Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants

By Lewis S. Nelson, Michael J. Balick, Richard D. Shih, et al.

Book Overview

This third edition of the Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants is designed to assist the clinician in the initial response to the needs of a child or adult exposed to a poisonous or injurious plant. It highlights common and important plants that lead to the adverse effects upon exposure, and it describes the mechanisms of action of the implicated toxin, clinical manifestations, and specific therapeutics, as available, for each. This truly comprehensive resource is botanically rigorous with insights from both the pharmacognosy and medical literature. At the same time, it is also for those who are interested in growing and enjoying the plants in their environment, filling in a not-often-discussed botanical and horticultural niche that goes beyond their beautiful physical appearance. Plants contain many useful chemicals that humans have used for millennia as botanical curatives. This book will help the reader understand the fine balance between a medication and a poison, why plants contain these natural substances, and their impact on the human body.

With its thorough references and full-color photos of hundreds of potentially toxic and injurious plants inside and outside the home, this book is useful for identifying and addressing concerns about cultivated species and those found in the wild.

This book will be of interest to botanists, horticulturists, clinicians, and naturalists as well as hikers, gardeners, and all those who simply enjoy the wonders of nature and the great outdoors.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1493989243
• ISBN13: 9781493989249
• Release Date: May 2020
• Publisher: Springer
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent text; great price

A very well designed text with perfect pictures. Very good for those in the toxicology field. Thank you.

Excellent Resource

This book fills a real void, since the publication of the first edition (in 1985 by Lampe and McCann) has long been out of print. There are over 150 species of plants discussed, detailing the description, location, toxin, toxic parts, clinical findings and management, each with a few key references. The photographs are of very high quality. Often there is more than one photograph of a particular species depicting the plant with and without flowers or perhaps a view from a distance and then a close up. This handbook is essential for all poison centers and toxicologists and would be extremely useful for any healthcare provider, botanist, or gardener who wanted to learn more about poisonous plants!

What I have been waiting for

This is the book that I have been waiting to own. As a mother of young children, an avid gardener, an ethnobotanical researcher, a naturalist, and a practicing physician, I think this handbook should be on the bookshelf of every member of these professions. The information provided is practical, insightful, and accurate, and the plant photos add life to a very abstract subject. It is also a beautiful book--in handy field guide proportions with vivid photographs-- this book can go out into the field with you or grace your coffee table. I only wish that it had been published 10 years ago, because it fills a niche left empty when the AMA stopped publishing their book on poisonous plants. Worth the wait--this book is better.

Best handbook on poisonous plants in 20 years! Replaces the AMA Handbook

The rigorous organization and approach to this topic results in a tremendous practical contribution to the clinicians who care for the poisoned patient. Thre first four sections provide detailed management guidlines and general principles for dealing with the poisoned patient. The 5th section is a beautifuly detailed description of the poisonous plants complete with sharp crisp color photographs, pertinent clinical information, and references. This book should be in every Emergency Department, Poison Center, and Office that gives advice to children and adults who have come in contact or ingested plants that are potentially toxic.

Gardeners handbook

This book is full of surprising facts and information about many plants which are commonly known. This is a great book for anyone interested in gardening.