Master recipes from the herbal apothecary 375 tinctures, salves, teas, capsules, oils, and washes for whole-body health and wellness

Natural medicine, alternative medicine, and complementary medicine are growing in popularity, leading many readers to look for more information on how to safely utilize plants for better health. Pursell is known for her previous book, The Herbal Apothecary (2015), as well as for her work as a naturopath and owner of a botanic supply company. Twelve master recipes for making capsules, salves, sprays, tinctures, suppositories, and more are the basis for all the use-specific remedies in the book. An annotated list of the 60 plants most often used as ingredients provides a brief summary of the uses for and useful parts of each plant. The bulk of the book consists of recipes for specific types of remedies for day-to-day health, immune defense, women's health, men's health, care for babies and children, emotional support, travel wellness, and herbs for elders. Most of the recipes consist of just a few sentences of instruction for preparation and use. Appendixes provide metric conversions, a list of herbal suppliers, botanical names for herbs, and a bibliography of suggested further reading.--Anne Heidemann Copyright 2019 Booklist

This book on DIY herbal medicine by naturopath, acupuncturist, and herb entrepreneur Pursell (The Woman's Herbal Apothecary) delivers on its title. Divided into logical and practical sections of preparation, botanical information, and recipes, this "how-to" does a superior job of introducing readers to the basics, beginning with a chapter on concoction creation and preparation-how to make tinctures, syrups, salves, poultices, teas, etc. Accompanied by well-shot demonstration photographs, the techniques concocting and the benefit of the various types of potions are clearly stated and easy to follow. Herb descriptions and their uses, complete with photos, make up the next part of the book, followed by the largest section of herbal recipes for everyday ailments and self-care. The recipes are straightforward and relatively simple to mix together, with the herbs and their applications in these formulas generally accepted within both Western and Chinese traditional pharmacopeias as well as easily obtained. VERDICT A solid DIY herbal directory for the home medic and readers of herbalism and natural medicine.-Janet Tapper, Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction If you've found yourself here, it's likely because you want to feel empowered to care for yourself and your family with herbs as an alternative to over-the-counter or prescription pharmaceuticals for common ailments. Or maybe you are seeking knowledge about the traditional ways of healing for an ongoing health issue. Perhaps you've already begun exploring herbal medicine and have developed a more serious interest--you are ready to learn and to incorporate herbal remedies into your daily self-care routine. Whatever the reason, I invite you to explore the recipes that follow at your own pace and as you need them. When I was a budding herbal enthusiast in my twenties, I referred to books very similar to this one but often had to look in multiple volumes to find what I needed. In this book, I've done my best to create an inclusive, concise reference that is easy to use. The first chapter provides you with basic recipes for the thirteen most useful delivery methods and applications of herbal remedies--along with background about which is best suited to what type of ailment and why. It also describes sixty herbs that are basics in the medicine cabinet. The following thematic chapters provide treatments for ailments from A to Z. Everything you need in order to incorporate herbs into your daily life with the goal of achieving balanced overall health and improved wellness is here. More and more, we are returning to the ways of self-reliance and traditional medicine. Herbal medicine is an important tool for helping us live healthier lives and actively participating in improving our overall health, naturally. You might use herbs as part of a daily routine or step it up when something acute shows up at your door. Studying the plants--their ethnobotanical and folk uses and the science of the chemical composition that makes them powerful healing agents--gives herbalists and naturopathic physicians like me a framework for prescribing and creating treatments. In writing this book, I reflected on my patients' and customers' most common requests and then created 375 recipes to address these concerns. The recipes will teach you how to manage day-to-day physical complaints such as colds, headaches, stomach upset, and stress. One powerful reason for turning to herbal medicine is that it provides access to healing medicine on the spot, hours or days before you could even get a doctor's appointment. If you sprain your ankle playing basketball, for example, and you know that witch hazel leaf and bark can reduce swelling and pain, you can immediately apply a poultice to get ahead of the inflammation process. Another example is having catnip and fennel seed tea on hand to provide instant relief from overindulging at dinner or for general stomach upset. You may already take herbs, vitamins, and supplements regularly. That market has exploded during the last quarter of a century, encouraging us to take this or that capsule or tablet to regain health and attain vital longevity. The upside to this is that as a result, much scientific research and education has been dedicated to natural health products. This has provided consumers with real information regarding what they are taking and what is realistic as far as expected results. The goal of this book is to provide safe and effective herbal recipes that anyone can use. My wish for the book is that it is relevant and helpful. I've created a layout that makes it easy to find specific recipes right when you need them. At times different conditions require different preparations--for example, for the body surface, sometimes a salve is indicated, other times a poultice, and yet other times a wash. This is the beauty of having choices. It allows you to treat effectively with the best course of action. While there are hundreds of herbs that could possibly be used, the herbs used in these recipes are considered universally safe for general consumption and are readily available at your local herb shop (shop local!) or, if needed, online (fettlebotanic.com). As with any self-care practice, it's important to understand when you need to seek professional help. The recipes in this book are meant to be used for personal health and well-being. They are not meant to cure debilitating illness or serious conditions. While the herbs mentioned in this book are all considered generally safe by the FDA, I believe it is always best to consult your practitioner before taking herbs internally to ensure safety and to support your knowledge of herbal medicine. My hope is that over the years your copy of this book will become well worn from use, dog-eared and marked up with personal notes throughout. May these recipes bring you relief, vitality, and the comfort of knowing you can care for yourself. May we all benefit from the gift of healing plants. Excerpted from Master Recipes from the Herbal Apothecary: 375 Tinctures, Salves, Teas, Capsules, Oils, and Washes for Whole-Body Health and Wellness by J. J. Pursell All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.