Forgotten Home Apothecary : 250 Powerful Remedies at Your Fingertips

by Dr. Nicole Apelian

This natural home remedies book gives you a 250-remedy Apothecary in your own home, ready to help you whenever you are in need.

The book is written by Dr. Nicole Apelian, an expert herbalist with over 30 years of hands-on practice in healing with herbal remedies.

The first thing you’ll see when you open this natural medicine book is your new Apothecary—250 remedies, organized on shelves for specific ailments.

What You’ll Discover 288 color pages featuring all 250 powerful remedies for every part of your body. Easy-to-navigate appendix that visually shows all the natural remedies and the page where you’ll find them, along with step-by-step instructions, color photos, accurate measurements, and dosages. The Natural a potent recipe for focus, memory, and mental clarity (page 129). The same 3 Mushroom Tinctures Dr. Apelian used to get back on her feet and manage her MS symptoms (page 220). Grandma’s Hot the powerful back remedy that was almost lost to history (page 175). The Herbal Sleep Aid to take before bed (page 147). Discover the Best Natural Probiotic you can make at home (page 82). Find out what happens if you pour honey over cinnamon and all the other herbal recipes that were once a part of every home.
Whether you’re an experienced plant medicine user or just looking for a natural approach to managing your health and healing with herbal remedies, The Forgotten Home Apothecary is for you.

This is the only holistic medicine book out there where you’ll find the time-tested natural remedies our grandparents relied on, back when apothecaries hadn’t yet been replaced by pharmacies.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Herbs, Food, Medicine

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2024

Reviews

[Missy LeBlanc Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgotten Home Apothecary: 250 Powerful Remedies at Your Fingertips by Nicole Apelian Ph.D. (2024), 288 pages.

This is one of those homestead/survival/natural healing books that continuously ran down my Facebook feed until I finally purchased it.

So far, this is one of the best. I love the specific recipes for certain health problems…just another arsenal to add to my repertoire of healing recipes.

Part 1 is all about setting up your home apothecary, from drying to storing your herbs.

Part 2 provides general directions on how to make basic recipes for any teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures and oil infusions, syrups, lozenges, balms, lotions, and essential oils and hydrosols, and more.

Part 3, my favorite, provides recipes for common and specific ailments in each of these categories:

- Cardiovascular system
- digestive system
- detox
- respiratory system
- nervous system
- auditory and visual system
- musculoskeletal health
- immune system
- skin problems and wounds
- personal care products
- endocrine system
- reproductive system
- urinary system

There is only one major problem: THERE IS NO INDEX! There really needs to be two ways to find what you need: One, by an alphabetical index of the ailments, and two, by an alphabetical index of the herb or essential oils used. Looks like I will have to make them myself. This won’t be the first time. 🙄

Unfortunately, this knocks down my rating a notch from a 5-star.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how approachable this is and the justification and actual citation of sources there is with evidence! I cannot wait to try these out, I've made a grocery list and will begin tomorrow. If any of these work rating will increase to 5 stars

[Kaja · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is good, and the author does manage to walk the line between encouraging traditional medicine and trusting actual doctors, but the overall quality of this book just isn’t great.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator is either AI or the most IDGAF about my job or integrity narrator I’ve ever heard. I just can't believe the author would let that slide if it was not intentional.

Since I listened to the audiobook, I didn’t see the illustrations in the physical book, but another review points out that they’re stock photos, sometimes even showing the wrong subject.
And if the book itself is just Amazon drop-shipped, the audiobook is AI-narrated, and the images are pulled off the internet, then the content doesn’t exactly inspire trust.
Not that it really matters, because everything in this is so vague it wouldn’t make a difference if it was co-written with the help of AI or not.

Can’t say for sure, of course. People are innocent until proven otherwise, but it paints a pretty bleak picture to me. Really disappointed, because this could have been so good.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I took a star away just for the layout of the book. I feel like there could have been an easier way to put the book together. It was full of amazing recipes though for home and herbal remedies. I will be trying a few in the next few days. If you are considering purchasing this book I would definitely say to get it. It is worth it!

[Paige Lehtisaari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly it wasn't bad, just.. lacking. I feel like it was much more basic knowledge than I had expected.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the author and was excited to read this giant book at my friend’s house but I was actually disappointed with the book. It is a large paperback book with lots of stock photos and illustrations but they don’t match the remedies. For instance, there’s a hawthorn remedy with a stock photo of rose hips.

The information is very incomplete. For instance, there’s a black walnut tincture listed as being helpful for a huge range of things from parasites to heavy sweating to heavy periods. For dosage, all it says is that 20 drops a day 3 times a day is enough for most people. But in the notes it says not to use it too long or it can cause gastrointestinal problems and other issues. Okay, so how long do you use it and when? If you use it for heavy periods do you do it during the period or before? For how many days? How many days do you use it for parasites and which ones is it helpful against?

The whole book is just endless tinctures and teas that are supposed to help with something, with pretty pictures and large text but without the details and real information that you would need to actually use it.

The book also lacks any feeling of connection to the author, almost like someone or an AI generated the whole thing with generic information and she put her name on it. I really prefer herbal books where the authors share their wisdom and stories, and where you feel like you are actually learning from an experienced real person. This reminds me of the remedies you find on anonymous sketchy natural websites.

Lastly, the book is a paperback with flimsy paper but sells for $37 on Amazon (it seems to be self published there) and that seems very high. I might personally consider purchasing it if it were half that price, but because it was printed in color with so many pages it probably has to be that high as a self published book to make a profit.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very detailed book with all the information anyone would need to start making their own homeopathic remedies. It naturally has plenty of disclaimers and cautions to seek actual medical treatment, etc., etc., but it also seems very thorough and to have a good history of home remedies that have likely been long utilized in the times before our modern age of pharmaceutical medications. While it is not something that I would commit to doing myself, it could start you on the right path if you were so inclined to invest in the time and money (and had the space in your home) required to stock your own home apothecary. It also has nice oversize pages with each 'recipe' on its own page, colorful pictures, and a nice listing at the beginning by category to easily find each remedy.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty amazing- who knew a lot of the household items in our cupboards could serve as medicine? The author of this book is an herbalist, biologist and anthropologist. Her knowledge of natural ingredients are remarkable. Included in this book are things for your cardiovascular system, digestive, respiratory, nervous, immune systems and even more. Some are common sense, some involve natural ingredients you may or may not be available, depending on where you live. Also included is usage and dosage guidance, as well as side effects, and interactions. If you choose to live more naturally, this book is for you- but check with your doctor first!

[Robin Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift from my son. I had been talking about it for a couple of months. I love the book. It’s easy to read and easy to follow. Just need to stock up on the necessary herbal ingredients and spices. Also doing the research to store them. Overall the book is great back up for all the expensive medications that we are having to endure. The author also gives disclaimer on everything. Great Resource

[Abby Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to go ahead and consider this read because pretty much everything else is reference material or recipes. I think this will be a good resource in continuing my herbal education, but, not to be snobby, I was disappointed by the amount of times the book adds regular sugar to things, suggests using the microwave, and even has candy in one recipe. It didn't ruin it for me, but it did make me feel sad and suspicious.

[Darian - Books With A Chance · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of the pages are full of incorrect information. It’s an AI book with mismatched stock photos. This “doctor” couldn’t even bother to make sure her book was correct before selling it. Some of the recipes don’t even let you know how long you should use something which can lead to more harm than good. You’re better off going on Pinterest.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a Mother's Day gift. I had actually had my eye on it, so it was a nice surprise! I like the way the book is laid out: each recipe has its own page, and there are pictures to help you envision how it will turn out.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read through all the non-recipes pages and looked through (and read a good portion) of the recipes pages. I found I do a few of these already! I’m very excited to start make a few more each year until I have a shelf full of them!!

[Kerea De La Cerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these my grandparents used but no one had wrote down all the steps. This is helping us connect missing dots

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good reference book for herbal and ancient remedies.

[Stephanie Harris-Kam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very disappointed.

[Cyrena Lindhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and helpful. Have tried a couple of things.

[Heinrich Heine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a guide that flows. The remedy shelf layout and clear instructions made me feel at ease as I brewed my first tincture.

[Amaya Okazaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the recipes. Some of them have really helped me.

[Crystal Cloutier · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 out of 10!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. I am so looking forward to making many of the recipes that are inside. I have started with the Amish syrup and Fire Cider.

[Katie Verrue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really needs an index, and there are some pixelated pictures, but otherwise wonderful.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resources natural DIY remedies
highly recommend

[Jenn. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the DC Library. So many great ideas & recipes. I enjoyed this book so much that I plan on purchasing it.