The Herbal Home Remedy Book: Simple Recipes for Tinctures, Teas, Salves, Tonics, and Syrups (Herbal Body) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "My great-grandmother Na never went to a doctor in her life..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, West Wind

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Endorsed by Rosemary Gladstar, renowned herbalist and author of Herbal Healing for Women, this book of "homespun alchemy" bursts with easy recipes for medicinal wines, herbal oils, salves, tonics, syrups, throat drops--you name it. From the guidelines for gathering medicinal plants to instructions for tincture preparation, Joyce Wardwell conveys her love and respect for herbs. She comes from a long line of herbalists: her great-great-grandmother Jane learned the herbal craft from the Ojibway in Minnesota; Jane's mother was condemned for witchcraft and her husband was hung for it during the Salem, Massachusetts, Witch Trials. But there's nothing to fear from the Remedy Book: recipes are made primarily from the 25 most common herbs, and instructions are so clear they're nearly foolproof. The flu, insomnia, colic, menopause, and sore muscles are all covered. Any household with children will find the "herbal home medicine chest" invaluable, with treatments for everyday ailments such as colds and coughs, burns, bug bites, bruises, and strains. The publisher, Storey Publications, is known for its practicality and environmental awareness, and the book is printed on lovely cream-colored recycled paper.

From Booklist

The virtues of this guide to herbal medicine lie in its utter simplicity, clarity of presentation, and grounding in the earth. Practicing herbalist Wardwell aims to provide a basic manual for the beginner. In part 1 she chooses and elaborates on 25 common, safe, easy-to-grow herbs, rather than confusing the reader with comprehensiveness. Instructional chapters cover how to recognize, gather, and store plants and how to select quality ingredients and equipment. Part 2 gives detailed steps in the preparation of various remedies: tinctures, herbal oils and salves, medicinal wines and vinegars, and syrups and lozenges. Part 3 lists the components of a basic herbal medicine chest, gives guidelines for blending herbs, and provides an AZ list of symptoms (e.g., headache, chapped skin) and their herbal treatment. The book's promised index will be needed to locate information in this symptom list because of the often poorly chosen entry words. Sprinkled throughout the book are Native American teaching stories that illustrate Wardwell's theme of humans' ties to plants and the earth. Penny Spokes

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; 1 edition (January 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580170161
• ISBN-13: 978-1580170161
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,746 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Herbs
  #34 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments
  #53 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Herbal Remedies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent beginner's guide to the world of herbal medicine, May 9, 1998

By A Customer

This book is written in a humorous, easy to understand and concise format. It is an great way for someone who has never studied herbal medicine before to dip their toes in the water. Ms. Wardwell is very clear about the dangers of using certain herbs. It also has wonderful guidelines on learning how to identify the different types of plants and herbs you'll be using. Ms. Wardwell also includes several recipes for various tinctures, teas, wines and vinegars to be used. She also offers interesting stories explaining the folklore behind certain plants as well. I can't recommend this book highly enough to any student of herbalism whether beginner or advanced.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for the budding herbalist, April 6, 2003

By	Ana Hotaling "saotomeranchan" (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book hoping that it would guide me in the creation of herbal remedies -- I'd always had a culinary herb garden and wanted to expland my horizons. I wasn't disappointed -- there were many simple recipes for decoctions, poultices, and other non-culinary herb uses. However, some -- okay, many! -- of the descriptions and instructions were beyond what the simple practicioner or budding herbalist could understand. In the end, I just use the recipes I've marked and ignore the rest of the book.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Simpling..., November 27, 2002

By	Melissa Gentile (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Simpling refers to a method of learning herbalism. Choose an herb and explore every facet of it - leaves, petals roots, uses, dangers - inside and out. When you finally "know" that, then and only then, choose a second herb to get to know. This book is an amazing primer for beginners to herbalism. I chafed its simplicity at first, "More herbs! Its too basic!", until I really began to learn my first herb, catnip. Then I realized how silly I'd been and how very much there was to learn. This book is a bible for beginners!