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Hands-On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes for Herbal Balms, Salves, Oils, Liniments & Other Topical Therapies
Keep your family healthy and chemical free by making your own natural remedies. Stephanie Tourles offers 150 original recipes for herbal balms, oils, salves, liniments, and other topical ointments to treat a wide range of conditions. This comprehensive guide is filled with safe and effective cures for scores of common ailments, including headaches, backaches, arthritis, insomnia, splinters, and more. Take control of your well-being and stock your family’s medicine cabinet with gentle, all-natural homemade healing formulations.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 13, 2012
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 is 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.
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 is 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.
September 9, 2012
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.
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.
December 10, 2012
This nicely illustrated book with 150 recipes for old fashioned remedies is a pleasure to read and is one of those books that will sit happily on your book shelf until you need to look for inspiration for a healing remedy. Most of the ingredients used are commonly found and nothing requires the reader to have a degree in biochemistry to understand. I loved the idea of Sweet Annie Serenity Oil - how I need some of that in the run up to Christmas, and I can almost smell the aroma of Simple Lavender Infused Oil - what a lovely idea to use this year's lavender crop infused in sweet almond oil. Interspersed amongst the holistic remedies are snippets of stories and little bonus tips which all add together to make a really lovely book. Reading through it reminded me little of my grandmother who always had a jar of comfrey steeping in a jar which she would apply to cuts and bruises.
Sometimes the old remedies are equally as good as new and often chemically bound alternatives.
My thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for a digital review copy.
Sometimes the old remedies are equally as good as new and often chemically bound alternatives.
My thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for a digital review copy.
August 22, 2013
Hands On Healing Remedies - Stephanie L. Tourles
If you are the type of person who is into making your own herbal medicines then this is the book for you. The author introduces her book with her background as an herbalist and how she was introduced to it via her grandfather and the many stories he had told of his own mother who have made her own herbal medicines since they have lived quite a distance from the nearest doctor.
The book is easy to read for it is divided into sections where the author describes in depth Essential Oils, Infused Oils , Dry Herbs, Clays and the many uses of the common medicinal remedies from A - Z. She also included an herbal dictionary, as well a measurement chart and many resources for some of the oils, clays and herbs that are not found in the local stores.
If you are the type of person who is into making your own herbal medicines then this is the book for you. The author introduces her book with her background as an herbalist and how she was introduced to it via her grandfather and the many stories he had told of his own mother who have made her own herbal medicines since they have lived quite a distance from the nearest doctor.
The book is easy to read for it is divided into sections where the author describes in depth Essential Oils, Infused Oils , Dry Herbs, Clays and the many uses of the common medicinal remedies from A - Z. She also included an herbal dictionary, as well a measurement chart and many resources for some of the oils, clays and herbs that are not found in the local stores.
September 29, 2013
Good book on recipes many have a lot of different ingredients though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2017
I found Hands-On Healing Remedies: 150 Recipes ... to be full of such valuable information as well as the recipes for many different maladies that I purchased a copy for my personal library and returned the borrowed book. Although the illustrations are not vibrant like some other herbal recipe books, perhaps this allowed the cost to be less than other author's work. Do not pass this one buy if you like creating your own salves and liniments.
February 9, 2018
great book for beginners! I love that the majority of recipes are easy, gentle, and incorporate herbs as well as essential oils.
January 10, 2014
Ignoring the random advice snips (some of which I agreed with, some not), the actual 150 herbal recipes are wonderful! They include ones like joint-ease balm, winter defense body oil, aloe disinfecting wound wash, and three flowers anti-itch spray.
December 14, 2015
I intend to reread this once I have more of the recommended supplies. Some interesting ideas in here that I'd like to try, and I enjoy this author as well as the idea of being able to improve my wellbeing in preventative ways such as the ones she presented.
November 12, 2012
Review Assignment. Will only appeal to those who wish to avoid over-the-counter medications and are willing to go to the effort to make their own herbal alternatives.
March 17, 2013
An interesting reference text.
April 26, 2016
Helpful but the ingredients in the recipes are too specific for what I normally buy that I am not where I can invest in trying these recipes right now.
April 21, 2014
Great book, good reference if you looking for holistic medicine recipes.
Read
January 7, 2015Really enjoyed this book with loads of information and clear, concise recipes for remedies for your whole family. I am adding this book to my home collection.
Want to read
January 11, 2015available at Midpointe
January 22, 2015
Review to come soon.
May 26, 2015
A lot of appealing and interesting recipes based on essential oils (often in very strong concentrations) ... and then I remembered that many essential oils give me a headache.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews