Llewellyn's Book of Natural Remedies: Over 400 Ayurvedic, Herbal, Essential Oil, and Home Remedies for Everyday Ailments by Vannoy Gentles Fite

Over 400 preparations. Drawn from Ayurvedic, herbal, essential oil, and home traditions.

Organized by complaint. Easy to look up, which is what a reference of this size needs.

Everyday ingredients. Most recipes use materials you can find at home or in an ordinary shop.

• Author: Vannoy Gentles Fite
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
• Over 400 preparations across Ayurvedic, herbal, essential oil, and home traditions
• SKU: BLLEBOONR

This is a book of traditional and folk preparations, and we would rather be plain about what that means. It is not a substitute for medical care, and neither is anything in it. Herbal and home remedies are not tested or regulated the way medicines are, some interact badly with prescriptions, several are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few of the ingredients in any book of this kind are genuinely dangerous if used carelessly.

If you are unwell, see a doctor. If you are taking medication, pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition, speak to a doctor or pharmacist before trying any preparation, from this book or anywhere else. Read it as what it is: a record of what traditions have done, of real cultural and historical interest, and a source of ideas to raise with someone qualified rather than to act on alone.

Folk medicine is one of the great archives of human practice, and it deserves respect on those terms. Ayurveda is a complete traditional system with a long history in India; European herbalism and American home remedies carry their own long records; and a great many of the preparations in a book like this have been made in kitchens for centuries.

Some of what tradition kept turned out to be sound, and some did not, and the honest position is that the two are mixed together and cannot be sorted by enthusiasm. Read it for the tradition, with genuine interest and appropriate caution, and let a doctor sort the rest.

1. Read the safety material at the front before anything else.
2. Look up the tradition you are curious about, and read it as history and practice.
3. Check anything you are considering with a doctor or pharmacist, particularly if you take medication.
4. Do not use it in place of seeing a doctor when you are unwell.
5. Keep it as a reference to the traditions rather than a treatment manual.

• Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham: the magical rather than medicinal side of herbs.
• Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences: the correspondence reference.
• Blank Journal: for your own notes.
• Jojoba Carrier Oil, 8 oz: a neutral base for the external preparations.
• Whole Lavender Flowers, 1 oz: a common herb across the traditions covered.

What is in it?

More than four hundred preparations, drawn from Ayurvedic, herbal, essential oil, and home traditions, organized by complaint.

Is this medical advice?

No. It is a reference of traditional and folk preparations and is not a substitute for medical care. If you are unwell, see a doctor.

Are these remedies safe?

Not automatically. Herbal preparations are not tested or regulated like medicines, some interact with prescriptions, and several are unsafe in pregnancy. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before trying anything, particularly if you take medication.

What is Ayurveda?

A traditional Indian system of medicine with a very long history. It is a living tradition with its own practitioners, and this book draws on it among several others.

Who is it for?

Readers interested in the traditions themselves, and in what folk practice has kept. Read it with interest and with caution.