- Paperback: 412 pages
- Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.; 3 Sub edition (19 May 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0806511745
- ISBN-13: 978-0806511740
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 659,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.30
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Witch Doctor's Apprentice: Hunting for Medicinal Plants in the Amazon (Library of the Mystic Arts) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.30, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
When Nicole Maxwell first visited the Amazon more than forty years ago, she had no idea that she would make a life's work of the people, plants and lore to be found there. Decades before Americans became aware of the riches to be found in the knowledge of plant medicines which native shamans had passed down over thousands of years, Ms. Maxwell, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, was scouring the Amazon ram forest for clues to this ancient medical tradition.
Now, on the eve of the decade in which mankind will have its last chance to determine the fate of this region and its wealth of traditional knowledge, Citadel Press's Library of the Mystic Arts is proud to bring out a newly revised edition of this classic work. Long hailed as one of the major works of popular ethno-medicine, this book is both an engaging adventure story and an engrossing account of the traditions of plant medicine to be found among the tribes of Amazonia -- and its re-release could not be more timely.
Scientists now fear that one plant species per day is being made extinct by man's ravenous appetite for "progress". Of the plants which are found only in the Amazon rain forest, only a tiny percentage have been tested for their full medical possibilities. Witch-Doctor's Apprentice is an inspiring and amusing plea to modern civilization to save these plants -- and the people who know how to use them -- before they are destroyed forever.
On the occasion of this newly revised edition, Ms. Maxwell has created an appendix which catalogs all of the plants mentioned in the text, with their scientific names, the names by which they are known locally, and their medicinal uses. This edition also includes a newintroduction by the noted ethno-botanist Terence McKenna.
"A spirited and engrossing personal narrative, as much about people and places, discomforts and dangers, the beauty of the jungle and the arc-leap of wordless communication across cultural barriers, as it is about... bringing natu
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read Ms. Maxwell's book cover-to-cover in one sitting. I was fascinated by her experiences in the Amazon jungle. The importance of the indiginous wisdom and knowledge she found there cannot be over-emphasized. Everyone who goes to an AMA physician or who buys drugs from a pharmacist should read this eye-opening book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Witch-Doctor's Apprentice : Hunting for Medicinal Plants in
21 Jun 2001
Format:Paperback
This was a great read for me back in '94 when it was presented as a gift and I have often recommended it. Nicole shares her life story when she is in her 80s. One needs to keep in mind the prevalence of ethnocentricity of our society back in the 50's and 60's. And to her credit she tells the WHOLE story, including all her fumbling bumblings of an imperfect human. As one who has ventured a little into the Bolivian and Belizian jungle her misadventures are only to be expected and provide great humor and reading. An example of her humor is while she is deep in the amazon jungle she relates that she wasn't all that concerned because what self respecting warrior would want a meazly female head for a trophy. Nicole was way ahead of her time in two areas: collecting ethnobotanical information and plants, and fighting multinational corporations in the pharmaceutical industry by bringing information directly to the people. I wonder if anyone has ever discovered what that one plant was that given one tbsp a woman was sterile until given a tbsp of another plant and she was fertile again! One may only be able to realize what an adventuresome and hardy soul she is, if you have taken steps into the amazon jungle yourself.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
"Read this book!"
17 Feb 2000
Format:Hardcover
For anyone interested in medicinal plants and adventure, this book is for you. I can't say enough about it. I've read this book years ago and was so excited to find it at Amazon. I liked it so much, I bought a copy for my library.
Nicole Maxwell tells an extraordinary tale of trying to unlock the secrets of jungle medicine. This book is very informative, but it's not in the least bit dry. Maxwell goes into detail on her encounters with the indigenous people and what it was like to be a white woman in the midst of the jungle. Her strength and courage reinforce the belief that "anything is possible" once you put your mind to it. After reading this book, you will wonder how many other plants from the amazon have been synthesized for use in our modern world.
Many of the medicinal plants and remedies she comes across are discussed from a laymens point of view. If you're looking for a botany textbook, this one isn't it. If you want to read a great story about an unforgettable journey that changed not only a woman's life, but modern medicine as we know it, buy this book!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Excellent true adventure with hope for health w/out RX's.
28 Nov 1995
Format:Paperback
Nicole Maxwell takes us on a journey into the Amazon richwith the sense of being there. She is a down-to-earth person sincerely interested in learning the natural herbal care the Amazonian natives know well. Her book is an indictment against the current medical system in the United States as well. What we don't know IS hurting us.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Complementary Medicine > Herbal Remedies
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Complementary Medicine > Traditional Medicine & Remedies
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Medical & Healthcare Practitioners > Other Branches of Medicine > Pharmacology
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Occult
- Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Botany & Plant Sciences
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Pharmacology
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
