This unfussy, spirited guide to 36 readily accessible herbs offers botanical names, medical reputations from various modern and historical sources, good-humouredly honest tasting notes, and illustrations to help identify what you've just foraged, grown, or bought at the herb shop or health food store.

With teacher and tea aficionado Glenna McLean as your guide, travel back in time by enjoying a blend of herbs that King Tut savoured, a tea that was thought to ward off the Plague in the 14th Century, and the herbs imbibed by druids at Stonehenge and Puritan church services. Quaff brews purported to bring you courage, quench (or ignite) lust, ward off scurvy, and soothe stress and pain. Includes warnings and contraindications so you can pursue your herbal tea habit safely and happily for years to come.