Home Apothecary: Growing and Using Traditional Remedies

There is a renewed interest and belief in the effectiveness of home remedies that use natural products from herb gardens and hedgerows. In the past, herb gardens were much more serious affairs than most are now since they were grown for their medicinal and curative properties. There was a universal belief in the power of fragrance to protect from disease, and diet too was integral to healing - herbs were added to food for their medicinal action as much as for their nutritious or flavouring capabilities. This book takes these ideas and explores them in a more modern-day context. There are easy plant-based recipes for treating everyday ailments, as well as a measure of beauty recipes, beneficial to general health and well-being. The power of fragrance is also recognised, if not to ward off infection, at least to alter mood and state of mind by relaxing, reviving or lifting depression.