I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

5 star review

Brilliant and informative book, will be using some of these natural remedies.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found it incredibly helpful and informative in a very easy to read format I highly recommend for anyone interested in herbs and their uses.

With everything going on in the world with covid, this book was definitely a read I found helpful. Learning about different ways to heal yourself with plants was helpful

I did not enjoy this. Did not engage at all with it and was not what I expected.
I wanted to give it a chance so I did carry on but just not for me or what I expected and didn’t take anything away

This book has so much important, relevent, and helpful content. I thoroughly enjoyed learning how viruses work (it's been a while since high school biology). Buhner's knowledge of herbs is vast and what he shares is extremely practical for the layperson. This is a book to have in your home as a reference in working with herbs. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and my ever-favorite Storey Publishing for the digital ARC of this book.

I read the first edition of Herbal Antivirals a few years ago and was really fascinated with the history of the herbs discussed and their documented use for fighting infections. I've studied herbal medicine, as a layperson, for many years and continue to find plenty of information I don't know. This informative book is a very helpful tool to have in your herbal first aid kit. The updated information discussing COVID-19 was also a very helpful section.

Great information. In today's age, this is what we need more of. I've been looking more into herbalism and this is a great resource I will be keeping around

I was not actually able to read this. It was approved just a day before the book was archived, so when I tried to download, I just got the archived message. Very disappointing. We import our books, so it is necessary to have access to review copies for evaluation.
Obviously I can't rate something I've not read - rating given to be able to submit review.

Herbal Antivirals, 2nd Edition Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections by Stephen Harrod Buhner is an informative read that you are sure to read again and again. A book full of useful information, tips, and tricks that make this must-have for your home library.

"Herbal Antivirals, 2nd Edition" describes the mode of action of different types of viral infections and how different herbs work to prevent these viral infections. The author began with a look at several types of viruses (influenza, coronaviruses, viral encephalitis, etc.). He provided some history about the disease, very detailed information about how that type of viral infection acts on the body, how different herbs block specific modes of action by the virus (thus helping stop the virus), and the dosing and herbs used for different stages of infection. He strongly suggested the use of tinctures as the best way to get a high enough dosing to be effective.

The information on COVID-19/SARS2-CoV was written in August 2020, over a year ago, and much of what was predicted (and included in this book) hasn't turn out to be as bad a predicted. I don't know if this section will be further updated before the publish date, but I didn't find a long section of what felt like panic propaganda to be very useful. He did include information about how the virus acted on the body and what herbs should help treat it.

The main, second section profiled several of the most useful antiviral herbs. The author described the common and Latin names of the medicinal herbs, the parts used for antiviral action, the dosage (usually as tinctures, but also powder or decoction), potential side effects, contraindications, herb/drug or herb/herb interactions, a list of medicinal actions, what it can be used to treat, the plant's chemistry, traditional uses, and scientific research on the herbs effectiveness against viruses and such. He also provided information about the plant in general, the habitat where the plant naturally grows and can be harvested, how to grow it, and where to buy it. He ended by describing some other ways (nutrition, some other herbs, etc.) to support the immune system and fight viral infections.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about viruses and prevention and treatment in this book. It is very detailed and well researched. This book focuses heavily on herbology, from their plant chemistry to doses and uses and more. The whole book is fascinating! I love both microbiology and herbology, so I'm definitely the target niche for this book. However, for those new to these fields, it may be a bit dense. I still think it is a great selection, I would just take it slower if I were a novice to this area. It was fun to find remedies and preventions that I have successfully used for years in here, but I especially relished the new information that I gleaned from this read.

Viruses are smart, mutating, and becoming resistant to antiviral pharmaceuticals. Global crises such as COVID-19, SARS, and dengue feaver spread more quickly than we can develop medicines to fight them. Herbalist and best-selling author Stephen Harrod Buhner has studied the antiviral properties of plants for many years. In this comprehensive guide, he profiles the plants that have proven most effective in fighting viral infections and provides in-depth instructions for preparing and using formulations to address the most common infections and strengthen immunity, safely and naturally. The updated 2nd edition includes an expanded guide to COVID-19, including a review of the most up-to-date medical research and the plant medicines that have been found to be most potent in preventing infection, lessening the impact of the virus on the body, and addressing longer-term effects and co-infections.
A must read during these times! I was fascinated by this book and now going to purchase the hardback copy!

An incredibly well-researched guide to the use of her s in the treatment of a wide range of viral disorders! Especially important in this age of the COVID pandemic and the surge of anti-biotic resistant strains of other diseases.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stephen Harrod Buhner (the author) and Storey Publishing for providing the opportunity to review an advance read copy of Herbal Antivirals, 2nd Edition in exchange for an honest review.

I found it really refreshing to learn about viruses (in particular the coronavirus) from an expert rather than media sensationalism. It was oddly comforting to read with more detail on the subject.

I haven't tried any of the tinctures or obtaining any of the herbal products, but I have been having a problem and think that I will be trying one of the remedies. Will post an update.

Bibliography goes from page 386 to page 443 and is organized by subject.

I haven't read this entire book word for word, but it really is impressive.

I requested to read ‘Herbal Antivirals’ as I liked the premise of it. I’m a keen kitchen gardener and am always interested to learn more about herbal remedies and alternative medicines.

I’ve done a little research since reading the book and I’ve discovered that not only is this a second edition but there are other books by the same author of a similar nature and Harrod Buhner has quite a following. I’ve never read any of the other books or even heard of Stephen Harrod Buhner so I’ve come at this with a completely fresh perspective.

I have a feeling I may have misread the description as technically speaking this book was way beyond my grasp. It was not what I expected at all. It claims to be a ‘comprehensive guide’ and that really isn’t to be taken lightly as there is a lot of information in this book, unfortunately, a lot of the jargon and phrasing was a little beyond me. So, I think this may be more of a reference guide than a ‘read from start to finish’ kind of book. There is a lot of background for each common infection, and that’s another thing I had an issue with. For a book that claims to offer instructions for preparing and using formulations to fight common infections, half the book seemed to be talking about Encephalitis, except for a rather informative section on Coronavirus. Unfortunately, I have very little interest in learning how to treat Encephalitis or dengue fever, so this book did take me a while to read as it really didn’t grab my interest.

Another negative aspect for me was the numerous personal jokes which went completely over my head and so disrupted the flow of the book for me but, as i mentioned earlier, that could also be because it’s more of a reference book. One thing for sure is, until I read this book I had no idea what a Taxonomist was (I’m still not 100% sure) but I do know that Stephen Harrod Buhner really does not like them.

I feel like I should probably find something positive to say about it now, so to be fair this book is very informative and Harrod Buhner does seem to know what he’s talking about, in fact, there were a few useful items in there like the preparation, storage, and usage of tinctures.

Basically, it’s an informative book and is backed up by a lot of research and science, but definitely for people with a slightly more advanced medical knowledge.

I don’t know that I can accurately rate this. This book was way out of my league. It is highly technical and I was just lost. I don’t think I am the target audience for this book.

“Once your life is saved by a plant
Things are never the same again”

This book dived straight into some heavy, scientific language reminiscent of a Masters Degree dissertation. I’m not sure who the target audience is - I already have experience of using some basic herbs and some of the other supplements and vitamins recommended, have done University level study of genetics & biology etc and this book took my full concentration (and I wouldn’t be confident passing a test on some of the very technical content) - at times it seemed like a medical textbook. (To prove this, the last 25% of the book is notes, references & bibliography)
I learned a huge amount - which of course is only a good thing. This way of treating microbial disease with the living pharmacy around us will only grow over the coming years.
Area around 36% seemed as though it should be the intro - the book seemed to get easier, almost as though this was 2 books smashed together....? Or perhaps I’d got used to the style of writing at that point!
I believe this is an updated version with particular detail on COVID-19/ SARS COV2 - v useful, but be aware it could be potentially overwhelming.
In summary, I am torn how to review, because the scientific detail, quotes, Latin names, human studies, statistics etc does give evidence and confidence to the information, negating any woowoo connotations of herbal medicine and certainly there is a huge amount of research and expertise on the author’s part.
Particularly liked the section in chapter 6 clearly separated into plant chemistry, traditional uses, growing/harvesting technique, uses in Ayurveda, scientific research, Chinese medicine. Western botanic practice, preparation & dosage for the top 7 anti virals.
Useful as a reference book to dip into in future, rather than read in one go. I will definitely dip back in in the future. A 3/5 for enjoyment with a full extra point for the sheer detail & knowledge imparted = 4/5

The best book on the subject, bar none, and now updated with extensive information about COVID-19. As always, Buhner backs up all his information with extensive references to scientific studies. I also love that he highlights the way each herb is used in traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Western medicine and Native American medicine when known. Best of all, he highlights wild plants that are growing all around us that we can harvest for free. He rightly points out that some of the most "invasive" wild plants are the most beneficial in the world -- stinging nettles, Japanese honeysuckle, etc. and also gives you information about the best sources to find both seeds and herbs.

Buhner is dying and he has been working hard to finish two books and to update this one in the time he has left. I highly admire that throughout this last year he has been providing extensive information to covid sufferers for free even as he is living in great pain and disability. He released an over-100 page COVID-19 protocol PDF for free on his website of all of his recommended protocols for active and long-covid last summer. It includes protocols for all of the manifestations that covid can take in lungs, heart, stomach, fatigue, etc. with multiple suggestions for each and good research to back it all up. That information is also included in this book, but I am so impressed that he put it online for the benefit of others for free.

This, along with his Herbal Antibiotics book, is a must-have for anyone who uses natural medicines or wants to learn how to (which really ought to be all of us, as they are so effective and accessible). I will be buying the print version as soon as it is available.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

It is a comprehensive collection of antiviral treatments that should be treated as a reference book rather than something to be read in one go, The Covid chapters are very detailed and helpful for those who are trying to avoid the disease at all costs or recovering from it,

A really interesting read, very in-depth so I think I will be revisiting this book over and over again.

I believe that we should all be investigating alternative medicine herbalism to treat not only our more common complaints but more in-depth ones like Covid 19 too. I believe that we are too reliant on pharmaceutical medication and the corrupt pharmaceutical companies just want to make money from us. whilst offering us insufficient drugs that keep us returning for more and more medication.

Stephen Buhner backs up all his comprehensive information with data for a reassuring read.