| The Fragrant Pharmacy |
|
|
| Reviewed by Maureen Cram | |
| Wednesday, 09 May 2007 | |
 Author: Valerie Ann Worwood  I have had this book for ages... let me see… hmmm… says 1995 on the back cover where the price sticker is! Well... I have had this book for more than ten years and I still use it on a regular basis.If you are at all interested in the day-to-day uses of aromatherapy oils, this is a really helpful and interesting book. The publisher states that The Fragrant Pharmacy shows how each essential oil can offer many diverse benefits. One of the most holistic of all systems of medicine, the oils can alleviate symptoms, prevent many illnesses and disorders and help in their healing process. But more than that, they can provide all of us--our families, our homes, even our pets--with the protection and pleasures we need...without the chemical pollution of our bodies or our environment. I agree wholeheartedly. Valerie writes in a practical way, and the book is divided up into sections dealing with a basic care kit, basic travel kit, moves on to sections for men, babies, beauty, mature years, animals and much more. No pictures… just lots and lots of detailed information. There is also a list of the oils and their various uses, and she also supplies alternatives if you haven’t got a particular oil at home. And to top it all off, there is an appendix where there are illustrations and descriptions for the various aromatherapy massage techniques. Essential oils are extracted from certain species of flowers, grasses, fruits, leaves, roots and trees. Valerie says that these concentrated liquids are indispensable to medicine and to the food and cosmetic industries. There are, at present, about three hundred of these oils which between them constitute an extremely effective medical system. Essential oils are used in cosmetics, perfume, as preservatives, the list is endless. I started off with about six basic oils and have expanded my range to about twenty five more oils. There are many oils that I have not got but I manage to help anyone and everyone with the oils I have, thanks in no small part to this book. I also make up my own skin cream from aqueous cream, cold-pressed wheatgerm oil, some aloe vera oil and lavender, neroli and geranium essential oils – I have dry skin and this really works a treat... also smells divine due to the neroli. If you don’t know what neroli smalls like it is orange blossom! Back to the book! I don’t think there are many things for which you cannot use essential oils. So if you want one good book on aromatherapy oils, get the Fragrant Pharmacy… you will not be disappointed!  |
This is the powerful story of the author's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis and how a healer's unusual prescription of mindful altruism - to 'give away 29 gifts in 29 days' - ignited her energy, her happiness, and invited more abundance into her life.
