The Fragrant Pharmacy

This book is filled with knowledge and new things that are useful for everyday, beauty, health, travelling, a must have book

I bought this book because I have recently discovered aromatherapy. At first I had thought that aromatherapy was sort of a silly thing that didn't really work, but as I began to play about with oils I realised that there was a lot of potential for using them to enhance my life. For instance, as a student I have to spend a lot of time in libraries reading, which does tend to make me a little sleepy! I realised that keeping basil oil in my pocket keeps me awake and focused. When I realised they worked this well I was keen to find out more and sought a book a bit like a dictionary but with a directory of uses for each oil, including inspiration for recipes.Well this book certainly delivers.There are hundreds of pages listing various ailments and the different combinations of oils that can be used to help. The author gives advice on how to use specific blends of oils (massage, diffuse etc.) and she also provides alternative oils. This is especially useful if you don't have all the oils. I've got about 20 of the main ones, and find that I can do most things the book suggests.I also like that she has a big list of the main oils at the start of the book, so when purchasing useful oils for my collection, I populated my Amazon basket with these first.Worwood also includes recipes for the kitchen (I never knew you could cook with essential oils!), though of course, check the purity of your oils before ingesting!! At the back of the book are a number of tables setting out oils that are good for various general jobs, like killing bacteria, improving skin etc., and this is great if you want to have a bash at mixing your own recipes. I used the 'bacteria Busters' table to make an essential oils antibacterial spray, which I spray on my desk, phone, linen, door handles frequently. (A cheeky inhale of the mist also helps with clearing a blocked nose!)This book has loads of useful tips and if you are a student like me (or indeed anyone prone to stress, worry, anxiety), there are loads of recipes for helping you to get life back under control. And they WORK. I used a sleeplessness recipe last night and I had a very good sleep! I use the ME concentration recipe when I study (I don't have ME, but I find that the recipe is fantastic for staying alert and focused when put in an ultrasonic diffuser).All in all, this book does everything that you would need. There is even a list of dangerous oils at the back (like nightshade, which was used in the medieval/early modern period--ladies used to drip it in their eyes to make their pupils bigger, but it actually led to blindness!!!). The index can point you to more or less anything you can think of, making this book something to peruse at leisure or flick through like Harry Potter did with the Half Blood Prince's 'Advanced Potion Making'!!

It's easy to be critical of an introductory book, so I'm not going to flag up any warnings other than to say that it is really, really important that if you are planning to use any Essential oils, get good ones from a dedicated aromatherapy specialist or supplier. Don't be fooled by cheap pricing.Since this book was published, the manufacture of essential oils has risen exponentially and there are a lot of fakes and adulterated copies, along with synthetics and 'nature identical' factory blends from industrial manufacturers out there masquerading as the real thing.These are unlikely to have any therapeutic qualities at all.They'll be fine for cleaning and deodorising your house, might even be good enough as a skin oil - but unless you get good, safe oils from a reputable supplier, don't even think about using them in food or as therapeutics as described in the book. Just don't go there."The Fragrant Pharmacy" was my first book when I first got interested in using essential oils for cleaning, fragrancing and skin care. It was an excellent primer, a really good introduction to the basics.It doesn't go into a vast amount of detail or have much in the way of the science of plant oil dynamics - and it could do to be revised and updated.But it's really easy to read, and if you're a complete beginner, this is as good a start as any.There are sections on everything - household use, beauty care, basic health care, pet care and a good section on the use of essential oils in deterring fungal, viral and pest problems in the garden and greenhouse - in fact my OH has found this old book of mine, dusted it off and is thoroughly studying it for keeping pests and disease off his 'show' veg without having to resort to chemical attack.