Russ, the Hart reference looks great. I was wondering if it actually included pictures (renderings or photos) of certain herbs as shown on the main page .

I was also wondering if you are in ongoing process of adding to the herbal list.

Echinacea (purpurea or long leaf as 2 medicinal, and all versions otherwise of) is a ferocious and very reliable perennial btw (definitely not an annual). Dormant for the winter as a tuber/root stock underground, survives extreme cold and freezing weather/snow, revives quite early every spring and spreads like crazy once established. Takes two years to mature and for the first blooms to appear (all versions). The young tender first year shoots/roots are excellent as a medicinal even before the plant has matured. I actually only generally pick the leaves/some flowers of the mature flowering plants for drying and use the baby plants that seed themselves as volunteers from the previous season for fresh root use, very strong and more tender than the mature plants, which I keep for parenting babies from year to year. I started just 2 or 3 Echinacea purpurea flowers several years ago, dug 2 up and moved them quite successfully (very easy to restart from root stock) to our new location about 5 years ago and by now I usually have at least a dozen and a half always growing around in the flower beds. Of course I eat a lot of it from time to time otherwise there would be much more... I often have to simply pluck and toss the babies because they are so prolific also.

I'd really like a comprehensive illustrated herbal reference of the Hart type with all the various ailment references etc

I also keep on the shelf 'The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition' published by the University of California at Berkeley, my copy 1992 version. Another very helpful and comprehensive must have reference.