I'm a huge fan of Dorling Kindersley or DK books from way back to when my son was little. They produce books with the best pictures and the most fascinating information. I've never really read an adult DK book before Essential Oils: All-natural remedies and recipes for your mind, body, and home.
This book is published in the UK. What that means is that it is not compliant with what the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) says that oil producers in the USA can claim that an oil does. That isn't a bad thing though. The FDA hasn't made any rules about the medical claims of essential oils ever. Why? It could be that big pharma in the US doesn't want their profits to be usurped by the alternative health industry. It could also be that the FDA would be completely overwhelmed by the number of essential oil companies out there. Most of which aren't producing a quality product. There are probably only less than a handful that you could trust and even so I would be very careful.
This is a 257-page book that is chock-full of fabulous information. It starts out explaining what essential oils are and how they work. If you're going to use them therapeutically, you should understand that they can be very powerful and can effect people differently. You should also understand that not all oils are what they are labeled. Some are cut with chemicals and contain very little actual essential oil. This is why it's important to know your source. The book continues on with information on how the oils are extracted and where they come from. I understood extraction methods but I loved the illustration showing where most of the oils come from all over the world.
The next section of the book contains 88 profiles of individual essential oils. I have heard of many of them but there were others that I wasn't familiar with. The profile describes where the oil is extracted from and some information about the plant in general. Then the maladies that it's good for and the best way to use the oil to help those maladies. I like that there are warnings on the oils that might not be good for a pregnant or breastfeeding woman or someone who has seizures. There is a little picture key at the top of each description that lets you know what the recipes for that oil are. For example, yarrow has recipes for a massage oil and steam inhalation on the page so the illustration at the top of the page lets me know that.
The next section is labeled Base Oils but we call them Carrier Oils in the US. This section explains the (fatty not essential) oils that can be used to dilute the potency of the essential oils. These are oils like coconut oil, shea butter, almond oil, and cocoa butter. There are carrier oils that I'd not heard of before and I'm not even sure that they are available in the US but they would be worth looking into. Some carrier oils have their own healing properties. Coconut oil is antibacterial so you might want to use it for certain recipes.
The final sections include information on how to blend for fragrances and beauty as well as recipes for listed medical conditions. Again, this book isn't FDA-compliant in the US but that doesn't mean that the information isn't good. I made one of the recipes for a medical condition that I was dealing with and it appears to be doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Plants and oils have been used for centuries to heal. There is an extensive Glossary and Index to help you find what you're looking for if the Table of Contents doesn't help you.
I highly recommend purchasing Essential Oils: All-natural remedies and recipes for your mind, body, and home to keep in your oily arsenal. It's a fabulous reference tool and I will continue to use it with my essential oils.
Essential oils that I recommend
I received this book from DK for free in exchange for an honest review.
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