Review
Many people believe that the cure for every disease can be found in plants. While this book doesn’t claim to have remedies for every disease, Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use does explain the uses of 33 herbs.
This book is chock full of information on how to use herbal remedies for common ailments such as poison ivy, poor digestion, stress relief and many more. Rosemary Gladstar has had over 35 years of experience as a teacher and healer using herbs. She runs Sage Mountain established in East Barre Vermont. There she sells herbs, teaches, and facilitates workshops about using herbs.
As the founder of the California School of Herbal Studies, Gladstar has much to share when it comes to growing and using herbs for natural remedies. Known as the “godmother of American Herbalsim”, she now lends her expertise in this volume of herbs specifically designed for beginners.
If you’re tired of depending on medications to treat common problems, you’ll enjoy replacing everything in your medicine cabinet with the herbal formulas suggested in this book. Gladstar is an expert at using herbs to treat many conditions naturally and without incurring huge costs.
The Premise
You don’t have to be an expert to use herbal remedies for many common ailments. In Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use, you can learn about 33 common herbs that will help you become less dependent on medications.
More and more people are becoming interested in using herbal medicine in an effort to reduce the toxins in their body and find a more natural, harmonious way to allow the body to heal properly.
Herbal medicine has actually been used since ancient times. This was the first way that societies learned to take care of illnesses and injuries as well as maintain overall wellness.
Though modern medicine has taken over in some parts of the world, it doesn’t have the answers for everything. And while there are astounding drugs and procedures that can help to fight illness, herbalism is still a very important science that has never gone out of fashion.
In fact, today the use of herbal medicine has become even more popular as people are learning about dangerous side effects of medications and toxins that can actually do more harm than good. But as a beginner, there can be so much information that it can become overwhelming. This book is for the person who’s interested in getting started with herbs a little at a time.
If you’re not sure about trying herbal remedies, this book can also help to answer questions you may have about safety, effectiveness, growing them on your own, and how to use them once you’ve grown them. And, of course, you’ll want to know how to use specific herbs for dealing with specific conditions.
When you’re getting started in a field as broad as herbal medicine, it’s important to have someone take you through the journey one step at a time. In this beginners guide you’ll learn about some of the most important and common herbal remedies and how you can begin incorporating them into your life.
Book Organization
When you begin delving into Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use you’ll see that it’s organized into four chapters. You’ll also find a helpful section of resources as well as an index so that you can look up specific information quickly and easily.
The first chapter entitled Welcome to the Wonderful World of Medicinal Herbs answers some of the basic questions you may have about herbs. For example, what are they? How are they used? This section also goes through the benefits of using herbal medicine as well as how you can begin your own garden.
This chapter covers everything you need to know about preparing the soil for your garden and even growing in small spaces with containers. You’ll also find information on how you can store the herbs you’ve grown to extend the life of their use in your medicine cabinet.
In chapter 2, How to Make Your Own Herbal Remedies, you’ll get the basic knowledge for creating a pharmacy right in your own kitchen. There are many ways that you can take herbs and this chapter teaches you how to use them in syrups, oils, salves, tinctures, herbal pills, compresses, poultices, and baths.
You’ll also learn how to determine the right dosage and how long you should continue treatment with specific herbs. You’ll find information on each way of using herbs and how to create them yourself in your own kitchen.
The third chapter, 9 Familiar Herbs and Spices to Grow and Use, goes over some of the most popular herbs and spices. You’ll learn about how to grow and use basil, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, rosemary, sage, thyme, and turmeric. These are very common – in fact you probably use them in your own cooking.
But you may not know that these herbs also pack a powerful healing punch. With this chapter you’ll learn all you need to grow them yourself and to use them for treating common ailments and improving your overall wellness.
In chapter 3 you learn about 9 common herbs, but in the fourth chapter you’ll get to know ever more herbs. This chapter, 24 Safe and Effective Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use covers the use of herbs that are less common in the kitchen but highly effective in natural healing.
You’ll learn how to create an aloe vera lotion that can soothe skin irritations and minor burns. You’ll also learn about the power of dandelions for helping your digestion to go more smoothly.
There is information on how to use chamomile, chickweed, goldenseal, hawthorn, lavender, licorice, marsh mallow, nettle, oats, peppermint, spearmint, and St. John’s Wort to name a few. Within this chapter you’ll find simple recipes for creating the perfect blend of herbs to heal your body and restore your vitality.
At the end of the book you’ll find a selection of resources that can help you to get more information about specific topics for which you seek more depth. You’ll also find a handy index so that you can look up specific herbs or health conditions easily.
Who Benefits
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use is a guide that’s perfect for someone who is looking to begin adding herbs to his or her lifestyle. Even if you’ve never gardened, you’ll find easy information on how to get started with growing your own herbs.
And if you’re ready to replace your medicine cabinet toxins with natural remedies that your body can easily incorporate, this is a great guide. Here you’ll find basics on 33 herbs which are more than enough to help you get started on a new journey toward natural healing. This is the perfect way to get started without feeling overwhelmed by the thousands of herbs that are available. Gladstars really narrows down the focus so that you can get started and take action quickly.
Once you begin experiencing the benefits of herbal medicine, you’ll find that you feel better and are healthier than you’ve ever been. And as you become more and more comfortable with the techniques in this guide, you’ll be able to research and use even more herbs on your pathway toward wellness.
Craft a soothing aloe lotion after an encounter with poison ivy, make a dandelion-burdock tincture to fix sluggish digestion, and brew up some lavender-lemon balm tea to ease a stressful day. In this introductory guide, Rosemary Gladstar shows you how easy it can be to make your own herbal remedies for life’s common ailments. Gladstar profiles 33 common healing plants and includes advice on growing, harvesting, preparing, and using herbs in healing tinctures, oils, and creams. Stock your medicine cabinet full of all-natural, low-cost herbal preparations.
Product Details
- Publisher : Storey Publishing, LLC; Illustrated edition (April 10, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1612120059
- ISBN-13 : 978-1612120058
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.25 x 0.5 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,545 in Books
- #2 in Herb Gardening
- #2 in Herbal Remedies (Books)
- #6 in Healing