Rate this book

Hands-On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes For Herbal Balms, Salves, Oils, Liniments & Other Topical Therapies (2012)

by Stephanie Tourles(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1612120067 (ISBN13: 9781612120065)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Storey Publishing, LLC

review 1: When I was a kid, my maternal grandmother lived with us. Born in the 1870s, she sometimes made up some potions or salves for me and my sisters when we had ailments. She got some of the ingredients from a local pharmacy that stocked shelves full of liquids and powders, and she picked some flowers and herbs from a nearby field. Those days are long gone now, and most medicines are ready-made over-the-counter or prescription drugs.Holistic healer Stephanie Tourles has brought back those memories with her collection of 150 recipes for topical herbal healing formulations that she's refined and perfected. She refers to her approach to healing as "phytotherapy" - using plant-based medicines or remedies to treat diseases or conditions of the body. Ms. Tourles states that the skin i... mores a very effective delivery system for administering herbal preparations, as evidenced by the number of prescription medications that are delivered by skin patches. She further says that these herbal preparations are safer than commercial products with so many unnecessary ingredients, including substances that some people may be allergic to.The book leads off with tips on how to obtain (or grow) the herbals that you will need, noting the six basic categories of ingredients. In the next part of the book are the recipes, with each recipe including clearly written instructions, and the equipment, prep time, yield, storage requirements, and the application methods. (Note that all recipes are intended for topical use only, not to be consumed.) There's something here for just about everyone, from "A" for Alopecia (balding) to "W" for Women's intimate concerns (menstrual cramps and hot flashes), and a whole lot of other ailments. I learned some interesting tidbits along the way:* If you're into making your own healing potions, one of your first stops for supplies will be the liquor store.* Why clay mudpacks work.* The difference between a salve and a potion.* Aromatherapy makes many of the recipes more potent. The final section of the book includes an ingredients dictionary for all the ingredients listed in the recipes; online sources of herbal ingredients; and Recommendations for further reading.Ms. Tourles makes a persuasive case for creating and using your own topical potions. For someone interested in making their own herbal medicines, Hands-On Healing Remedies looks like a marvelous tutorial and reference book. I should note that this isn't a casual undertaking. Making the recipes in the book requires a certain amount of equipment (mostly common household items) and locating reliable sources of the various plants and oils needed, but the benefits are worth it, according to Ms. Tourles.Note: I received an advance reader copy of this book in digital format from the publisher through NetGalley.
review 2: The beginning of the book reminded me so much of when I was a kid walking the mountains with my dad and he'd be picking plants and telling me what they were good for. Or he'd be talking about my grandmother and what she used to do for them on the farm when they were younger. Stephanie evoked some good memories with her introduction to this book. Healing with plants has been around for thousands of years. The use of natural ingredients over chemical ones is cheaper and, in many cases, better for us. But don't think just because something is natural, that it is good. Stephanie cautions multiple times about this. After all, poison ivy is natural. She stresses that if you do use the recipes in the book, that you look for pure ingredients from good sources and to use patch testing and more. Her cautions are valid and should be followed. After the beginning and the cautions, the book goes into various recipes for different ailments such as Essential Immunity Balm and Three-Flowers Anti-Itch Spray. The recipes are easy to follow with cautions and clear instructions. The book also contains an extensive dictionary, list of suppliers of ingredients, and a further reading list. If you are looking for a good book that will help you use more natural ingredients for your health, definitely take a look at this one. It's one of the better ones I've seen in a while.Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC free for an unbiased review. less

Download links for: Hands-On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes for Herbal Balms, Salves, Oils, Liniments & Other Topical Therapies

Advertising