author
Alice Henkel
1869–1916
A pioneering U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist, she wrote practical early-20th-century guides that helped readers identify and use medicinal plants growing across the United States. Her books blend scientific fieldwork with a clear, useful style that still feels approachable today.
5 Audiobooks
Peppermint
by Alice Henkel
Weeds used in medicine
by Alice Henkel
Wild medicinal plants of the United States
by Alice Henkel
American medicinal barks
by Alice Henkel
American root drugs
by Alice Henkel
About the author
Alice Henkel was an American botanist and writer best known for her work on medicinal plants. Active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and became a trusted specialist on plants used in medicine.
Her publications include Wild Medicinal Plants of the United States, American Medicinal Barks, American Medicinal Leaves and Herbs, and Weeds Used in Medicine. These books and bulletins were written to help readers recognize useful species, understand where they grew, and learn how they were collected and prepared.
Available information suggests she studied medical botany for several years before joining federal botanical work, and by the late 1890s she was working in the USDA's Division of Botany. Her writing is valued not just for its historical interest, but for the way it made specialized botanical knowledge practical and readable for a wider audience.