The New Guide to Remedies

The New Guide to Remedies is a small, compact book full of gorgeous full-color photographs. The main contents include homeopathy, essential oils, crystals, and home remedies. While the book is not specifically written for pagans, it is a tool that should be in every pagan’s pocket or purse. Its small convenient size makes it suitable for carrying in a purse or pouch, ready to take to the local apothecary, herb, or witch store.

The homeopathy chapter provides information on a wide variety of herbs and minerals. It also contains a great deal of information on items that many readers may not realize have homeopathic uses, such as graphite. The easy to use format provides the item’s name, treatment uses, modalities, and treatment tips. This book is written for readers around the world, and one shortcoming of the book is that some of the items may be very difficult to find in differing regions.

The chapter on essential oils includes a great deal of general basic information, again in a compact form. Each of the essential oils listed in the chapter is identified with a picture, and the plant profile is provided, along with uses, safety information and fragrance profiles. The chapter is divided into general information, root oils, leaf, flower, berry and seed, and fruit sections. Recipes are given for concocting your own massage oils, and info is provided on safely storing the mixes.

The crystal chapter is small but complete; each item has a photograph, and the geology, sources, history and healing properties of each of the crystals is provided. The chapter is divided according to color and properties of the crystal. Healing methods are discussed, along with how to use crystals in meditation.

The final section of the book is devoted to home remedies and is carefully arranged according to symptom. A reader with insomnia, for example, will be delighted to find that there are a number of remedies that can be tried before resorting to a pharmacology solution. The unit on insomnia even has suggestions for curing insomnia in children. Appropriate cautions are given for the home remedies in the book.

The publisher has the usual “see your physician” caveat, but this brightly illustrated book will provide the reader with plenty of things to try before dialing the doctor’s number. On a personal note, my fourteen year old daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, was able to read through the book and she found plenty to catch her interest, giggling at the cure for hangover and exclaiming at the natural remedies for split ends. She asked to take the book with her as we go to the crystal shop the next time, and that’s the true test of a book: do you want to use it? This book passes the test with flying colors.

The book is available in hardcover and spiral, and can be found both new and used. A quick check of eBay and Amazon revealed prices ranging from .59 to $11.00 and more. This book would be a welcome addition to the pagan bookshelf, particularly at the price!