New to Herbs and Home Remedies?

by Vlad and Joy Robles*

They say "necessity is the mother of invention". That is partly what started us on the path of learning about home remedies, essential oils, herbs, gardening, what we should eat, how it should be prepared, home-births, and so on. A limited budget and a growing number of active children motivated us to "get creative" at home.

If you are tired of being ill prepared or just plain lost as to how to resolve simple-everyday needs that arise in your family and are ready to do something about it, welcome to More Than Alive. God desires fulfillment for each us. Fulfillment is not achieved in the outcome of a situation, but in knowing you made the right decision. Knowing that looking back at it, you would do it again just the same.

As you read through this website, keep in mind we are not professionals (we have no advantage that is not available to you). We are not here to give you advice or make any recommendations. We are simply sharing with others some of the things we have learned over the years, along with insights we receive regularly from our customers. So, MAKE the time to read through the website as much as possible. You are worth it. So, are those God has entrusted to be in your influence.

We have taken much time and energy to provide you with articles that record some of our personal experiences. They cover topics such as: essential oils, bulk herbs, home-schooling, child training, home child-births, etc. As you read them, you will notice how simple it is for you to do the same. All of these topics play an important part in educating your children. We don't interrupt life (school) to meet someone's need. We teach our children that meeting someone's need is a vital part of life (school). As we learn, our children learn. Someday, they will teach us and their children.

We have organized some basic instructions on preparing herbal remedies. They are simply there to give you ideas as to how to make your own remedies at home. Though many would like for you and me to think so, there is no mystery or required education to effectively using essential oils or herbs.

Occasionally, we receive letters from folks sharing remedies with us. We hope you can benefit from these as well. Perhaps you will write to us too and share some of your own remedies. We often receive notes from our customers letting us know how they have benefited from using the herbs. There is lot's to be learned from browsing through Customer Feedback.

After you make yourself familiar with the above references, you'll need to secure your very own herb books. They will provide you with helpful instructions, recipes, answer many of your questions, give you warnings, etc.

• Our books will open up a new world of possibilities to you.

After years of experience using herbs, we find ourselves learning new things almost everyday. The following books are references we go to almost on a daily basis. They are all written by different authors each offering to you and me their own expertise and perspective. There are literally hundreds of herbs out there. Naturally, no one book covers them all. Each author has chosen to write about the herbs they have studied, and perhaps enjoy. Also, some books are written for beginners, and others for folks that want to add to their knowledge.

If you have little ones at home, we'd recommend The ABC Herbal. It will give you a very quick and simple overview of how herbs work. It also includes recommendations for how to naturally treat the most common childhood illnesses with herbs.

The How to Herb Book is a bit more in depth than The ABC Herbal, but is still a great book for beginners. It gives further explanation on the properties of herbs, a bigger list of illnesses that can be treated with them, suggests herbs that can be combined at home to treat each illness, etc.

Herbal Antibiotics has great information on the subject of herbs as a whole, and how they benefit us today. It doesn't cover as many herbs as say The How to Herb Book, but it provides much more detailed information about the herbs it covers and their uses. It also includes great directions for making remedies, and a few recipes.

Practical Herbalism is THE book for those of you seeking detailed instructions on preparing remedies. It also has good information for those of you interested in growing your own herbs. This is a beautifully illustrated work.

Lastly, Nutritional Herbology is our most exhaustive reference. It provides an incredible amount of detail on each herb and possible uses. This is our most used reference, and the one we'd choose if we could only use one. However, it can be overwhelming at first if you have not read some of our other books first.

• Herbs are not like over-the-counter or prescription drugs.

Rather than being addictive, herbs work themselves out of a job by stimulating the body to proper function. Along with their healing properties, they also feed the body with much needed nutrients. Though one could overdose on an herb, and some do have side-effects, they are much more useful and safer than drugs. Of course, they are much more affordable too.

Any well read mama can bless her family with easily made teas, tinctures, poultices, and so on. Try our already mixed remedies and teas. They will introduce you to the wonder working properties of herbs.

*If you find this information helpful, please share it with others. All we ask is that you please give credit to the author.

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