Herbal Nurturing: A Family Healing & Learning Guide appealed to me instantly. With its many herbal recipes, it seemed like a perfect fit for our family, especially since it includes learning at home options. I really, really like including my children in healthy projects.
In her ‘Introduction’ Michele Augur writes, “I have spent the past ten years gleaning herbal wisdom from various sources… This book is a compilation of our family’s favorites. As we prepare and administer natural remedies, our family savors the opportunity to participate in the miracle of God’s healing.”
The remedies included in this eBook are a wonderful blend of family-friendly recipes, from Licorice-Spice Cold & Flu Infusion and Pregnancy Tea, to Earache Soother, Sinus Steam, and Tummy Teas.
Each recipe includes detailed preparation instructions as well as careful ‘Directions’ for taking the remedy, often including amount, age, and frequency. ‘Cautions’ warn of possible negative side effects for certain people, such as those with allergies to certain ingredients, or with certain medical conditions. There are ‘Suggestions for Use’ that tell when the remedy could be helpful as well as ‘Optional Additions’ to the recipes and suggestions when they might come in handy. I like the ‘Urgent Care Option,’ not referring to medical emergencies, but to situations when the remedy is needed but a full recipe cannot be made. And of course, the ‘Learning at Home Option’ is wonderful for a homeschool family. Even preschoolers are included. I am overwhelmed at the amount of loving and careful research that has gone into these recipes.
Michele has made a few of her recipes available online, so you can see what they are like. Try out the Calendula Salve (for chapped, scraped skin or mild burns and rashes), or People’s Paste (for cuts and punctures), or Mama’s Passion Bath Salts (for a soothing, cramp-reducing bath).
Despite my excitement and high hopes, we did not use this book as intended. I wanted to make the Slippery Elm Lozenges for sore throats, but have not yet located the slippery elm powder. In the meantime, we’ve been using lemon juice and vitamins. The Immune Booster Syrup appealed to me, but we have only fresh and frozen elderberries and our rose bushes are not yet producing a lot of rose hips…and I don’t know where to buy them. Instead, we enjoy elderberries occasionally, and when people are feeling poorly we sometimes eat hot, garlicky ginger beef. The Healing Balms sound wonderful, but I’ve never seen coconut oil anywhere, all the wax from our bees has been made into candles, and plain old olive oil works in a pinch, although it isn’t as pleasant as the balms would be.
I think you get the picture. I learned from the book but didn’t use it as directed. My personal situation right now is such that I need to keep life as simple as possible in order to function. I suppose that these days I’m the kind of woman for whom Michele’s quicker ‘Urgent Care Options’ are meant: someone who, although gaining strength after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, is still too ‘…tired to prepare an extensive recipe.’
I will plan part of this summer’s herb garden around Herbal Nurturing, though, and then I’ll be able to use what I have on hand.
On the other hand, for a more energetic woman who knows where to get all the ingredients (such as I was in a different time and place) this book is a treasure trove. It contains well-researched recipes for most of the home remedies a mom would need. With Herbal Nurturing, a family could easily and safely improve their health and reduce medical expenses, all the while using natural and even home-grown products.
Note: Michele does mention mail order companies that sell quality ingredients, and for those of you who live in the US, this could be an option. Shipping fees and customs issues prevent me, a Canadian, from trying out these companies.
Disclosure I received a complimentary download of Herbal Nurturing in order to prepare this review. I receive no compensation for my reviews, and my opinions are entirely my own.
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday, Living Well Wednesday, Frugal Friday, and Finer Things Friday.