Main description:

An exploration of the history, folklore and medicinal uses of thirty exotic trees, beautifully illustrated with the author's own photographs. From Cacao to Eucalyptus, and Almond through to Frankincense, Christina Stapley takes us on a journey through North America, Oman, the Mediterranean, China and the Caribbean. This is the companion volume to her previous work which explored the history, herbalism and uses of native European trees. The Tree Dispensary reflects a deep and thorough appreciation for trees - the author has studied them for many years as a herb historian and practising herbalist. Of the trees mentioned in the book, she has experience of growing around a third of them herself, including several from China, and has travelled around the world to study the rest. The book is categorised into geographical areas and looks at the trees which grow in each location. Each of the thirty chapters looks at a different and unique tree, along with its cultivation, cookery, foraging, history, botany, medicinal use and mythology. While she was travelling, Christina encountered connections between the trees and cultures in which they grew, and this provides a rich and moving historical thread throughout the book.