Easy-to-use intro to Gramma's home medicines
920711
This book is organized in two ways - by plant and by symptom.
By plant you can see the different uses for each herb, and by symptom you look up your health issue and you can then decide which treament best suits you (maybe depending on what you've got on hand..).
It also has a handy explanation of the various ways plants are treated to make the best use of them. This book is on my shelf, always at hand. Many times I've used cough and stomach rememdies from it, and many times I felt better just knowing I was treating my kids with natural sources and putting alittle limit on the chemicals.
4745576
A great beginner's guide to using herbs in your daily life. I like how the author lists quite a few natural herbs that can be implemented for building your immune system, and for treating colds and flu. The recipes are valuable and I will definitely keep this book in my library for future reference.
2035011
Herbal medicine has always been very intriguing to me, but I know nothing about it and have a lot to learn. Herbal Medicine for Beginners is a lovely book for those who know their herbs and for those who are extremely new to the practice. It starts out with a simple explanation of the how's and why's of herbal medicine, and then explains sources for your herbs. I love that it includes a small section about ethically sourcing a protecting at risk plants. It goes into easy to understand detail about the equipment you will need, the many different ways you can turn herbs into medicine, and how to safely prepare them. Then comes all of the different herbs and uses! Some are easier to find than others, but can usually find anything you need online nowadays. I already knew a lot about a few things thanks to my brothers fianc! She also taught me that I can find most of these things right out in my yard! I can see this book being a handy reference in my home for many years to come! And I am definitely telling my brothers fianc about it!
657392
I really like how this book is divided into categories.  Short grammatical lessons at the front serve as a good, if very basic start to understanding the language if one has an interest in going beyond learning vocabulary for a short trip.  And if you're not interested in the grammar lessons, the bulk of this book is still perfect for those wishing to just pick up the necessary vocabulary and polite greetings.  It's very small in size, easy to toss in a bag without taking up much space at all.  Well worth the minor investment.
2501306
I used to have a copy of this when I first started with herbalism.  I was thrilled to find it available-it is a really good basic guide and the color pictures of the herbs make identification simple. I'm glad to have it back in my library again.
3397135
Good introduction to plant medicine. Pictures and better descriptions of what the plants in the recipes actually do for your body.
1654112
Bill Linney has written an easy-to-use book on Latin that can be used to learn this language at any age. We have gone through the first ten lessons rather rapidly, and it was so easy to pick up on what he was teaching with each lesson. This is definitely a must-have for the homeschool family who wants to learn Latin in an easy manner.
1857462
I like its simplicity, and all the descriptions of remedies, concoctions and local plants. I really enjoy this book, highly recommended
947953
This beautifully illustrated book provides valuable information on natural remedies for health, beauty, home and pet care. The chapter Natural Health Remedies contains information on herbal teas, compresses and quick tips on improving one's well-being. Natural Beauty tells the reader how to make creams, masks, shampoos, massage oils, bath salts, aftershaves and lip balms from natural products. Natural House and Garden explains how to make your own air fresheners, furniture polishes, kitchen and bathroom cleaners and garden sprays from environmentally friendly ingredients. Natural Pet Care provides hints, tips and information on remedies with natural ingredients to keep the cat and the dog healthy and happy and to treat common ailments of pets. The text is enhanced by full colour illustrations and the book concludes with a list of resources and an index.
2574398
This is without a doubt one of my new favorites. It contains information crucial to the average athlete for maintenance of health and mending of injuries. While the experienced herbologist might have a clear understanding of various herb attributes and the inherent danger of interaction when mixing the plants, vegetables, and extracts, the average layman does not. The reason I enjoyed the book as much as I did, is that the information presented here caters specifically to the average layman in clear concise baby steps.

The author gives a checklist of what to look for in herb/extract selection, how to best prepare the herb, and most importantly what not to do. A particular point she drives home repeatedly (and in my opinion something that needs to be driven home more frequently) is not to overuse any particular plant or extract, as too much of anything could be toxic.  She also makes another crucial point often overlooked by many beginners. In the author's own words, just because you are taking something for a particular ailment, does not mean it is good for the whole body. A fact many should take to heart.

The list of plants and herbs is limited to the 64 most commonly found in Europe and North America. In my opinion this is both good and bad. Good, because you are given a variety of herbal stock you will most likely have easy access to, in your own language. This will spare you having to browse the local Chinatown herbal shop, and in most cases being unable to read the label, thus making an educated and for the most part less risky selection. On the other hand the limited selection means you will not be able to obtain recepies for Dit Da Jow, Qi tonification formuals, and the like.

The herbal section is informative in as much as an amature hobbyist would need it to be. Without going into too much detail and losing the reader, the book presents a photo of the herb being described, the Latin and common names of the plant, a brief history and background of how the plant had been used, what the herb had historically been used for, and a 0-5 rating for how effective the particular herb had been for this purpose. The bottom section of the herbal description covers how to prepare the plant, dosage specifications, and appropriate precautions for each particular herb. The only down side here, is that the photos of the herbs are black and white. White it's true that one should not memorize herbs merely via photos, a colored description would go a long way in helping establish a better name to image association.

The back section of the book goes over the various methods of preparing herbs, covering everything from decotions, syrups, tinctures, oils, poultices, and plasters, to infusions and creams. The descriptions are very helpful, and can help the average hobbyist create moderately effective treatments.

The final section of the book deals with various injuries, and how to best treat them, going over the previously covered material, and the best methodology for applying the various treatments. The book has an excellent index, allowing you to search by specific injury or ailment, herb, or preparation method. The glossary at the back covers medical terminology and herbal classification used throughout the book, explaining various descriptions of herbs, such as diurrhetic, antispasmodic, haemostatic, etc.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in herbology basics, and treating martial arts/sports related injuries.
1052282
This book serves as a good introduction to herbal remedies. It is concise  and well written. My family has been keen on this subject for a while and I still learned some new things from this book. If you are looking for ways to boost your immune system or for natural ways to treat everyday illnesses, I recommend this book.
564901
The author gave a great collection of recipes including herbal oil blends, EO blends, teas, household products, beauty products and other handy topical products. Perfect for everyday use.
2717213
Trips to the doctor can be so pricey and sometimes there are easy quick at home cures. The Do-it-yourself Herbal Medicine book is just the handbook for some DIY ideas. One of my favorite chapters is the fabulous five, it highlights the top five herbs that are super healers. It breaks down what the herb can reall help with on both a medicinal and cosmetic level. There is also many recipes for common issues for example spider veins, psoriasis, foot odor, and split ends. This book is the a must have for everyone's kitchen. I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
2534926
The minute I saw this book I had to pick it up. It was on one of my favorite subjects, herbalism. The book is about home-grown medicine and more specifically about herbal medicine. The book is beautifully illustrated with color pictures of each of the 33 herbs discussed, tips on how to grow the herb and it's medicinal uses.

She starts the book with a introduction to medicinal herbs, their benefits, starting a medicine garden and general introduction to the world of herbs. In chapter 2 she talks about how to make your own remedies.  Herbs can be used in the forms of teas, syrups, oils, salves, tinctures, herbal pills, baths, poultices, and compresses. There is also information on the dosage and duration of herbal treatments.

She talks about herbal gardening in the ground and in pots, and makes a distinction between herbal tea for pleasure and herbal tea for medicine. Generally the medicinal herbs are steeped longer and have a stronger taste. Each of the 33 herbs has it's own beautifully illustrated section and recipes for that herb. For example, in the secation on Thyme there is Thyme Syrup, and Thyme Honey.

This book is very comprehensive and a superb begnners guide as well as a good source for more advanced students of herbalism. I plan to buy a copy of this book for my library.  -- Valerie Lull, Author, Ten Healthy Teas
2453694
This is a great book for beginners just starting to dabble in herbal medicine.  The description of each herb, the instructions for infusions, decoctions, tinctures, syrups and poultices is written in easy to understand (for beginners) language.  The recipes presented inside are easy to follow and made with readily available ingredients.

A person with some knowledge of herbs and herbal medicine will find this book a priceless reference for the actions of some of the herbs presented inside.

This title is a keeper (5 Stars) because of the great information presented inside that can be accessed when needed.  Beginner, amateur, and master herbalists will find this book a valuable and pleasurable read.
2852838
I am a beginner with a more natural way of healing.  I enjoyed the author's approach to introducing me to a few basic natural home remedies.  I have already purchased and tried two of the herbs she talks about and prepared them the way she suggested.  I am very pleased the results.  Others have commented about grammatical errors ...  if someone is interested in some basic information to get them started ... these errors can be overlooked.  I will be looking at other books from this author as I try to expand my knowledge.
4548970
This book is clear, cut and straight to the point. I have used it as reference guide more than enough times to know that if there is an herb I haven't heard of, Cunningham has covered here for me.
If you have any intention of using herbs throughout your everyday life or just every now and again for very specific purposes, this is a good book to have in your personal library.