`Filled with safe and easy-to-use herbal recipes, this book is an essential companion – showing you how to use herbs for all your family’

Herbs for Home Treatment is a comprehensive guide to the use of herbal remedies to cure common ailments and improve your general health. It includes advice on:
– Preventing and treating common illnesses.
– Creating your own tinctures, oils and ointments.
– Maintaining your energy levels and increasing your mental and physical stamina.
– Basic herbs to have at home, and those that are useful but not essential.
– Assembling a first-aid kit for travelling, both in Europe and more remote areas.
– Where to buy good-quality herbal products and find a professional herbalist.
There are detailed sections on the common problems of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems, as well as chapters on slowing down the ageing process, reviving libido and recovering from a serious illness.
If you want to look after your own health, Herbs for Home Treatment gives you all you need to do so in a user-friendly way and will inspire you to create your own medicines from your own herbs.

Anna Newton studied Herbal Medicine at the University of Wales, and has run a successful herbal medicine practice in Cheltenham for the past six years. She is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy.

Herbs For Home Treatment

A Guide to Using Herbs For First Aid and Common Health Problems

By Anna Newton

Green Books Ltd

Copyright © 2009 Anna Newton
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-900322-42-3

Contents

Introduction,
PART ONE: OPTING FOR HERBS,
Chapter 1 Why herbs?,
Chapter 2 How to get the best from this book,
Chapter 3 General precautions,
Chapter 4 Herbs and the environment,
Chapter 5 Tea, tincture or tablets?,
Chapter 6 Dosage,
Chapter 7 Choosing the right herbs for the situation,
Chapter 8 How to combine herbs,
Chapter 9 What if it doesn’t work?,
PART TWO: AILMENTS AND TREATMENTS,
Chapter 10 The circulatory system,
Chapter 11 The digestive system,
Chapter 12 The muscular and skeletal systems,
Chapter 13 The nervous system,
Chapter 14 The respiratory system,
Chapter 15 The skin,
Chapter 16 The urinary and reproductive systems,
PART THREE: IMPROVING YOUR VITALITY,
Chapter 17 Maintain good energy levels,
Chapter 18 Increase your mental and physical stamina,
Chapter 19 Revive your libido,
Chapter 20 Feel motivated and happy,
Chapter 21 Defy the ageing process,
Chapter 22 Make a full recovery from a serious illness,
PART FOUR: CREATING YOUR OWN HOME APOTHECARY,
Chapter 23 Buying from reputable sources,
Chapter 24 Growing your own herbs,
Chapter 25 Drying herbs,
Chapter 26 Making your own tinctures, infused oils, syrups and ointments,
PART FIVE: HERBAL FIRST-AID KIT FOR TRAVELLING,
Chapter 27 Travelling in Western countries,
Chapter 28 Travelling in remote and exotic places,
Appendix 1 List of common and Latin herb names,
Appendix 2 Glossary of actions,
References,
Bibliography,
Resources,
Index,

CHAPTER 1

Why herbs?

Herbs have been used as medicines around the world for millennia: they were the original medicine in all cultures and major civilisations. It is sad that, in many Western countries, the twentieth century saw herbal medicine being degraded to a complementary or alternative therapy, for it deserves a place in mainstream health care. Indeed Eastern countries, such as China, recognise the value of traditional medicine and incorporate it into their health care alongside their orthodox medicine.

So why should we go back to using herbs medicinally?

EFFECTIVENESS

In many instances herbs are as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, conventional pharmaceuticals in treating many common health problems. Did you know, for instance, that clinical trials have shown St John’s wort to be more effective than SSRI drugs in treating mild to moderate depression? Medicinal plants can often treat problems that defy modern medicine, including the common cold and chronic fatigue syndrome. They are equally applicable for ailments that arise suddenly, for instance heartburn, and for long-standing conditions, such as joint pain.

EVIDENCE BASE

The effectiveness of herbal treatment is backed up by many clinical trials. Therefore herbal medicine is an evidence-based treatment according to modern scientific standards.

Personally, I believe that the records we have of traditional use constitute valid evidence as well: our ancestors were quite skilled at treating everyday illnesses with herbs, even though they did not understand the nature of the disease. Today, we have the enormous advantage of being able to use the best of both worlds and combine modern understanding of what causes a particular ailment