Customer Reviews

The ABC Herbal: A Simplified Guide to Natural Health Care for Children

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I started my very long journey into the world of herbs and alternative medicine with this little book. As a young mother of two children who were constantly plagued with ear infections and yeast infections (from too many antibiotics) I found this book a wonderful place to begin. Even if you choose not to follow the specific recommendations of Steven Horne you will get a simplified overview of how and why herbal remedies work. This turned out to be my primary motivator for getting started. Steven and his wife have raised all their children on herbal remedies...mostly homemade. Fortunately herbs are widely accessible at retail herbal stores and mail order now so one does not have to be overwhelmed by the prospect of concocting all your own medicines. He explains WHY a person gets a fever and HOW to remedy it. He explains the most practical tools for helping your children (and family) build stronger immune systems both with herbs and with love. And there is much more. Upon his recommendations I have been able to cure my 4 children of countless illnesses and their pediatrician has deemed them the "healthiest kids in his practice". FYI Steven Horne is against immunizing children and explains his reasons why but I found the majority of the book to be very helpful in giving me a basic understanding about where to start in treating my own family and taking more personal responsibility for their physical well-being.

After my 7 month old caught his 3rd cold, I opened The ABC Herbal to see what I could find to help my little guy stay well. I read it in one sitting and couldn't believe I hadn't taken the time to read it before then. It is a wonderful book that gives you some basic information about how herbs work, then gives you remedies and sources for herbs suitable for children. Although the book is geared for treatment of children, the concepts are universal and can be applied to adults, as well. This book is an excellent resource, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for alternative ways to get well and stay healthy (children and adults!)

This is a must have for any parent interested in taking charge of their children's health. I am a mother of a 2 year old and have used this since before my son was born. Mr. Horne carefully explains how to prevent as well as treat current illnesses. He has scientific knowledge to backup what he says, but does not way the text down with medical jargon. He is an excellent teacher and practices what he preaches. This is an excellent book to start out on if you are unfamiliar with the natural health field or if you are an expert. JUST GET IT, you will love it! He makes so much common sense that you will wonder why you didn't think of some of the stuff yourself. I refer to his books constantly and wouldn't travel or be without this one!

I purchased this book and subsequently returned it. Having said that, I believe I read enough of it to know that it is not the kind of book that is going to help me make decisions about my children's healthcare mainly because it is guilty of committing the same error as the mainstream medical community, namely being very heavy handed with perscriptive advice, and very light on educating the parent. As much as I want answers about how to raise my kids, I don't want them at the expense of being asked not to think.

For example, the book mentions quite a few recipes for different ailments, with almost no background information on the herbs used, more than an occasional anecdote about the author's own children's experience with the remedy. One remedy that I found paricularly concerning, given the author's very frequent reccomendation of it for everything from fever to earaches was the administration of routine enemas. If this is a miracle cure I'm unaware of, I was certainly left unconvinced by the lack of support given in this book.

As a believer in Christ, I was also put off by the mention of speaking declarations over your children as you administer the remedy. I am open to faith in healing, but not to an extra-Biblical supposedly Christianized version of positive thinking. Overall, I was very disappointed in the book.

THE ABC HERBAL is great to have as an introductory volume to herbal applications and their uses. The author urges parents to take responsibility for the choices they make regarding the health of their children rather than just blindly following advice, expecting someone else to bear the weight of the decision. I agree wholeheartedly with that advice. Childhood offers parents enough opportunities to deal with minor illnesses so that these gentle remedies can be tried and proven, giving the parent the confidence needed to learn and gain more skill in their application.

This book gives you the basics you'll need to begin the journey without overwhelming you with information. The author makes recommendations based upon his research and experience in the use of herbal remedies. His careful notes and observation will be a great benefit to the reader.

If you know a family that seems to be always battling a virus, congestion, respiratory difficulties, fevers, etc. and is looking for an alternative to pharmaceuticals, this would be the book I'd give them. Even if a person is not caring for children, this book is a handy reference. The 65-page, indexed text is well worth the investment.

This book gives some excellent information on how children's bodies work, how to fix some problems, it gives recipes on some medicines, and tells you what herbs are used for certain sickness, but it does not give you dosage; how much of each herb needs to be used for certain age, how it needs to be prepared, it has great information about aroma oils, and how they can be used, but as far as herbs go, it just tells how many parts of each kind of plant you need to have, no necessary specifics given.

I love this book! We have three children and I have several books for herbal education and remedies. This is THE book I turn to when the children are sick. It does not go in depth about each herb, its properties, and its other uses - that's what my other books are for. Before using this book, you should have at least a beginning knowledge of herbs and at least one other reference book that goes into more detail about specific herbs.

What this book does for me is tell me which of the hundreds of herbs I have been learning about will be best for the children. Some herbs are milder than the herbs for adults, and some herbs just taste better and are more readily accepted by children. Some herbs work better with certain other herbs (activation, building, cleansing, etc....) I learned more about the action of herbs, the four channels of elimination, and how herbs work by reading this book.

Some people may look for specific recipes, but when dealing with herbs you seldom find books that give exact measurements. It is left to the individual to combine the herbs in a ratio that suits them. At first this bothered me because I wanted to know that I was doing it right. But then I realized that it is not that hard and I eventually find some kind of recipe out there.

I am amazed by the fact that God made our bodies to heal themselves - and they do if we give them the right ingredients: proper nutrition, supplements, and herbs.

Well written, easy to read, organized and informative. They're not kidding when they say "simplified." While easy to read, it's packed with good information about alternative health care options (remedies, foods, etc.) for kids. The ideas are also easily transferrable to adults, as well. It's understandable enough (not overloaded) for parents just starting to explore alternative medicine options for their kids, but informative enough for those who are experienced, too.

This is one of the first books that I read of Steven's. It is easy to read and very informative. I love that he had recipes that taste good and are easy to make with things directly from your pantry. Although it is written especially for children we are all young at heart I use the recipes for my entire family and extended family. This is a must have to keep your family healthy naturally.

This book continues to be such a blessing! This book helped me start my journey in caring for our family that began eight years ago. The authors explain the body and how it functions in easy to understand analogies. This book is one I lend and recommend to others.