《紐約植物園》香草植物典藏圖文小百科Herbal Handbook: 50 Profiles in Words and Art from the Rare Book Collections of The New York Botanical Garden

　　51種香草植物，典藏圖文小百科
　　百年歷史紐約植物園珍稀藏書精選
 
　　書中詳述51種香草植物種植要點，以及各種應用方式，諸如製成沙拉、湯、炒物、義大利調味、調酒、烘焙、茶飲等食譜。這些植物不僅能轉換人們的心情、增添食物風味，還能讓居家環境煥然一新。
 
　　讀者將一睹不同時空背景及文本裡出現的香草植物，無論是古典梵語詩歌、希臘神話、文藝復興時期食譜、羅馬盛宴、北美原住民嬰兒床上、日本京都葵祭、舒緩蜜蜂螫傷、中世紀房間芬芳劑、普羅旺斯薰衣草花田、印度咖哩、希臘菠菜派，埃及法老墳墓、以及古代催情春藥，都可見香草植物扮演的關鍵腳色。
 
　　本書收錄的香草植物生長在沼澤、岩石峭壁、牧場、森林、耕地、海洋、絲綢之路等地，其中有像馬齒莧這類路邊可見植物、也有像番紅花這類被視為珍貴的植物。
 
　　幾千年來香草植物在植物學、醫學、歷史、自然史、烹飪藝術、治療、園藝各方面的運用包羅萬象。香草植物並具有雙重定義。其一是會釋出種子但莖質地柔弱、無木質化的植物；再者就是能作為調味料、藥材或香水，具有葉、花、種子、莖或根的植物。
 
　　本書兼具美感與功能，除了能成為架上藝術品，更能活用於一天日常：起床後用金盞花洗臉、早餐啜飲一杯伯爵茶、午餐來份圓葉當歸金槍魚三明治、再以藏茴香雞尾酒為一天畫下句點，體驗香草植物數千年來為世人帶來的一切美好。

Herbal Handbook is a charming, information-packed guide to 51 herbs and their uses illustrated with rare botanical art from the renowned archives of The New York Botanical Garden.

Did you know that woodruff was used as a room freshener in the Middle Ages; that crushed bergamot leaves can soothe bee stings; and that dried fenugreek seeds were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamen?

Herbs are magical, and their uses myriad. Inside Herbal Handbook are fifty-one herbs portrayed in words and rare botanical art curated by experts at The New York Botanical Garden. Some, like saffron, are treasured and rare; others, like purslane, grow by the roadside. They all have a place--in the garden, in the kitchen, in the bed or the bath. Use Herbal Handbook to explore their history, how to grow them, and how they were used in the past and present. Then bring them into your daily life; each herb’s profile offers a recipe or project that highlights its unique properties.

So cleanse your face with calendula when you wake up, sip a bergamot tea at breakfast, have a lovage tuna sandwich for lunch, and mix a caraway cocktail at the end of the day. Let Herbal Handbook delight your senses as they have done to others for thousands of years.

The New York Botanical Garden is an iconic living museum founded in 1891. It is a National Historic Landmark, with 250 acres supporting over one million living plants. Each year more than one million visitors walk the grounds to enjoy the remarkable diversity of tropical, temperate, and desert flora and to attend beloved annual events such as The Holiday Train Show and The Orchid Show.