"... Truly my own body being sickly, brought me easily into a capacity,
to know that health was the greatest of all earthly blessings, and truly
he was never sick that doth not believe it." --Nicholas Culpeper,
Epistle to the Reader (1653)
Culpeper's Complete Herbal was originally published in 1652 as The
English Physitian, and in 1653 under its more well-known title. It is a
practical health guide, describing plants, where and when they grow, and
what symptoms they alleviate. In its over 350 years in print, this
herbal guide has become the most popular guide to herbs and one of the
most successful English books ever published.
This 1880 edition of Culpeper's Complete Herbal contains not only the
herbal guide, but also Directions for Making Syrups and An
Alphabetical List of All Human Diseases with the Names of the Herbs that
will Cure them as well as numerous beautiful color illustrations of
engravings of British plants and herbs.