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Book Review: The How to Herb Book

by Rebekah Joy Anast of Welltellme.com

June 2005

Occasionally someone will ask me, “I want to know more about how to treat my family with herbs; where should I start?” All the great books on my shelf, most of which my husband has collected, come to mind and are immediately dismissed because of the enormous amount of information they hold. I don’t want to overwhelm my eager friend who is just beginning. What book can I recommend that is simple, and basic? At last I have an answer: The How To Herb Book. My sister Shoshanna has been telling me about it for a couple years now. But, who listens to her baby sister?

The How To Herb Book, Let’s Remedy the Situation, by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon, is a great place to start. In fact, if you don’t go any further, you’ll be fairly well educated with this book alone. Not only does it cover all the basic herbs, there are instructions on their various uses: how to make a tincture, an infusion, a poultice, etc. There is a section on Vitamins and Minerals, and another for Cleanses, Diets, and Fasts. There are two great chapters on Babies and Pregnancy. I especially liked the chapter on Ailments and Remedies, which covers everything from hyperactive children to senility. I’ve tried both, and they really work. Smile!

The best thing about this book is that it is easy to read. The medical jargon that generally weighs me down when I want to look up a natural remedy has been transmogrified into comprehensible sentences that leave me both educated and confident that I know enough to actually help my family.

The authors of The How To Herb Book are ordinary ladies who began their journeys to natural healing because they couldn’t find sufficient and satisfactory answers from traditional medicine. They have studied, researched, and lectured extensively on herbs and natural healing methods.

There is, by the way, at least one reference to muscle testing, which, in my opinion, reveals some ignorance on their part. As with any book, I would recommend that the reader use caution and wisdom. When trying any new herb, or herbal recipe, I always use it on myself first. I start by taking it in a small quantity, then in a larger dose, in order to safeguard my children from any unexpected side effects.