Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care

by Maria Noel Groves

Overview

Silver Nautilus Book Award Winner for Health & Healing

An antacid or an aspirin may soothe your pain, but it doesn’t cure the cause of your symptoms. Headaches, indigestion, fatigue, allergies, anxiety, eczema, high blood pressure, and other conditions are clues to a deeper imbalance in your body, and learning to read those clues is a key step in maintaining optimal health. Herbalist Maria Noël Groves shows you how to read your body’s signals and support your own wellness with herbal remedies and other natural treatments. You’ll learn how each of your major body systems — respiratory, digestive, immune, nervous, memory, reproductive, circulatory, and more — optimally functions, and you’ll discover how to use natural remedies to nourish and repair problem areas, restore lost vitality, support your body as a whole, and prevent future problems. Groves includes in-depth instructions, with step-by-step photographs, for making your own herbal remedies, as well as expert guidance on buying and effectively using commercial preparations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612125350
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	03/22/2016
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	33,700
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Maria Noël Groves is the author of Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies and Body into Balance. She is a clinical herbalist and herbal medicine teacher with more than two decades of experience, and a registered professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. She writes for numerous publications including Herbal Academy’s The Herbarium, Taste for Life, Remedies, Herb Quarterly, and Mother Earth News. Her business, Wintergreen Botanicals, is based in Allenstown, New Hampshire.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction: Achieving a Natural Balance
 
Part 1: The Foundations of Good Health
1. Your Body’s Basic Needs
2. Herbal Nutrition
3. Stress and Energy
4. Relaxation, Mood, and Sleep
5. Digestion and Elimination
6. Detoxification: Cleanup Time!
 
Part 2: Going Deeper and Tying It Together
7. The Immune System: Tending Your Inner Army
8. The Respiratory System: Breathing Deeply
9. Blood Sugar: Not Too Sweet
10. The Cardiovascular System: Your Body’s Superhighway
11. Memory and Cognition: Sharpening Your Mind
12. Managing Pain: Listening to Your Taskmaster
13. The Thyroid: Butterfly in Balance
14. Your Skin and Connective Tissue: Keepin’ It Together
15. Reproductive Vitality: The Canary in the Coal Mine
16. Longevity and Vitality: Aging Gracefully
17. Children and Animals: Herbal Medicine for the Whole Family
 
Part 3: Buying and Making Herbal Remedies
18. Harvesting, Buying, Storing, and Using Herbs
19. DIY Herbal Remedies
 
Appendix I: The Latin Names of Herbs
Appendix II: Learn More
Index

Editorial Reviews

Much of the modern illness we face is a reflection of life out of balance — with nature, with daily rhythms, with ourselves. Maria Noel Groves offers readers an opportunity to return to nature by returning to ourselves. This is the beginning of our healing.”
— Aviva Romm, M.D., author of Botanical Medicines for Women’s Health, winner of the James Duke Award for Excellence in Botanical Literature

“Through great insight and experience, Maria Noel Groves empowers us to be our own healers.”
— Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., L.Ac., A.H.G., Institute for Natural Products Research (INPR)

“Maria Noel Groves guides readers to use botanicals safely and effectively, with an understanding that herbs offer the greatest health benefits when incorporated into a daily regiment to prevent disease.”
— David Winston, R.H.(A.H.G.)

“If you are floundering with your health care and need some guidance, this easy-to-understand introduction to herbal medicine is your book.”
— Sharol Marie Tilgner, N.D., author of Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth

“Those who are interested in managing their health holistically may wish to incorporate herbs into their regime. Groves, an experienced herbalist, provides the necessary tools for doing just that… A solid introduction to herbal medicine.”
— Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/01/2016
Those who are interested in managing their health holistically may wish to incorporate herbs into their regime. Groves, an experienced herbalist, provides the necessary tools for doing just that. The author explains the basic principles of herbal medicine, which is based on helping the body heal itself through a balanced lifestyle, and discusses the importance of diet, nutrition, and stress management. She also looks at specific conditions and body systems, helping readers to identify which herbs are best for treating a particular ailment as well as how to harvest and prepare herbs in various ways: teas, tinctures, creams, vinegars, salves, and poultices. The importance of using herbs safely in order to avoid adverse effects and interactions with prescription medications is stressed. Groves is squarely in the alternative medicine camp, but she notes that some illnesses require the care of a traditional physician. Her basic health advice is sound: eat a well-rounded diet based on natural foods, avoid toxic chemicals, apply meditation, yoga, or tai chi, and get enough sleep. VERDICT A solid introduction to herbal medicine.—Barbara Bibel, formerly Oakland P.L.

Library Journal