Publisher's Synopsis
Herbal Medicine Guide for Beginners offers an overview of medicinal herbs, the first evidence to use in creating your own medicinal herb garden. Designed as a guide to provide basic information, everything contained within is meant to be used as a tool to enhance your understanding of the value and uses of medicinal herbs. The research used for this book includes medical journals, newspaper articles, case studies, and natural medical practitioners and individuals who believe in health, both for themselves and the planet. The herbs chosen as good examples for the alleviation of ailments common to many of us in our daily lives were drawn from samples offered throughout magazines, medical journals, and personal experience. Given the number of medicinal herbs in existence, roughly 30,000, it would have been extremely challenging to list them all. What is offered are the most common, the ones that will likely show up in the supplement aisle of your favorite store, the ones you may have been wondering what this is for. Some of the more salient details regarding medicinal herbs are: - The most common ones and most widely used grow as weeds very close to human settlements and have done so for thousands of years. - Both of the traditional medical practices of Chinese medicine and India's Ayurvedic medicine used many of the same herbs for the same ailments. - Medicinal herbs work in a synergistic way, so their effects are felt on multiple body parts rather than simply the target area. This means that your whole body is supported in the healing process. - Defining the different forms medicinal herbs can come in and there are a lot. Each form might contain a different part of the plant which means the potency varies from one form to another. - Of the over 30,000 medicinal plants currently being used, research has been down on only a small number of them so the reason why they work is still not defined by western medical standards but clearly understood by traditional medical practitioners. Once the sharing of history and description of choices has occurred, the offer is placed before you, the reader. To create your own medicinal herb garden. You can learn history from where the first evidence of herbs as medicine was discovered in an ancient grave to growing plants in your own backyard or balcony. Taking responsibility for what goes into our bodies will mean we have more control over our quality of life. The final chapter of the book offers you some practical guidelines for integrating this choice into your life. Choosing the garden location, its size and plant placement, and accessibility for water and tools are all practical guidelines offered here. Finally, the book concludes with adequate harvesting, drying, and storing of the herbs. You know where they came from, how they came to be used all around the world, what form to choose when you need one, where to find it, and how to grow it. You will be ready to move on to creating your own home remedies and learning what combinations of herbs work best for the individual members of your household. This guide will lead you into a better quality of life through a deeper appreciation for the world of medicinal herbs.
