Andrew Chevallier profiles more than 140 medicinal herbs, from turmeric and ginger root to elderflower and ginkgo biloba, and sets out what each one is actually good for.

Step by step instructions cover preparing herbal teas, decoctions and tinctures at home. At a glance charts match remedies to more than 50 common complaints, among them headaches, colds, hay fever and the symptoms of menopause. Most usefully, it carries the dosage and safety information that shorter herb books skip, and the flexible binding is sized to sit open on a counter while your hands are busy.