Review by G. Haim:

We all loved the book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing” by James F. Balch and Phyllis A. Balch, and now comes its long awaited twin; The same winning format, the same width of knowledge, and this time – the best herbs to treat (almost) every ailment. Besides an overview of the principles of herbal healing, the first part of the book describes a long list of herbs that are mentioned throughout the book, the scientific evidence of their benefit, and various considerations for use, alone and/or with other herbs. However, this part is missing a listing of active constituents (future edition?). The second part excells in bringing an alphabetical listing of various health conditions and summarizing, in a clear-cut table, the herbs that can be used, the doses, some ready formulas, and a short comment on action. I loved this format in the first book, and find myself praising this format in the present book. Need to treat an ailment? – just open the right page, and the table of beneficial herbs is right in front of your eyes. The story goes on – “Herbs to Avoid”, general “Recommendations” and “Considerations” – all written by a super-expert in the field. Amazon found a very strange way to show us the contents of a book (“look inside”) but never exposed “real” pages. Just give a customer a chance to look at a page from the second part of this book and he will know what this book is all about. In the third part I found the information I needed to prepare my own herbal extracts. The tips are invaluable and the various techniques for herbal healing are very well discussed. Ms. Balch made our life much easier and healthier by introducing two superb books where in a glance one can match nutritional healing with herbal healing for a wide array of common health problems. It’s time to go one further step – to move both books to the CD format…

Review by samiam:

I highly recommend this book (I give 5 stars to few books) to anyone interested in herbs and herbal remedies from a more scientifically based approach. I found that her citation of studies and use of them to describe the actual effects of the herbs helpful, whereas most herb books are filled solely with arguments from tradition or some metaphysical bias. Although tradition, or any other tact, may actually be correct sometimes, I find it unconvincing alone. I like to know that ginseng, for example, has been shown in studies to relieve stress. I don’t want to read an author only mention how it is a magic herb that will bring one closer to a certain positive force of the universe (apologies for the sarcasm). She does include, naturally, traditional uses (by multiple cultures) and their histories, but her descriptions/prescriptions aren’t solely based on them. She does a wonderful job and has come up with a book I’d been seeking for a long time. She has obviously put a lot of careful time into this work, and ended up with what will surely earn its shelf life.

I hope this review has helped.

Review by Steven A. Peterson:

Eyewitness Companions has a long list of publications. And this is one that will probably interest many readers. The focus? The title says it all: “Herbal Remedies.” I am somewhat skeptical about all the claims made for herbal medicine. On the other hand, I also know that there are some research findings suggestive of real value for some herbs.

Use of herbs to address ills of one sort or another goes way back in time. And such natural medicine is widespread in many parts of the world. The purpose of the book: “. . .’Herbal Remedies’ aims to provide you with the essential information to answer [a series of basic questions], to choose safe and appropriate herbal remedies, and to put them to good use.”

The book is divided into several chapters–Chapter 1 addresses what herbal medicine is; Chapter two focuses on how to use herbal remedies; the third chapter explores safety and quality; Chapter 4 may be the heart of the book, an A–Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) to Z–Zingiber officinalis (Ginger). The final chapter outlines which herbs go with what maladies (e.g., for a migraine, try Feverfew, Butterbur, or Lavender).

For me, the heart of the book is the enumeration of herbal palliatives. A few examples to illustrate. . . . The miracle of garlic! For medicinal use, the clove is the part used. The clove has several medicinal effects–antibiotic, blood-thinner, antifungal, counters cough and respiratory ailments, decreased blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, and nurtures useful intestinal flora. Dosage? One clove a day. Caution: if already taking blood thinners, take garlic only on the advice of an herbal or medical practitioner. The book also notes that there is a fair amount of research testifying to the utility of garlic treatments.

Lavender. Parts used include essential oil, flower, and leaves. It acts as an analgesic, an antidepressant, antiseptic, and sedative, among others. It appears to have some value against headaches. Key information: it is quite safe, it has long been traditionally used as a medicine, and there is some evidence that it might have positive medical benefits.

Sarsaparilla. The root is used. It may serve as an anti-inflammatory agent. Other possible impacts? Anti-rheumatic, detoxicant, diuretic, and tonic. It is fairly safe (4 of 5 stars), used pretty widely traditionally (4 of 5 stars), and open to question as far as efficacy (only 2 of 5 stars).

All in all, an enjoyable volume, and one that suggests how herbal remedies might address a variety of ailments that we all suffer from at one point or another. Especially nice is that the book provides some assessment as to how well research supports the claims for each herb.

Review by Lilac Lily:

Anyone who is interested in herbs should get this compact book. It’s a great resource to have on hand when working with plants.

The book starts off with some general information on herbal medicine and its preparation. Then it gives exact details on about 140 plants, each accompanied by full colored pictures and details of their therapeutic properties. At the end of the book there is a long chapter on common health problems, and the suggested herbs to use for treatment.

Even though some of the herb listings are a little brief, it’s a great starter book and gives you a good overview of the most common herbs.

Review by :

This book is written in a humorous, easy to understand and concise format. It is an great way for someone who has never studied herbal medicine before to dip their toes in the water. Ms. Wardwell is very clear about the dangers of using certain herbs. It also has wonderful guidelines on learning how to identify the different types of plants and herbs you’ll be using. Ms. Wardwell also includes several recipes for various tinctures, teas, wines and vinegars to be used. She also offers interesting stories explaining the folklore behind certain plants as well. I can’t recommend this book highly enough to any student of herbalism whether beginner or advanced.

Review by Ana Hotaling:

I purchased this book hoping that it would guide me in the creation of herbal remedies — I’d always had a culinary herb garden and wanted to expland my horizons. I wasn’t disappointed — there were many simple recipes for decoctions, poultices, and other non-culinary herb uses. However, some — okay, many! — of the descriptions and instructions were beyond what the simple practicioner or budding herbalist could understand. In the end, I just use the recipes I’ve marked and ignore the rest of the book.

Review by Christine C:

I found this book very well written and very well balanced. It is invaluable for the newcomer to herbs, and would be a valuable addition to the bookshelf of a more experienced user too. It’s one of those books which sits in my kitchen and gets referred to almost every day.

Review by :

I own about a dozen books on herbal medicine and I keep finding myself back to this one time and time again. It is well written with a ton of useful information ranging from uses,terminology, cautions, and best ways to use the herbs. A must have for anyone interested in herbal medicine

Review by Dianne Foster:

With the wide selection of books on herbal uses confronting the average herbalist or curious reader, how is one to choose which resource is best? The answer is that it is impossible to use only one resource. Chevallier’s books come close to being the one resource to use for employing herbs for medicinal purposes, but because the misuse of herbs can be deadly, I rely on a variety of material and crossreference my applications. In other words, if anyone says an herb has proved poisonous, I am careful. …. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBAL MEDICINE (EHM) by Andrew Chevallier is an update of his book THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MEDICINAL PLANTS (EMP). EHM covers most of the same plants as EMP, but contains more up-to-date information from various sources conducting research on the properties and uses of herbs, including herbal systems in other parts of the world such as the U.K. and Germany, (i.e. not exclusively reliant on the actions of the FDA or USDA for all it’s information).EHM, as did EMP before it, includes one of the largest selections of plants for medicinal uses. Not all the plants are botonacally speaking “herbs.” Black Cherry, for example, is a tree, but like many other trees has constituent parts that may be used for medicinal purposes, and therefore viewed as an “herbal” remedy for certain conditions (chronic dry, irritable coughs!!)–or kill you if you ingest an excess. …. EHM is not much concerned with the manufacture of floral sachets or assembly of ingredients for pot pourri, or how to lay out your herbal garden for that matter. In fact, my suspician is that the average EHM reader will probably consult the health food store for herbal items, and not grow herbs in the back yard or try to harvest them in the nearest park. ….

Review by Brandy Schlosser:

I am taking a medicinal botany class and was not satisfied with the information the text book gave me and wanted to know more I saw this book and ordered it. I love it. It is a must have for someone interested in herbs even my instructor found it helpful. I also ended up ordering two more for classmates.

Review by A. M. Martin:

This is a great reference book to have. I love the paperback version and I like the recipies. However, I also bought Rosemary Gladstar’s Familiy Herbal, different title and different cover, thinking it was a different book. It is the EXACT same book page for page. So don’t buy both.

Review by Anne J. Ryan:

Rosemary Gladstar is in my opinion one of the “true” people in healing. She offers information in the manner of one who wants to share rather than with hold or profit. I believe her work with Seed Savers supports my view. This paper back book which I bought for less than fifteen dollars is a treasure trove of information. She wants people to understand plants and use them for good . She also communicates the need for respecting the plant world which is after all part of our world. Her recipes are clear and easy to follow. Her books are always near at hand and I use them often. This is a true bargain and a good investment. Thank you Rosemary!!!!

Review by Kathleen M. Miller:

I thought that this book was informative. He describes the herb, and the tribe(s) that used it, and how. There is several pages on the tribal tradition, but I would have liked to have seen more indepth about several of the more common tribes and their herbal medicinal usage and practices.

I really appreciated the author bringing together how the whole person must be treated in order to treat dis-ease. This is really missing in allopathic medicine.

I would recommend this book to any herbal practitioner that would like a different view of herbal treatment, using traditional Native American ways.

Kathy Miller

Review by AmberWolf:

Another book you don’t loan out, you’ll miss having it for reference.

It lists recipes for ailments, and companies where you can purchase the items needed in the mixes.

I had to buy more than one, one for loans, one for keeps.

The best advice is also given in this book, just because one mix worked for another, it may not be the same for you. We are all different, and so are the many different species of plants. So it doesn’t just give you one recipe for one ailment, unlike so many other herbal books.

Review by natural healing:

My whole family has used this for a long time now. Works wonders for the performance anxiety on any age group, for the fear of flying. Relaxes you quickly and naturally…no harmful side effects for anyone in the family. Even my husband who is somewhat suspicious about these natural remedies loves this one.

Review by E. Lanz:

My therapist recommended this to me to help combat chronic sleeplessness. I have never gone in much for homeopathic remedies, but I can tell you that this works!! I put 4 drops in my evening tea and I am snoozing within a couple hours. I have also noticed an increase in my dream activity too. Don’t use this product unless you want a good night’s sleep!!