Table Of ContentHERBS FOR
HOME TREATMENT
HERBS FOR
HOME TREATMENT
A guide to using herbs for first aid
and common health problems
Anna Newton
First published in 2009 by
Green Books
Foxhole, Dartington
Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EB
www.greenbooks.co.uk
First published in digital formats 2010
© Anna Newton 2009
All rights reserved Design by Stephen Prior Photographs © Anna Newton
and Neil Clarke LRPS
DISCLAIMER: This book is intended as an informational guide. The remedies, approaches and techniques
described herein are meant to supplement, not to be a substitute for, professional medical care or treatment.
They should not be used to treat a serious ailment without prior consultation with a qualified health-care
professional. Neither the publisher nor the author assumes any liability for any injury or damage to person
or property arising from this publication.
Print format ISBN 978 1 900322 42 3
PDF format ISBN 978 1 907448 76 8
ePub format ISBN 978 1 907448 77 5
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
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all my patients who have given me feedback about their
treatment; Katie, my best young patient who took herbal medicine although it
was ‘yuck’; all my teachers of herbal medicine who inspired me for life; my
herbalist colleagues for sharing their experience; my family for being willing to
try my unusual cures; my mother for introducing herbs into my life; my father
for instilling a dose of healthy scepticism in me towards science and non-science
alike; Neil Clarke LRPS for the photographic input; Monica French for her
stylistic advice; my editor Amanda Cuthbert for the meticulous improvements to
the book; Stephen Prior for his brilliant design; Alethea Doran, my copy-editor,
for her amazing attention to detail; and the whole team at Green Books for their
contributions to the final product.
To Richard
Introduction
This book is a simple guide to self-medicating with medicinal herbs. It deals
with non-emergency first-aid situations and everyday ailments that people
commonly treat with over-the-counter medicines. It focuses exclusively on using
herbs as medicines and it is based on first-hand experience. All the advice you
will find in this book has been tested in practice on my family, friends and
patients. The main purpose of this book, therefore, is to share the practical
knowledge that I have accumulated over the last eighteen years.
My confidence in using herbs for self-treatment stems not only from my
experience as a herbalist – I was lucky enough to be brought up by a mother who
was very knowledgeable about herbs and knew many home prescriptions for
treating a variety of common problems. I have vivid memories of taking her
remedies as a child: bitter chamomile infusion for tummy ache; tasty comfrey
syrup for coughs; alder leaf plaster to heal a cut on a finger. These simple
remedies worked every time, and as I grew older I acquired a deep respect for
the healing powers of plants.
Herbs are the most natural form of medicine. Our bodies evolved to digest
plants well and absorb all the nutrients. It follows that herbal remedies, being of
plant origin, are easy for our digestive system to break down and assimilate. In
fact, many food items used in appropriate amounts, for example garlic or thyme,
become effective medicine. Unlike modern pharmaceuticals, which are normally
composed of a single synthetic chemical, herbs contain hundreds of individual
compounds. Herbalists believe that this biochemical complexity of plants
matches the complexity of our bodies, and that is one of the reasons why whole-
plant preparations can work very well in comparatively low dosages.
For centuries herbal medicine has been based on long-established patterns of
use derived from empirical observations. Nowadays there is also plenty of
scientific research to back up traditional use, and you will find useful references
at the end of this book.
There are many advantages to being able to medicate with herbs: you avoid
the potential side effects of many common pharmaceuticals (for instance, many
people are allergic to Paracetamol), herbs are cheap and easily available (you
would be surprised how much medicinal potential there is in the average spice
rack), but most of all you will be helping your body to heal itself in a safe,
natural way and not just suppressing symptoms.
At home I regularly use five medicinal herbs as teas, two types of skin
