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Folk Medicine: A New England Almanac of Natural Health Care From a Noted Vermont Country Doctor
"A fascinating book by a distinguished Vermont physician."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
For centuries the vigorous and healthy families of Vermont have passed down simple commonsense home remedies for all sorts of common aches and pains, from one generation to the next. Dr. Jarvis spent years practicing medicine in the Green Mountains and observed the natural wonders of Vermont folk medicine. He shares that wisdom in this helpful book in order to help burn body fat and decrease body weight, improve sleep and overcome chronic fatigue, reduce high blood pressure, and much more.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
For centuries the vigorous and healthy families of Vermont have passed down simple commonsense home remedies for all sorts of common aches and pains, from one generation to the next. Dr. Jarvis spent years practicing medicine in the Green Mountains and observed the natural wonders of Vermont folk medicine. He shares that wisdom in this helpful book in order to help burn body fat and decrease body weight, improve sleep and overcome chronic fatigue, reduce high blood pressure, and much more.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
48 people are currently reading
478 people want to read
About the author
DeForest Clinton Jarvis
4 books1 followerD.C. Jarvis was a Vermont doctor famous for his book Folk Medicine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
June 29, 2017
Rather fond of this old timer. Classic folk wisdom. Appreciate the doctor's tripod of nutritional body type : Alpine, Mediterranean, Nordic. My breakfast preference being fish, easy to accept Jarvis Nordic eating guidelines. Bag balm and vinegar staples, too.
6/26/17 : a trail of stickies
Forward -- "I am a fifth-generation Vermonter ... trained in organized medicine ... Vermont folk medicine not part of my formal training ... set about learning it ... studies led to considerable readjustment of orthodox approaches ..."
page 3 -- " ... ideal of VFM is to condition the body in its entirety so that disease will not attack it."
page 6 -- "In our latitude the prevailing winds are westerly. Of the twenty-six storm tracks crossing the United States on their way to the Atlantic Ocean, twenty-three pass over Vermont."
page 10 -- "In VFM there is an extremely simple prescription for replenishing the mineral needs of the body ..." two tsp honey two teaspoons apple cider vinegar, taken in a glass of water one or more times each day ... "The blend tastes like a glass of apple cider."
page 16 -- "Liver, once a week, is a 'storehouse' food."
page 20 -- " ... only one litter had been born in the last year ... At the end of one winter month he reported evidence that the apple cider vinegar had produced a chemical change in the dogs' bodies; their urine no longer stained snow yellow but left it white. During the following year all five bitches produced litters. The puppies were born strong and vigorous."
page 23 --"In Europe the three racial strains are Nordic, Alpine, and Mediterranean ... Nordics are largely fish eaters, eating about ten times as much fish as meat. For vegetation, commonly land-grown elsewhere, they depend to a great extent on seaweed. washed up on shore, and moss harvested from seacoast rocks."
**
more later
6/26/17 : a trail of stickies
Forward -- "I am a fifth-generation Vermonter ... trained in organized medicine ... Vermont folk medicine not part of my formal training ... set about learning it ... studies led to considerable readjustment of orthodox approaches ..."
page 3 -- " ... ideal of VFM is to condition the body in its entirety so that disease will not attack it."
page 6 -- "In our latitude the prevailing winds are westerly. Of the twenty-six storm tracks crossing the United States on their way to the Atlantic Ocean, twenty-three pass over Vermont."
page 10 -- "In VFM there is an extremely simple prescription for replenishing the mineral needs of the body ..." two tsp honey two teaspoons apple cider vinegar, taken in a glass of water one or more times each day ... "The blend tastes like a glass of apple cider."
page 16 -- "Liver, once a week, is a 'storehouse' food."
page 20 -- " ... only one litter had been born in the last year ... At the end of one winter month he reported evidence that the apple cider vinegar had produced a chemical change in the dogs' bodies; their urine no longer stained snow yellow but left it white. During the following year all five bitches produced litters. The puppies were born strong and vigorous."
page 23 --"In Europe the three racial strains are Nordic, Alpine, and Mediterranean ... Nordics are largely fish eaters, eating about ten times as much fish as meat. For vegetation, commonly land-grown elsewhere, they depend to a great extent on seaweed. washed up on shore, and moss harvested from seacoast rocks."
**
more later
January 22, 2010
I loved this book by Jarvis. Reading it is like sitting in a cozy living room in the mountains, fire crackling, a cup of tea in hand...and Jarvis walking me through the old ways of Vermont folks. He simplifies and breaks down physiological processes in a very palatable way. And, I love how he draws his scientific conclusions on effectiveness of medicine through obersvation of nature, animals, and humans. I am also a true convert to apple cider vinger and honey and the importance of minerals and iodine! This is a must read for anyone involved in alternative medicine.
April 5, 2015
I'm not sure what I expected from this book but it turned out to be pretty interesting to me. Dr. Jarvis was a physician in Vermont and apparently observed animals for a lot of his treatments. Born in 1881 and died in 1966. This book was first published in 1958. There were times when the book got a little boring with his facts and observations but it was still interesting at how he got his information. It has me believing that I need to include apple cider vinegar and honey in my daily diet. There was also mention of the benefits of kelp and castor oil.
I am a huge believer that we (people) are destroying our bodies with pharmaceutical drugs that have side effects that are worse than our symptoms. I love reading about the cures and treatments that have been tried and true throughout the ages.
I am a huge believer that we (people) are destroying our bodies with pharmaceutical drugs that have side effects that are worse than our symptoms. I love reading about the cures and treatments that have been tried and true throughout the ages.
September 3, 2014
Dr. Jarvis spent his medical career serving the rural state of Vermont and studying the folk medicine practices he found there. The results of his lifetime work in this area are published in this 1958 book aptly titled Folk Medicine. To read it today is to go back in a time machine to visit a rural doctor of the first half of the 20th century who is studying the folk medicines of his time. He speaks of people growing up close to the land, small farmers eating their locally grown crops and the products of their animals. He never mentions a veterinarian, and he cares for the farmer's animals as much as he cares for the farmers and their families.
The Vermont soil is low in potassium. He personally added granite dust from the stone cutters in Barre to his garden soil because granite has potassium in it. People were shorter in Vermont because they ate foods grown in this potassium-deficient soil.
One of the things he discovered in his research into the folk medicine practices of rural Vermont was the many ways that the people compensated for the low potassium in their diet. The major one was a reliance on a drink made of apple cider vinegar, often mixed with an equal quantity of honey and diluted with water. Much of the book is devoted to this simple drink and the many beneficial effects he ascribes to it. He claims the benefits come from vinegar's acidifying effects on the body, the healthful sugars present in the natural honey, and the many minerals, particularly potassium, contained in both ingredients.
Vermont farmers of Dr. Jarvis' time didn't go down to a local grocery and buy a bottle of apple cider vinegar and a jar of honey. They got a barrel of fresh-pressed apple cider, most likely from their own trees or a neighbors, and let it ferment in the barn, past the hard cider stage, until it turned to vinegar. They got their honey from local bees. Today you would have to look far and wide to find anyone with a vinegar barrel somewhere around their property; today vinegar is made in a factory in 2-3 days rather than the back yard in 6-12 months.
Dr. Jarvis was writing for a time and place that do not exist anymore, but our need for potassium still remains essential, and food is its primary source. The kind of vinegar the farmers brewed in their barns is made by a few health food companies, and fortunately almost everywhere in America you can find local sources of honey. The modern diet is built around supermarkets instead of gardens and livestock. Much of our food is manufactured, where efficiency and shelf life are industrial concerns. We take multivitamins and supplements, often added to our manufactured foods, to meet our nutritional needs. A vital connection is lost in all of this with the life of the soil and the plants grown in it. Could a drink made from raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and honey make a difference to our lives? I would like to think so. Is this magical thinking? At this time you could it is, since I haven't found research to back it up, but as a librarian I know how to look for information.
The Vermont soil is low in potassium. He personally added granite dust from the stone cutters in Barre to his garden soil because granite has potassium in it. People were shorter in Vermont because they ate foods grown in this potassium-deficient soil.
One of the things he discovered in his research into the folk medicine practices of rural Vermont was the many ways that the people compensated for the low potassium in their diet. The major one was a reliance on a drink made of apple cider vinegar, often mixed with an equal quantity of honey and diluted with water. Much of the book is devoted to this simple drink and the many beneficial effects he ascribes to it. He claims the benefits come from vinegar's acidifying effects on the body, the healthful sugars present in the natural honey, and the many minerals, particularly potassium, contained in both ingredients.
Vermont farmers of Dr. Jarvis' time didn't go down to a local grocery and buy a bottle of apple cider vinegar and a jar of honey. They got a barrel of fresh-pressed apple cider, most likely from their own trees or a neighbors, and let it ferment in the barn, past the hard cider stage, until it turned to vinegar. They got their honey from local bees. Today you would have to look far and wide to find anyone with a vinegar barrel somewhere around their property; today vinegar is made in a factory in 2-3 days rather than the back yard in 6-12 months.
Dr. Jarvis was writing for a time and place that do not exist anymore, but our need for potassium still remains essential, and food is its primary source. The kind of vinegar the farmers brewed in their barns is made by a few health food companies, and fortunately almost everywhere in America you can find local sources of honey. The modern diet is built around supermarkets instead of gardens and livestock. Much of our food is manufactured, where efficiency and shelf life are industrial concerns. We take multivitamins and supplements, often added to our manufactured foods, to meet our nutritional needs. A vital connection is lost in all of this with the life of the soil and the plants grown in it. Could a drink made from raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and honey make a difference to our lives? I would like to think so. Is this magical thinking? At this time you could it is, since I haven't found research to back it up, but as a librarian I know how to look for information.
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February 7, 2022
Summary: to prevent illness, consume apple cider vinegar, honey, corn (not wheat)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 15, 2009I love this reference book. Being a few years-Vermonter I can easily "digest" the cider vinegar and honey prescription for just about anything. Its a great testament to the rural folk doctors and their intuitive practices utilizing the ways that nature (animals and plants) remain health and deal with illness.
December 30, 2023
3.5 stars. Incredibly interesting read, at least for the first 100 pages. Trails off and loses its way a few times, repeats many of the same conclusions over and over again towards the end. It did, however, convince me to change my diet!
July 1, 2025
An interesting read.
January 25, 2013
This book is by a Vermont doctor who looks into the folk medicine used by people in Vermont. He basically takes the folk medicine practice and explains scientifically why it works. He backs up his study by discussing patients and how they were cured using the folk medicine. He also discusses scientific studies that were performed using the folk medicine practices. He worked with other doctors and universities. He talks mostly about medicinal uses for Apple Cider Vinegar and honey. Some other items he discusses are castor oil, iodine, calcium, light therapy, and a few other essential minerals.
Currently reading
December 12, 2007quick read. half-way through. The author is an M.D. from 1950's, a lot of the Vermont folk medicine he shares makes sense to me, but I am inclined to believe in nutrition before drugs. Big themes: take honey & apple cider vinegar every day. There's a section on the "minus family pattern" where he practically paints a portrait of me, which was creepy, but interesting. I can share more if anyone is interested.
he learned a lot by studying the behavior of animals & by testing the apple cider vinegar treatment on them (which seems to have made for some very happy & healthy cows).
he learned a lot by studying the behavior of animals & by testing the apple cider vinegar treatment on them (which seems to have made for some very happy & healthy cows).
February 23, 2008
After a lifetime of research and experimentation, Dr. Jarvis gives his observations and recommendations for health and healing. I found this book scientifically based, logical, simple and I learned much. Does the thought of his cure-all apple cider vinegar make you cringe? If you mix it with warm apple juice and a tbsp. of honey it's appealing enough for a 4 year old boy to drink, so try it!
January 24, 2015
I got this book from my grandma and I really liked it. I'm going to try eating more apple cider vinegar and honey and see what happens with sinuses. It seems a little crazy, but I prefer natural cures when possible.
November 5, 2012
Informative book dealing with the importance of potassium in our diet. Tells of the cures and ease of useage of Apple Cider Vinegar & honey. Excellent source of info from early 1960 era of Vermont.
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July 14, 2021This book was UTTERLY wild, very 1957 -- there is a section on eating right for the "race" of European that "you" are. The book is 80% about how apple cider vinegar cures every ailment. (I only learned about the healing properties attributed to apple cider vinegar in ~2012 and have often wondered about the genesis of this folklore!) Dr. Jarvis recommends apple cider vinegar in the hair, on the skin, in a drink with honey several times a day. He does not stop at describing the benefits of ACV on humans, no, we learn of how ACV keeps cows, goats, dogs, and horses vital and strong! Not what one expects from a book about human medicine, but, again, this is Vermont. He believes that children learn from animals, and animals want the high-iodine, high-acid foods; cows apparently love kelp, just like the Japanese and the Irish. The doctor is charming in his descriptions of geography and other natural sciences -- did you know Vermont's topsoil is deficient in potassium? The doctor encourages all readers to test their urine's pH several times a day. Truly a wild ride through the edible herbs of VT.
August 18, 2025
I recently caught a cold and thought about how a visit to the doctor for a simple prescription used to turn into a whole expedition: an appointment, waiting, a pharmacy, more waiting. Against the background of a temperature and weakness, it seemed like an eternity. And now, finally, a service has appeared https://www.medsforless.co.uk/ , where everything is decided online in a couple of minutes - the doctor consults, writes a prescription, and the medicine is delivered right to your home. Honestly, sometimes such decisions feel like a real salvation, especially when there is no energy for extra troubles.
June 29, 2023
This book was published in 1958. I heard so much about it when I read The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes. She brought it up often so I thought I would check it out. It was a really interesting book. Some of the ideas in it are dated and should be used with care. For example, we know now not to give infants under the age of twelve months honey due to a bacteria that can make them sick however it was recommended in the book. Other ideas still seemed like they could help and still be practiced. I don’t normally read books like this but was really glad I did. Definitely interesting.
August 2, 2025
I thought this was interesting, if a little redundant. At some points, it would have been easier to write "apple cider vinegar fixes all of these:" and then list the problems.
It made me research ACV a little more. Looks like people have to be careful with their teeth when consuming this, but it's had a lot of good impact on gut health and blood sugar. I might look into this more.
I do need to consume more honey, especially in coffee!
Found this at a cabin in Canada where Isabel invited me along for vacaysh 🔛🔝
It made me research ACV a little more. Looks like people have to be careful with their teeth when consuming this, but it's had a lot of good impact on gut health and blood sugar. I might look into this more.
I do need to consume more honey, especially in coffee!
Found this at a cabin in Canada where Isabel invited me along for vacaysh 🔛🔝
August 31, 2020
Bottom line: use apple cider vinegar, don't sleep with your windows open, and trust your body. This was interesting, with a lot of the advice now quite dated. However, it is a worthy nod for those who enjoy and utilize natural medicine. My favorite bit was his mention of Dr. Weston A. Price, who is widely known in natural health circles to this day for his study of facial structure in people untouched by modern foods.
September 23, 2020
Բարի, հասկանալի, խրատական լեզվով գրված գիրք է: Իհարկե, զգացվում է 20 դարի առաջին կեսի բժշկության ձեռագիրը, կան եզրահանգումներ, որոնք խիստ վիճելի են, բայց գիրքն ընդհանուր առմամբ գրավեց իր յուրօրինակ բովանդակությամբ: Հարկ է անպայման կարդալ բնօրինակը՝ անգլերեն լեզվով՝ ավելի ընդհանրացված պատկերացում կազմելու համար: Գիրքը կարդալուց հետո պատրաստվում եմ իմ սեփական տնային խնձորի քացախի առաջին պարտիան պատրաստելու գործընթացին: Ո՜վ կմտածեր...
January 2, 2022
In 1958 the author understood sugar is bad for you. Its crazy to think we proceeded to add tons of sugar to every food item at the grocery store, got fat, and have massive amounts of heart disease. Then we blamed it on egg yolks and red meats. More than just a book on healthy living, its an interesting look at how a whole industry can go off the rails.
October 24, 2025
interesting, and a nice little book for a collection on medical "lore." But I'd warn that the reader should consider how much time and research have elapsed since the writing. For example, these days you'll be hard pressed to find good evidence that a high-carb diet is generally best for you.
February 4, 2019
LOVE the common sense advice in this book and wish we had more docs like this today!
April 11, 2020
Enlightening and many claims made sense. I want to see more studies on the science. I'd also live to hear a doctor's point of view on what's presented here.
April 18, 2022
Beautiful to read, but questionable content as far as scientific evidence.
May 19, 2014
While this book is outdated, it has some valuable information about natural methods for controlling some illnesses. The use of Apple Cider vinegar, honey and other natural minerals is explained very clearly. I read the book because I have been using ACV for arthritis. I heard about it's beneficial effects online. It really has improved my arthritis so much I wanted to know what other ways it could help me. I have used it for age spots as well. I can use it full strength on my face and the spots have become much lighter! I am going to try it on varicose veins next. So if you like natural ways to improve your help, read this book! (If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or other illnesses for which you take medication, check with your doctor first before using these natural health remedies.)
February 7, 2017
Great. Good health doesn't have to come from a pharmacy.
October 10, 2012
All too often we worry to late about our health. If we were caring for ourselves all along, we would not have to worry as much. Honey and apple cider vinegar are the new staples in my kitchen cabinet. Love that my bf's father had this from 1957 and the pages crumbled as i read....
January 19, 2013
This book surprised me. Thought I'd browse through it so I could tease my friend who's a Dr. in Vermont. Ended up reading it all and curious enough to try some of the remedies. I especially thought the health benefit section on honey and on kelp were very interesting and worth trying.
October 22, 2016
Hysterical. There is no human or animal ailment, condition or cleaning need that cannot be treated with some combination of apple cider vinegar with or without honey. And it is probably all true - watch out big pharma.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews