Customer Reviews

Making Herbal Dream Pillows : Secret Blends for Pleasant Dreams (The Spirit of Aromatherapy)

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If I could harvest the wool of the sheep I have herded on countless sleepless nights, my wealth would rival Bill Gates! I had tried everything from warm milk to self-hypnosis, but nothing short of a sledgehammer to the head worked - then I found Jim Long's book MAKING HERBAL DREAM PILLOWS. Set in a format that is both lovely to look at and simple to follow, MAKING HERBAL DREAM PILLOWS is "chockful" of the history and lore of dream pillows, as well as the practical "how-to's" of creating your own comforting pillows. Patterns for the pillows and recipes for their contents are given in concise, easy to follow fashion. Advice is given as well for selecting, growing, harvesting, and preparing the herbs for dream pillows. In addition to giving very useful plant profiles on the herbs which he recommends for use in the pillows, the author, just as importantly, gives advice on herbs to AVOID using. I have not seen a listing of this type given in any other publication on the topic. A total of 17 different recipes are given, each designed to "create" different dream environments - from romantic dreams, to peacful dreams, to dreams to inspire creativity. I was very impressed to see a recipe included for "Convalescent Rest" - a great idea for hospital or nursing home patients. It is unusual to find so much useful, yet fascinating information between the covers of one small book. It would make a beautiful, thoughtful gift - to yourself or anyone on your "give-to" list.

This book was exactly what I'd been looking for! It has lots and lots of recipes, segmented by 8 different types of blends:
Stress-reducing relaxng dream blends (5)
Pleasant dream blends (2)
Romantiv Dream blends (4)
Creative dream blend (1)
Traveling dream blends (2)
Great outdoors blend (1)
Holiday blend (1)
Prophecy blend (1)

In the beginniong there are instructions on how to make a blend (selecting flowers, preparing them etc) as well as a section on making the pillow - its very easy - make a small bag, put in the blend then sew up the other end. I'm going to lok for really pretty fabrics that match the type of blend I'm putting in. one thing I find interesting is that there are no essential oils used -the author doesn't recommend them saying that they're too unpredictable and can create unpleasant dreams if they turn.

The recipes all have info about the specific flowers being used, and info on if the belnd was an ancient formula or what the source was. Its pretty cool. The book itself is beautiful - lots of wonderful drwings/colors - quite dreamy in itself.

I highly recommend this book - lots of fun!

Everyone loves a good night's sleep. There are plenty of ideas in this book to help make your nest more restful (and yes, even more exciting!), and with a little practice, it won't be long before you're designing dream pillows for yourself and your friends. I can personally attest to the deep sleep induced by lavender scented sheets and pillows, and have had some of the most vivid dreams with the help of mimosa, violets, and balsam fir. There's a whole world of scents for you to play with, just be careful to avoid the ones mentioned as potentially toxic. Sweet dreams!

This book speaks to the heart of those of us who connect with nature and its gifts, through a perfect marriage of informational and whimsical text and a unique illustrative vision. Jim Long has long been a leader in the field of Herbs and Gardening. This book offers us his spirit as well.

Folklore informs us that sleeping on the herb thyme will allow us to see fairies, one of my fondest desires. Jim Long's "Making Herbal Dream Pillows" has the recipe for making dreams come true or at least more pleasant. Dream pillows have been made for several centuries and are tailor made for our time, incorporating our 90's love for aromatherapy, dream analysis and all things mystic. This well written and beautifully illustrated book contains recipes for dreams to heat up your romance life, to soothe your stress, dreams for traveling and for prophesy. There are mixes to inspire your creativity, to experience the sense of the great outdoors and to evoke holiday dreams of grandma and apple pie. You are encouraged to grow your own herbs for your dream pillows, but if you don't want to garden, there is an excellent resource section in the back to order the herbs or the blends that you'd like to use. Now to go get that thyme...

It's an interesting book. Much more than I thought it would be. I originally purchased this book for a soap and toiletries book reveiw list, and ended up reading it through. It is easy to understand and simple to follow.

This book has excellent blends, and very helpful information on how to make the pillows themselves, what herbs to use and some great blends. Buy this book, get a better night's sleep and have pleasant dreams!

"Making Herbal Dream Pillows : Secret Blends for Pleasant Dreams" is a perfect gift choice for that someone special. If you or a friend like herbal fragrances, arranging flowers or just potpourri in general this has many possibilities and suggestions. Thoughtful in its approach this is very well conceived. Highly recommended.

Wonderful book! Jim Long has done alot of research into the origins of the pillows. Very informative compact book.

We had to read a "how to"book for a reading project.Make the item and present a "book report".I found the book very interesting and easy to follow.The blends were simple to make,tho I did have some trouble finding all the herbs I needed for my pillow.I will be presenting my project to my class at the end of this week.