Herbal Medicine Natural Remedies: 150 Herbal Remedies to Heal Common Ailments

by Anne Kennedy

You don't have to be a doctor to make effective herbal medicine.

With hundreds of different herbs and remedies out there, making herbal medicine can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Herbal Medicine Natural Remedies acts as the perfect salve, making things simple with 150 easy-to-follow recipes for highly effective herbal medicines.

Discover natural ways to treat headaches, coughs, colds, hangovers, and more that don't carry the same risk of side effects that many pharmaceuticals do. Never made your own herbal medicine? Start things off right with helpful lists of must-have tools, plus important safety tips.

Herbal Medicine Natural Remedies

Herbal medicines made easy—what a relief!

Genres: Herbs, Health, Nonfiction, Reference, Plants, Food, Cookbooks

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Anne Kennedy is a writer who specializes in natural health and herbal medicine. She was introduced to essential oil and aromatherapy many years ago by a dear friend during a time of stress and soon became hooked, using essential oils for everything from addressing minor health issues to household cleaning. Anne is the author of several books on natural healing, including "The Portable Essential Oils” and "Aromatherapy for Natural Living". Anne practices aromatherapy and herbal remedies at her home in West Virginia.

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Updated: I lowered my rating after a commenter pointed out that there were also incorrect photos for at least three plants. Be sure to consult other books for proper ID and better information.

Original review:

I read this book free through kindle unlimited. I found it to be very interesting and helpful in places but incomplete.

There were many cases where I know of better remedies than the ones offered. For instance, the flu remedies were mainly just antiviral herbs and relief of symptoms, when elderberry syrup is proven to actually cure the flu and is easy to make (and elderberries are easy to find in the wild). Likewise, the benefits of elder flowers against allergies, colds, etc. is not mentioned. Obviously, since I've written a book about elderberries and elder flowers I'm going to be prejudiced towards those remedies, but they are well known remedies and I was surprised they weren't mentioned for these illnesses where they really shine. This happened with many different herbs and ailments. I know of some excellent remedies for poison ivy, for instance (again, that you can gather in the wild), but this just lists standard herbs to help with symptoms.

Two remedies are given for each ailment, even when there are quite a few that may be equally beneficial. I'm sure this was for space, as there are so many herbs out there and it's so hard to cover this much ground in one book. The result, though, is that in many cases you may have the remedy that would help your ailment (or can find it right in your back yard or garden) but not know because another two were chosen for that particular problem.

I also would have liked photos in the recipe section, though that's a small thing.

I found some new info but was really surprised at how much more we do in our family that the author seemed not to know about -- things that are fairly well known and covered in herbal and wild medicine books and that I've learned over the years from natural mother mentors. I don't think I would buy this book but it was a good, enjoyable read and I did learn some new things from it.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with natural remedies, their mixes, uses and recipes... it's truly an art to know how and when to use herbal plants, and of course where to find them and how to storage them.

[Paige Ovanisian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a fairly quick and simple read, although for me it seemed far too vague, and had little to no references to self-studies or outside citation for the information. Some of the information I know to be valid, much is questionable. As another reviewer mentioned, there are inaccurate photographs and similar discrepancies provided for the uses of many herbs, particularly in the warning sections. I find this mildly alarming, as being able to ID a plant (especially among its potentially poisonous lookalikes) is one of the most important skills of an herbalist, followed by proper application of herbal medicines for obvious reasons. I wouldn't consider this to be a reliable source on herbal medicine.

[Jenny Mansell · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this book has an interesting layout with lots of recipes, unfortunately it is not reliable. As someone with over twenty years of experience using herbs, it concerns me that people new to herbalism may be using this as a guide. For starters, this book doesn’t seem to differentiate between internal and external use such as the precaution not to use a ginger while taking certain medications at the end of a recipe for ginger salve when internal use is the only concern there. It also offers the precaution not to use a rosemary tincture hair product if you have epilepsy when that precaution refers to essential oil use, not tincture use. Not making these distinctions is sloppy and can lead to confusion. As another couple of examples, the photo accompanying the section on catnip (Nepeta cataria) is actually another more showy member of the Nepeta genus and the picture of chamomile is some kind of cultivated daisy which does make one wonder how familiar the author actually is with these plants. The photograph of yarrow isn't even in the Asteraceae family, much less a photo of yarrow. Reading through the book, I get the feeling the author has read studies and articles about the herbs but has little real practical experience or in-depth understanding of the herbs about which she is writing. While I'm certainly not familiar with every single application of common herbs, some of the applications she suggests don't seem to me to be based on either traditional use or scientific studies. Since she doesn't reference any studies or other herbalists or share her own anecdotal experiences, one does wonder where she comes up with certain applications such as feverfew as a nervine for fatigue from stress, as one example. There are plenty of other herbals out there which are not only more accurate but also more engaging. One such book which actually lives up to what this book purports to be is Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book to get you started using herbal medicine. It gives details in two formats. First, a list of common ailments and recipes to treat them. Then it goes through common medicinal herbs and their uses, any potential side effects, and how to grow and harvest them.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique recipes and I like how it is organized by ailment instead of by herb.

[Crystal Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Herbal Medicine Natural Remedies is just one more wonderful book by Anne Kennedy added to my reference collection. I found it a nicely all inclusive book from covering the history past and present, how the remedies work and also what you'll need to create them. She discusses the benefits of using herbal remedies, such as when you need antibiotics they will work more efficiently if you haven't built immunity by taking them for every ailment, as well as cost effectiveness. Some of my favorite sections include the different methods of application and Herbs To Know, which contains a list of 40 commonly used herbs with pictures, usage, and precautions among other info for each. And if that's not enough there's also a handy quick reference guide in the back. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but it's meant to be a handy guide to be used on a regular basis. The book is divided into three sections. First, there is an introduction on herbal medicine with a bit of history. The second section is full of recipes for herbal remedies, based on medical issues in alphabetical order. Each issue, such as headache or muscle soreness, has two recipes that give basic herbal information as well as the how-to. The third section of the book gives basic information and growing instructions for a variety of basic herbs, listed in alphabetical order. There is also an appendix with further information, as well as an index.

This book will be kept in my "farmacy" for easy reference when I may need an herbal remedy.

[SOMDReigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and put into practice. Herbal medicine provides a way to avoid the over-the-counter medicines with plant-based remedies. Taking it back to when humans treated ailments with what the earth provided. I liked the size of the book, the overall look, and easy to read format. It contains 150 Herbal Remedies to heal common ailments. It profiles and explains common herbs. I iked the Quick Reference Guide that lists the ailment, the suggested herbs, and method of application. Overall very good reference book especially for a novice like me.

[Shannonjones1891 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four-year battle with breast cancer involved numerous unsuccessful treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation, and natural therapies. I found a cure through the World Rehabilitate Clinic, which offers effective medication to eliminate cancer cells and treatments for conditions like hysterectomy issues and Alzheimer’s disease. Educate yourself about your diagnosis and explore options at the World Rehabilitate Clinic.

[Kurt Jeffers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super excited

I have been growing my own herbs for years...for cooking purposes. I never knew all the other uses for them. I actually went and bought the spiral design of this book for easy reference in the garden.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great! A recipe book with multiple recipes for different issues. There are also warnings if you suffer from different illnesses or taking certain medicines. I have this in my cart and it will be mine!

[Kimberly Newman "MacLean" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful

I love using herbs in about everything I do. This book was very useful. Would recommend this book to other who like using herbs.

[Agnieszka · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very good book. I found a lot of recipes for herbal remedies that I’m sure I’ll be using to keep my family healthy.

[Denise Louise Emerick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

I enjoyed the layout of this book and the recipes as well as the breakdown of each herb. Thank you for a no nonsense type book.

[Louise Hammond-Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful reference that I will likely refer back to often

[Shelbi Pekas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is pretty basic and sometimes it doesn’t really feel complete. It’s a decent starter book if you’re interested in herbal medicine but I’ve read a few others out there that felt like they had a lot more usable information. I’m even a little suspicious of some of the remedies that include “weight loss” and using garlic and yogurt for vaginal yeast infections.

This book you can probably sit down and finish in one or two sittings and it has some references in the back that I’m interested in pursuing.

I would probably buy this book again as text to cross-reference with other books, but this is certainly not a stand-alone kind of herbal medicine book and you’ll need to consult other references if you want a more accurate picture on the remedies and herbs in the book.

[Kelsey Grisham Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. Easy to read and understand.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for learning how to make your own natural medicine and as a reference for recipes to treat different ailments.

[Hulean Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent information. Easy to read and understand the purpose of each remedy.