Civil War Plants and Herbs: Revised and Expanded Edition Paperback – March 18, 2022

Civil War Plants and Herbs by Patricia B. Mitchell details creative adapted-from-nature alternatives for clothing, household products, pharmaceutical supplies, and traditional foods; as sought and developed by soldiers and citizens of the North and South during the American Civil War. 78 titled Union and Confederate recipes, remedies, and practical hints; many more are contained with quoted narratives. Appendices include a compiled list of official indigenous remedies from the Confederate government, with Latin and common names, uses, forms, and cautions; and medical purveyors' lists from seven Confederate states, with descriptions, prices, and instructions. 302 numbered pages including appendices and a thorough index. 518 research notes, fully documented for ease of use by other researchers.The book describes plant-derived medicines used during the American Civil War, and discusses the home use of plants for food and pharmacy. The book is a treasure of authentic information for herbalists, historians and historical researchers, and authors of historical nonfiction and fiction. Primary sources such as letters, newspapers, and diaries reveal inconveniences and hardships the War brought to both sides, and clever solutions and substitutions developed for coffee, tea, wheat flour and many other items. The book also includes descriptions of the medical care offered, and how herbs were used to treat certain conditions. The first publication of Civil War Plants and Herbs in 1996 was a Compact Edition. This revised and greatly expanded Bookshelf Edition was published in 2022. Read more