The Healing Remedies Sourcebook: Over 1,000 Natural Remedies to Prevent and Cure Common Ailments

COPYRIGHT

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published as The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies by Harper Element in 1998.

This revised edition published by HarperCollinsPublishers in 2012.

Copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Note from the Publisher

Any information given in this book is not intended to be taken as a replacement for medical advice. Any person with a condition requiring medical attention should consult a qualified practitioner or therapist.

Bach, Bach Flower Remedies, Bach Flower Essences, Rescue and Rescue Remedies are all registered trademarks of Bach Flower Remedies Limited.

Editor in Chief C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD

General Editor Karen Sullivan

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007914098

Ebook Edition © MARCH 2017 ISBN: 9780007550937

Version: 2017-03-22

CONTRIBUTORS

C. NORMAN SHEALY MD, PHD is the founder of the American Holistic Medicine Association and a world-renowned neurosurgeon. He is the director of the Shealy Institute in Springfield, Missouri—a center for comprehensive health care and pain and stress management. He has written many books, including Miracles Do Happen and The Self-Healing Workbook, and has also acted as consultant editor on The Complete Family Guide to Alternative Medicine.

KAREN SULLIVAN is the author of many books on alternative health and nutrition, including In a Nutshell: Vitamins and Minerals. She has also acted as general editor on The Complete Illustrated Guide to Natural Home Remedies and lectures widely on women’s health and general health issues.

SHEILA LAVERY writes widely on healthcare for several magazines and newspapers. Her work, which often focuses on children’s health issues, has also been included in various encyclopedias of alternative health. She specializes in herbalism and aromatherapy, and she is the author of In a Nutshell: Aromatherapy.

EVE ROGANS began studying Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1981 and has undergone clinical training in China. She is the author of In a Nutshell: Chinese Medicine, and she works in a private practice where she specializes in pediatric acupuncture.

NON SHAW is a professional herbalist. She teaches herbalism, massage, and Bach Flower Remedies and has written the herbalism and Bach Flower Remedy sections in a range of health reference books. She writes for several health and women’s magazines and is co-founder of a publication for independent herb users.

MARY CLARK has been a practitioner of healing and esoteric arts for over 20 years. She has studied Ayurveda, nutrition, herbalism, aromatherapy, and stress management and is trained in astrology and consulting the I Ching, with a focus on medical diagnosis. She uniquely combines approaches in her work for various corporations including Forbes, Sony, and Barnes & Noble.

PIPPA DUNCAN is former editor of one of the U.K.’s leading health magazines and now works for a variety of monthly publications, specializing in children’s health. She has contributed to several reference books on family healthcare, including The Complete Family Guide to Alternative Medicine.

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Maria Anderson, Philip Auchinvole, Tony Bannister, Jan Boyle, Glyn Bridgewater, Stephanie Brotherstone, Deena Bunn, Kimberley Bunn, Adam Carne, Rob Chappell, Judith Cox, Naomi Denny, Juliette Denny, Nina Downey, Rebecca Drury, Cathy Glendinning, Paul Golding, Rachel Could, Paul Harley, Deborah Heath, Julia Holden, Simon Holden, Natalie Jerome, Carolyn Jikeimi-Roberts, Mette Lauritzen, Jan Lewington, Kay Macmullan, Jack Martin, Jim McClean, Norma McClean, Henry Milne, Helen Omand, Elin Osmond, Wendy Oxberry, Sunny Pitcher, Caron Riley, Vincent Riley, Warren Saunders, Michelle Sawyer, Stephen Sparshatt, Sarah Stanley, Andrew Stemp, Neil Strowger, Jenny Sullivan, Bethany Sword, Lauren Sword, Sheila Sword, Gav Tuffnell, Mary Watson, Derek Watts, Louise Williams, Robert Williams

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

How to Use This Book

PART 1 THERAPIES & HEALING REMEDY SOURCES

An Introduction to Ayurveda

AYURVEDIC REMEDY SOURCES

An Introduction to Chinese Herbal Medicine

CHINESE HERBAL REMEDY SOURCES

An Introduction to Traditional Home and Folk Remedies

TRADITIONAL HOME AND FOLK REMEDY SOURCES

An Introduction to Herbalism

HERBAL REMEDY SOURCES

An Introduction to Aromatherapy

ESSENTIAL OILS

An Introduction to Homeopathy

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES

An Introduction to Flower Remedies

FLOWER ESSENCES

An Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals

VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND OTHER ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

PART 2 TREATING COMMON AILMENTS

Disorders of the Mind and Emotions

Disorders of the Brain and Nerves

Skin and Hair Problems

Eye Problems

Ear Problems

Nasal Problems

Dental Problems

Mouth and Throat Problems

Lung and Respiratory Disorders

Heart, Blood, and Circulatory Disorders

Disorders of the Digestive System

Disorders of the Urinary System

Disorders of the Reproductive System: Female

Disorders of the Reproductive System: Male

Disorders of the Endocrine System

Disorders of the Immune System

Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System

Common Childhood Ailments

First Aid

About the Publisher

INTRODUCTION

THE INCREASED USE OF NATURAL medicines and remedies over the past decade has prompted one of the most exciting developments in healthcare in our time. Many of the tenets of modern medicine have been challenged, and the crisis that conventional healthcare is now facing is the result of its own philosophy. The main premise of conventional medicine is that curing disease will lead to good health. This ignores the fundamental concept that pathology is individual to the sufferer, and that prevention is ultimately more important than treatment for the population at large.

This idea is borne out by the fact that modern medicine is simply not as efficient or effective as we have been led to believe; indeed, evidence suggests that it may cause and create more fatal diseases than it cures, and despite the huge sums of money invested, the populations of the U.K., Australia, the U.S., and most of Europe do not live as long or as healthily as people from other cultures, where healthcare investment is substantially lower.

Adverse drug reactions and side-effects are one of the 10 most common reasons for hospitalization in the U.S. The information provided to doctors and physicians throughout the course of their careers is largely funded by the pharmaceutical industry, which earns billions each year from sales of prescription and over-the-counter medicines. As a result, we, in the West, have been encouraged to adopt a “pill-popping” approach to health—taking an average of 26.5 million pills per hour. Sleeping tablets, analgesics (painkillers), antihistamines, sedatives, and antidepressants rank among the top 20 drugs prescribed by physicians, and more than 52 million aspirin or acetaminophen tablets are taken each day in the U.S.

Perhaps the most alarming result of this overdependence upon drugs is the fact that we have stopped taking responsibility for our own health. When we have a headache, we take a painkiller; when we have a cold, we might take an antihistamine. We suppress the symptoms of health conditions because we want to feel better; we no longer accept the logic that pain or discomfort is a message from our body that something is wrong. We have become used to the idea that someone or something else can deal with our health problems. By taking a pill or conventional medicine in some form, we do experience a relief from symptoms, but what is important to remember is that the cause of the pain or illness remains. By treating the symptoms, or suppressing them, we are doing nothing to treat the root cause. Eczema sufferers apply ointments and creams to the surface of the skin; they may take anti-inflammatories or antihistamines to ease the itching, but the cause of the eczema is still there and the body’s reaction has been masked by drugs. They have not been cured. Their illness has merely been controlled. Recently, this trend has begun to change. Scares about the side-effects and long-term effects of immunization, abuse of painkillers, antihistamines, and antibiotics have proved that conventional medicine, despite its many miracles, has been overused and we have become far too dependent on it. Many of us are no longer happy to accept the risks of prescription drugs, and are realizing that there are natural, healthy alternatives. With the increased interest in diet, emotional health and well-being, and exercise, we are becoming more in tune with our bodies and are choosing to listen to the messages they give. Even more importantly, we are taking steps to prevent illness rather than simply treat it when it does arise, and for this reason we are willing to try natural substances that not only treat health conditions, at cause level, but work with the body to keep it well. Natural remedies are more likely to make you feel better, more vital, and more alert; they have fewer side-effects and because they work actively to prevent illness, they are, perhaps, the answer to the healthcare crisis that has been spiraling out of control.

Our understanding of how different cultures approach healthcare is blossoming. Figures show that many common Western illnesses, such as eczema, asthma, and digestive problems simply do not exist to the same degree in other countries. We have a greater understanding of how disease can be prevented and cured using herbs, oils, homeopathic remedies, food, vitamins and nutritional supplements, and other substances that encourage our bodies to work at their optimum level.

The sale of natural products has increased hugely. Our approach to our health is changing dramatically, and this increased interest is being fed by a broad range of products from around the world that are now available in our local stores. Our growing understanding of holistic treatment has encouraged us to examine the healing practices of cultures from around the world, and from each we can gather invaluable information about diet, lifestyle, illness, health, and well-being. The modern clinical emphasis on separating different aspects of our physical, mental, and spiritual health has resulted in a dehumanizing of medicine. By treating the whole person, holistic therapies can restore the proper balance and promote a sense of complete well-being, inside and out.

This book concentrates on the remedies that form the basis of eight international therapeutic disciplines: homeopathy, aromatherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, herbalism, Ayurveda, flower essences, folk or traditional medicine (also called home remedies), and nutrition. These remedies can be used to encourage and enhance good health and to treat and prevent illnesses, both chronic and acute. Many of these remedies are derived from plants, which have a wide variety of therapeutic uses; indeed, up to 140 conventional drugs in use today are based on plants and herbs.

A large number of these remedies have been in use for thousands of years, and it was the practice of herbalism and other disciplines that made it possible for so many of our conventional drugs to be created. However, pharmaceutical companies isolate and often synthesize the active ingredient of a plant or herb, and many practitioners believe that this causes side-effects and other problems that do not occur when the substance is taken in its whole, natural form.

Isolating the active ingredients of plants produces powerful and often toxic drugs, while medical herbalism offers a gentler, safer, and less disruptive effect, allowing the body to undertake its own natural healing process.

There are over 1000 remedies outlined in this book, many of which you can grow or purchase from a reputable health store. Others will be items from your larder—everyday goods with healing and therapeutic properties that may surprise you. Each of the remedy sources has a data file of features, cautions, and other useful information, and there are often recipes for practical applications. Each of the main eight disciplines is also introduced, which helps you to understand how, for instance, the use of something like cinnamon or ginseng differs between Western and Chinese herbalism, and between folk medicine and Ayurveda. You’ll learn how a rose aromatherapy oil is different from a rose flower essence, how vitamin C and healthy bacteria can encourage good health, and how belladonna, a poisonous substance, can be taken in tiny dilutions to relieve fevers and other problems. You’ll discover natural alternatives to caffeine and sleeping pills, laxatives, and antacids, in remedies that strengthen your mind and body, lift your mood, calm your nerves, and enhance your resistance to infection and illness.

Around 200 common ailments are also discussed in detail, with practical examples of how you can use the remedies from around the world to cure or prevent them. We are on the brink of an exciting new era in healthcare, and with the benefit of these remedies, presented in easy-to-follow files, grouped by the discipline in which they are most often used, you and your family can experiment with safe substitutes to conventional medicines by following the comprehensive instructions. These remedies are the medicine of the future, and this is the essential guide for anyone who wants to take responsibility for their own health. By using only a few of these remedies, you can live longer and with a better quality of life. These are the secrets of good health from around the world; experiment with care and you’ll be amazed at the results.

KAREN SULLIVAN, London

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

THIS EXHAUSTIVE AND GLORIOUSLY illustrated reference work is dedicated to the whole spectrum of alternative healing remedies. Aimed at the general reader, this comprehensive book covers the origins, methods, principles, and remedies of eight alternative therapies—Ayurveda, Aromatherapy, Flower Remedies, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Herbalism, Homeopathy, Vitamins and Minerals, and Traditional Home and Folk Remedies.

PART ONE: Therapies and Healing Remedy Sources. Eight chapters cover the different therapies. In each case, the background and history of the therapy are covered, together with how it works, information on visiting a practitioner, and extensive guidelines for self-help. Following the introduction to the therapy, the major remedies and remedy sources are covered with details on how they should be taken. “Therapy Connections” highlights the remedy sources which are common to more than one therapy, giving a full picture of the properties and various uses of one particular remedy source.

PART TWO: Treating Common Ailments. Over 160 pages of common ailments and the relevant remedies with which they can be treated. Caution boxes will make clear the situations in which the remedies are not suitable. Cross-referencing directs the reader back to Part One, where the source of the remedy, its properties, and uses are outlined in detail.

PART THREE: Reference Section. A useful and comprehensive index.

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