Jan Scholten: “Wonderful Plants”

In a word this book is a masterpiece but it does have some problems. As you might expect from Jan Scholten he applies a systematic analysis of plant families using the latest botanical APG3 nomenclature (yes, admit it: like me you never heard of this schema before). Somehow – I am still uncertain how – he manages to apply the theory of elements and the periodic table to the plants. The book begins with forewords and a theoretical introduction. He differentiates the plant kingdom from other kingdoms by characterising plant cases as “vague, woolly, rounded” (page 16). He confesses that “the book and the theory in it is a work in progress”. I think the book is brilliant but I agree with his verdict, there is a way to go. The introduction is mostly very clear. I have read it three times, and browsed new and familiar remedies, of which there are a myriad of first rate cases from Jan and from his colleagues.