoo, or to stun fish, or wear as underwear.;Each of the herbs is entertainingly introduced and illustrated by Jane Macfarlane's line drawings. The book should delight any cook or gardner, and also anyone dedicated to healthy eating or intrigued by ancient folklore.

Miranda Seymore writes for the Independent. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Visiting Professor of English at the University of Nottingham Trent.