A step-by-step naturopathic guide to using the hands-on natural healing method of compresses and poultices • Explains how to use compresses and poultices for 70 common ailments and chronic conditions, such as migraine, asthma, acne, sinusitis, earache, arthritis, sprains, hives, shingles, anxiety, insomnia, mastitis, muscle pains, bronchitis, and more • Details what type of compress or poultice to use for each ailment, whether to use it hot or cold, where on the body to apply it, and for how long • Explores the physiological reasons these simple remedies are so effective and how they work not only for acute ailments and illness but also for chronic conditions Valued by herbalists, midwives, and mothers throughout history, compresses and poultices are gentle yet highly effective natural remedies you can safely use at home. Easily made from materials you already have in your kitchen, such as ice cubes, herbs, cabbage leaves, lemon slices, clay, or beeswax, these simple preparations can quickly ease pain and inflammation, relieve congestion and edema, lower fever, drain abscesses, activate circulation, calm muscle spasms, and trigger the body’s natural self-healing abilities. In this step-by-step naturopathic guide to compresses and poultices, Christopher Vasey, N.D., shows how to use these time-tested folk remedies to treat 70 common ailments and conditions, including headache, asthma, acne, sinusitis, earache, arthritis, sprains, hives, shingles, anxiety, insomnia, mastitis, constipation, diarrhea, muscle pains, bronchitis, and more. He explains that a compress is a cloth soaked in hot or cold infused water and applied to a specific part of the body. A poultice works similarly, but instead of a liquid extract, the healing material is made into a paste and applied directly to the body. He details what type of compress or poultice to use for each ailment, whether to use it hot or cold, where on the body to apply it, and for how long. Vasey also explores the physiological reasons these simple remedies can be so effective, such as how some treatments trigger healing through the nerves, others cause the skin to absorb or expel substances, and others have beneficial effects on the body’s internal chemistry. He reveals how compresses and poultices not only can alleviate acute symptoms, but are equally effective for dealing with chronic conditions. Offering an indispensable complement to your home first aid kit, this book provides you with a hands-on way to bring relief and healing to yourself and your loved ones.

Where there's a symptom, there's also a homegrown cure. With just a windowsill, container, or small space, it's easy to grow an instant herbal remedy. Whether it's a cough, heartburn, joint pain, or neuralgia, readers will discover how easy it is to treat 40 ailments and conditions using herbs and herbal preparations they grow and make themselves. With inspiration found in science, tradition, and modern herbalistic practices, Grow It, Heal It touts the healing power of more than 50 herbs—from anise hyssop to yerba mansa. Two of the nation's premiere herbalists share growing, harvesting, and healing advice in this easy-to-use and friendly guidebook for herbal newbies, featuring teas, tinctures, salves, poultices, compresses, and aromatherapy. Among the many benefits of growing do-it-yourself remedies, readers will discover the convenience of preparing healing potions and salves when they're most needed; the advantage of having organic, fresh, and high-quality herbs they've nurtured themselves; and how empowering it is to engage in self-care and why that's important to the healing process. Growing herbs at home allows readers to take an active role in their own health care.

Poultices were being used in Bible times and they brought healing. They are currently being used and they still bring healing. This Book contains information on Poultices, Categories of Poultices, 43 useful Poultices and how to make them, which will come in handy. The procedures in this Book was designed to be as simple as possible so that anyone will be able to follow them. Most of the items used are local things which you would either have at home, in your cupboard or kitchen garden; or you might be able to get it from a friend; if not they can be easily purchased from the local market or health store for a low cost. The poultices presented in this book are very healing and useful. I, family and friends have used some of these poultices and we have received healing as a result. It is my wish that they would be of great benefit to you and others.

An Updated and Expanded New Edition of Backyard Medicine! Modern medicine is truly a blessing. Advances are made with astonishing speed every day, using both science and technology to make our lives longer and healthier. But if the era of modern medicine began less than two hundred years ago, how did people treat sickness and poor health before then? This book holds the answer. Researched and written by a practicing medical herbalist and natural healer, and now with even more herbs and medicinal plants, Backyard Medicine is the basis for a veritable natural pharmacy that anyone can create. Featuring more than 120 easily made herbal home remedies and fully illustrated with nearly three hundred color photographs, this book offers fascinating insights into the literary, historic, and global applications of fifty common wild plants and herbs that can be used in medicines, including: Comfrey Dandelion Honeysuckle Yarrow And so much more! Anyone who wants to improve his or her health in a completely natural way will find this book to be an absolute must-have for his or her home—and garden.

A practical guide to supporting and maintaining liver health naturally • Reveals how an overburdened liver can lead to many common ailments such as headaches, constipation, respiratory issues, and skin conditions • Explains specific foods to avoid, which supplements accelerate the liver’s cleansing abilities, and how to perform liver exercises and massage • Details the 9 plants that are most effective in detoxifying the liver, with instructions for their safe use • Includes charts and questionnaires to determine to what degree your liver function is compromised The liver is key to the optimal health of the body. Shouldering the heaviest responsibility for keeping the body’s internal terrain clean, the liver not only filters toxins and cellular by-products out of the blood like other excretory organs, it also neutralizes poisons, microbes, heavy metals, and carcinogens. By supporting the liver, we support the health of the entire body. In this practical guide to cleansing and detoxifying the liver, Christopher Vasey shows how many features of modern living--such as overeating, medications, cigarettes, alcohol, food additives, and environmental pollution--overtax this powerhouse of an organ. This leads to weakening of the liver and congestion with toxins, which in turn can lead to illness, including cardiovascular problems, allergies, headaches, constipation, respiratory issues, and skin conditions, as the toxins the overburdened liver cannot filter out find their way to other areas of the body. Detailing how the liver functions, the author explains how to use diet, herbs, massage, and other practices to detoxify, strengthen, and regenerate your liver. He includes simple charts and questionnaires to help you determine to what degree your liver function is compromised. He shows how a simple change of diet along with the use of hepatic herbs will often have immediate benefits for the liver and the immune system. He explains specific foods to avoid and how taking supplements, such as trace elements of sulfur, accelerate the liver’s ability to neutralize heavy metals. He details 9 plants that are most effective in detoxifying the liver, such as dandelion and rosemary, and provides instructions for their safe use. He also describes liver exercises and massage techniques as well as the use of external aids, such as a hot-water bottle, to stimulate liver activity. Offering an accessible yet detailed approach to supporting the liver, the author shows how bringing the liver back to full health and function has far-reaching effects for the whole body.

Your essential guide to fighting pain the natural way! Make trips to the pharmacy a thing of the past with this indispensable guide to relieving pain.

An herbal medicine making book and formulary with its roots in original herbalism designed for home medicine makers, herbal schools and small manufacturers.