The Backyard Medicine Chest: An Herbal Primer Book

Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars on over-the counter medications for the same aches and pains their ancestors eased just as effectively with plants found in the wild or grown in their own backyards. The Backyard Medicine Chest is a primer for those who are interested in natural and inexpensive herbal solutions to the 30 complaints most often treated with nonprescription drugs. Douglas Schar discusses each common illness, from athlete's foot to diarrhea, so that the reader can develop a better understanding of what the problem really is, which plant can best be used to address it, and when a condition truly calls for the attention of a professional health-care practitioner.

The Backyard Medicine Chest reviews the history of each plant's medicinal use, from ancient times to the present, details its chemical makeup, and walks the would-be herbalist through the whole process, from planting a seed to administering a dose.

The good news is that whether you suffer from insomnia or drowsiness, hay fever or motion sickness, PMS or migraines, you don't have to go to the pharmacy or even the health-food store to find a safe, practical, and, best of all, natural solution to your problem.