Author: Publisher: Robert Rose (2014)
In the past, before Big Pharma and the test tube medicine-dependent generations hit the scene, people had two choices when it came to treating ailments: do nothing and suffer (and possibly perish) or turn to Mother Nature's bounty for relief. Nothing has changed about the potent healing qualities of plant life - nature still provides effective relief against all sorts of diseases and conditions - the difference is that today those remedies have been distilled, encapsulated and sold in a bottle. Home healing is enjoying a new upsurge in recent times (as chemical medicines begin to lose effectiveness with resistant bacteria strains), and the quest for effective and simple remedies is at an all time high. Books like The Essential Guide to Home Herbal Remedies: Easy Recipes Using Medicinal Herbs to Treat More Than 125 Conditions from Sunburns to Sore Throats are surely set to do their part in the education process.
Home Herbal Remedies is a relative encyclopedia of holistic medicinal ingredients, and divides itself into categories based on classes of ailments (i.e. adult lifestyle complaints like muscle strains, stress, colds and flu, pain, pregnancy, child-, men- and women-specific issues and senior medical concerns). The beginning of the book includes a history of herbal medicine as well as a basic guide for using teas, tinctures, oil infusions, healing vinegars, inhalations, compresses and poultices, herbal baths, and aromatherapy. Shortly before the index, Wenzel includes a chapter on "plant portraits from A - Z" which covers all the major elements in her formulae.
Each section contains a few "recipes" for home remedies, ranging from infused oils to superfood-filled muffins, and while they may be effective at helping to achieve the ultimate goal of health I admit that most of them are just not practical for the modern working individual and some are dubious in their effectiveness at best. I have yet to find a doctor or parent who would use marigold petals steeped in rubbing alcohol as the sole cleaning agent for wounds, nor can I see anyone jumping up for a bottle of Tea Tree Oil Mouthwash (p. 145) the next time their significant other comes to call. The major issue is really the amount of time it takes for these remedies to show any effectiveness - far from the almost-instant relief of prescriptions and over the counter capsules, natural remedies take days, if not months, before their effects are evident.
While this book is a fascinating exploration of what is available beyond the pharmacy, I don't predict it will become anyone's sole how-to guide for daily living. After all, even Grandma still reaches for the Tylenol for a sick baby while the chicken noodle soup simmers for lunch.
Available on Amazon