The Fragrant Pharmacy - Valerie Ann Worwood

...life many moons ago before the kids and the otherhalf i got very interested in aromatherapy and all things natural, I was recommended this book by a good friend and back then used it for the beauty remedies and enjoyed experimenting with different essential oils. Then again refering back to my book when the boys were small for different problems. And even the otherhalf has been known to take a peek when he has had a little problem he wants sorting! ...
.../> 1. Medicines out of the earth
----------------------------------------
This is the introduction to the book and explains how and when to use this book. It also explains how to produce essential oils, I thought this would be easy but it takes 60,000 rose blossoms to produce 1 ounce of rose oil. As for jasmine , the flowers must be picked on the first day they open before the sun gets hot! So i won't be making my own then! This does ... more

In my former life many moons ago before the kids and the otherhalf i got very interested in aromatherapy and all things natural, I was recommended this book by a good friend and back then used it for the beauty remedies and enjoyed experimenting with different essential oils. Then again refering back to my book when the boys were small for different problems. And even the otherhalf has been known to take a peek when he has had a little problem he wants sorting! ( Not that he would admit it! )

1. Medicines out of the earth
----------------------------------------
This is the introduction to the book and explains how and when to use this book. It also explains how to produce essential oils, I thought this would be easy but it takes 60,000 rose blossoms to produce 1 ounce of rose oil. As for jasmine , the flowers must be picked on the first day they open before the sun gets hot! So i won't be making my own then! This does explain why some essential oils are very expensive. This chapter also gives you a good history of oils and how they were used. It will also explain the difference between a real essential and a fake, This is important as to get the best results from using oils you need to use the real thing. You also get an idea of base oils, These are the oils like almond oil that you add the essential oils too before you use.
You also get a method table on different methods of using and dosage. I use this a lot for quick reference.

2. Basic care kit
-------------------------
This is giving you the 10 most used and versatile oils that you should always have to hand like a first aid kit.
Lavender, Tea tree, Peppermint, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Geraniun, Rosemary, thyme, lemon and clove. You also get some useful medicinal remedies incuding Chapped lips, Chilblains and cuts.

3. Basic travel kit
------------------------
This gives you some great remedies and tips for travelling, including After sun oil, prickly heat and my favourite insect bites. I have used this a lot when we go to scotland for the midges and it does work the only thing is my boys think the smell is too girlie and have decided to stick to their midgie hats.

4. Working men & women
------------------------------------
Gives some good remedies for different work places and the best line is saved for the housewife " Being a housewife is a major occupational hazard! " I have tried to use this sentence but it seems to get ignored.
There is a good Anti-viral oil mix for hospitals and good advice for stress and back problems. I have used the hospital one indoors when one of us has been ill in my oil burner and i think it helps, Well it makes me feel better.

5. Sports, Dance and work outs.
-------------------------------------------
Not really my chapter and the less of the dog eared pages in my book. But it does give some good remedies for sports injurys and for painful feet and no doubt i will be using it in future for the boys football injurys!

6. Fragrant way to beauty
-------------------------------------
I love this chapter and have made up a lot of the creams and potions. It goes into the make up of skin and how to treat it, Also a good few pages on anti-ageing. Some good cleansers, Scrubs and my favourite face masks. Be warned it can get messy! There is also some good advice for acne and problem skin.

7. The body beautiful
-----------------------------
Lot's of ideas and oil mixes for the bath. This is good for experimenting, Also Body lotions and scrubs and a few cellulite ones.There is also a good finger nail strengthener and some nice feet soak ones.

8. Care for your hair
---------------------------
Good explanation in hair care and explains different problems for example Dry hair and dandruff. I also didn't realize that some medications can effect the condition of your hair. It also shows you how to make shampoo from scratch.

9. Babies and children
---------------------------------
Another dog eared and well used chapter, I was initially a bit nervous using oils on my boys but the ones for nappy rash and cradle cap were good. You also get a good reference chart for which oils you can use for babies.
You also have some good massage remedies to use for colic. I only used the remedies that were massaged, Inhaled or put in my burner. i wasn't brave enough to give them any of the oral ones.
there are a lot of passages on child sickness and cover a large range including chicken pox, Asthma, veruccas and my favourite head lice Argh!!!

10. Womens natural choice
---------------------------------------
Some good ones for help in pregnancy including morning sickness and stretch marks.And some nice oils to have in the delivery room ( Yeah like by that time you will be calm enough to smell them! ). Please check before using any of these oils during pregnancy as some can cause reactions.
Also post-natal including my favourite post natal depression, I had it with both boys and by the time i remembered my little book i was just coming out of it.
Other problems also covered include Pms ( Yes boys it is a problem not an excuse! ) Thrush and Cystitis.

11. Mens natural choice
----------------------------------
Not that i thought men had problems but supposedly they do!
The first one you come across is exhaustion! Must be from all that multi tasking! A good one for smelly feet , balding and Shaving cuts. I was actually looking for one for snoring but no!

12. The maturing years
----------------------------------
Not used this one much but can see me eating my words in a few years.
Just a peek of what i have to look forward too, Circulation, Cramp, Varicose veins, Memory loss ( Well i won't remember this book then! ) Mind you the other half does get selective memory loss! This also has a long passage on Arthritis and a lot of other not very nice problems.

13. Care for your home
---------------------------------
Some really lovely oil burner mixes to use all over the home also sprays to use on kitchen surfaces. There is a section for every room in the house and what you can use and in what formula.

14. Perfume
------------------
This chapter is actually called the still room but it means to make perfume. This gives you quite an indepth explanation on how to make perfume and which oils are best for you. It also explains the different notes and how they effect the perfume.

15. Celebrations
------------------------
A really nice chapter to capture the scent of a special event some lovely ones here for christmas in burners or room sprays. Also a few sensual ones for valentines day to get you both in the mood.

16. Cooking
-------------------
A good chapter for all your cooking needs, you to get a good chart that gives you what oils to use in what food and also gives you some good recipes including dips, Sauces and soups.

17. Domestic animals
----------------------------------
A whole range of domestic animals are covered here, my mum used one for fleas on the dogs and it seemed to work. You also get remedies for horses and some farm animals. I do like the idea of using essential oils with animals and the dogs never seemed to mind when it was used on them. also vet bills can be really high and i'm not saying these remedies will cure them but it helps to keep them healthy.

18. Gardens
------------------
I haven't used this chapter yet as when i lived at home my dad wouldn't let me near his garden! But after leaving home and living in flats i never had the chance to use any of these. Finally 2 years ago we moved into our new house but the garden was like a jungle so it has taken this long to get it straight, so i will be using some of these remedies this year.
There is a good chart for insect repellents and what to use to get good soil. There is also so tips for indoor plants.

At the end of the book is a useful reference chart that you can quickly look up what you need.

I love this book but i do not live by it, I love picking it up every now and then and finding something i need. It is very well written and you can tell the author loves the subject she is writing about. The instructions are not hard to follow and are laid out very well.
Some of the ingredients can be very expensive to buy especially the rarer oils. I got mine from a shop called Balwins on the Walworth road but that was before the internet.

A lot of essential products can be bought already made up these days but i still find it fun and soothing to make my own.
When i bought this it was £8.99 and you can still get it from Amazon and other bookshops. The author also has another book called the fragrant mind.  

...less