"Master Recipes from the Herbal Apothecary" by JJ Pursell is an essential guide for anyone interested in natural remedies and whole-body health. Beautifully packaged and easy to access, this book is a must-have for anyone looking to heal and nurture themselves and their families through the power of plants.

A thoroughly enjoyable and easy to follow book for anyone interested in exploring herbal remedies. I really liked the format and layout of the offerings. It made it feel like anyone can do.. With easy to follow recipes and ingredient explanations, this would be a handy companion for exploring this subject and a decent starting place when the typical doctor route is not an option or of interest.

Disclaimer: my review does NOT in any way mean I would recommend going against a doctor's order or not consulting doctors when needed!

This wonderful book is a fantastic resource and help for making your own herbal recipes and remedies. There are beautiful photos and helpful instructions. I'm excited to use this book and create some wonderful remedies.

This is a great resource for making your own herbal recipes. Lots of photos, great instructions, thorough information. I loved the recipes and may purchase a copy of my own.

JJ Pursell has written a book that is full of useful information and instructions. The detail is wonderful from pictures to ingredients and how-to's. Even a beginner will be able to use the recipes and learn from it.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I just love books like this. I love learning about herbal recipes. I have migraines and stress headaches. Plus Insomina and trouble sleeping and I find new things to help me with my needs. That makes me feel better and that is the reason for herbal medience.

A well researched, comprehensive guide to make all kinds of herbal remedies for just about every health problem, from infants to the elderly, and even pets! A very good reference for anyone interested in natural medicine.

I would like to thank Timber Press for providing me with a free – temporary – electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley. Although I required their approval, the decision to read this book is my choice and any reviews given are obligation free.

Regular readers of my reviews will know I am interested in herbalism. And, indeed this book had been on my radar for a while. ‘Master Recipes from the Herbal Apothecary’ is a highly detailed, well researched book on herbalism for health, beauty, and well-being.

I do have some quibbles, but they are very minor, so feel I should get them out of the way first. Firstly, in the section where it lists all the most commonly “useful” herbs, I do wish it included where they grew/ the climate they preferred. As I know for a fact not all of them are going to be able to successfully all grow in the one backyard, as some were cold weather plants, some temperate, some tropical. So, actually stating this for all readers would have been good, as not everyone is going to have that plant knowledge. That way people would know their limits as to which plants they could grow themselves, based on their location, and which they will always need to source from shops.

Also, in the recipe sections, a clear statement of when dried herbs vs fresh herbs were used in a recipe would have also been beneficial. Yes, some recipes actually ask for some herbs in powder form, so I knew that meant they were dried and, well, powdered. But in other cases it wasn’t stated as to whether the required amount was in dry or fresh herbs. I would have liked this for every recipe. Simply for the reasons I’ve given above. Not all the herbs can be fresh as no all grow in the same place.

But, other than those tiny issues, this was still a fantastic book. So informative and extremely thorough on the areas covered. Men’s health, women’s health, children and infant’s health, animal health, and overall well-being. I loved the different sections and all they entailed. This is a very comprehensive book for any herbalist’s home.

It’s not all recipes though, it is also the storage, preparation, conversions of metric to imperial… everything a home herbalist will require. Including that all important message that this book should only be referenced for minor ailments and that a holistic general practitioner should be seen for anything too serious or major. This is the best balance of herbalism – the ability to look after health, beauty and well-being for the whole family for all things every day and minor, but the knowledge that sometimes modern western medicine may be needed.

Formatting and layout were up to the usual high standards I have come to expect from Timber Press.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. For people interested in herbalism at beginner level through to the more experienced. I would mention my minor issues with it, but emphasise they do not ruin the book, but are simply things the reader and home healer must take into consideration when stocking their own apothecary’s pantry.

Would I buy this book for myself?

Yes I would. In paperback form, as I just prefer my recipe books in that form. But I can indeed see this book being squeezed into the ever diminishing spare shelving of my herbalism section of the bookshelves.

In summary: A very comprehensive and information book of herbalism.

Master Recipes from the Herbal Apothecary is an encyclopedic herbal with recipes for a wide variety of uses and conditions. Released 5th March 2019 from Timber Press, it's 288 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. Author JJ Pursell is a naturopathic doctor, educator, acupuncturist, and herbalist.

The book begins with introductory chapters covering terms and concepts including a list of supplies necessary for making the recipes included in the book. The author discusses safety and some simple related biochemistry about active ingredients and different methods of delivery for therapeutic dosage. The introductory basic recipes including the general instructions and introduction represent about 22% of the page content.

The following chapters are presented as a materia medica with similar sections grouped together in chapters: day to day health, immune system, women and men's health, babies and children, emotional support, travel issues, eldercare, etc. Each of the chapters includes specific well written and photographed recipes. The ingredients are varied and specific. The book also includes a metric conversion table, a bibliography for further reading, and a cross referenced index.

This is an apothecary stillroom book. It's a lot less 'happy hippy' and a lot more 'formal medicine' in feel. The recipes include a number of ingredients which won't be easily sourced outside of another herbalist's stores. For readers looking for an informal easy fun recipe for calendula lip balm, this isn't your book. (There is an included antibacterial salve (p. 244) which does in fact include calendula and can be used as a lip protectant... I stand by my statement, this is not a trivial beauty recipe book).

I would imagine few people other than herbalists and wildcrafters will have free access to the ingredients listed in the amounts and breadth called for; serious students will have to develop a relationship with a reputable supplier. The emphasis is on reputable. The author has included a resource list which includes (presumably) reputable and knowledgeable professionals.

This book has a very specific focus. I can definitely see this becoming a well used, personalized tome, with clippings and reipes, penciled notes in the margins, falling apart from long use - for those readers who fit within its niche focus.

Five stars for those students/herbalists/people who really want to take control of their holistic health. Limited use for the casual gardener unless they are willing to purchase ingredients.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I was so impressed with the way this book was laid out. It satisfies my craving for order (LOVE that the recipes are alphabetical), and it is so aesthetically pleasing. I can't speak to how well the remedies actually work, but I feel confident that I could make any of them if I tried. This is a great reference book for both beginners and people with more expertise on the subject.

This title was an interesting find. I expect there are those who will find the tinctures, balms, sprays and other concoctions useful, particularly people with a thriving herb garden. I'm very far off from having a thriving herb garden, nor do I have a local shop which sells elm wood bark, goldenseal root, or horse chestnut powder.

Though I billed this in my head as an easy how-to guide for those of us unskilled witches out there, I feel even less prepared to heal my sprains, stomach ulcers, indigestion, insomnia, hypoglycemia, hoarseness, you name it it's in here. It does give a really nice run-down on how to make basic tinctures, balms, oils and sprays, that was pretty useful. The list of common herbs and barks you'll need to create these medicinal charms was more overwhelming. Check this out at your local library if you're already pretty well-versed in the field of homeopathy.

The book is well-organized and extremely simple to follow. A great addition for any person experienced in herbalism or for someone looking for easy-to-follow recipes for your everyday health needs, from teas to tinctures.

Master Recipes From The Herbal Apothecary:
375 Tinctures, Salves, Teas, Capsules, Oils And Washes
For Whole Body Health And Wellness
By J J Pursell
Published By Timber Press, Inc, 5th March 2019


This great book does exactly what it says on the cover title.

There is an initial specific chapter providing details of 60 key herbs and how they work. The author recommends becoming friends with 20 and learning as much as you can about them, preparing and using them. A valuable table provides information about dosing schedules depending on the format of the remedy made. Almost every kitchen will have the utensils needed to make herbal remedies; mine certainly does.The instructions for preparing each type of herbal remedy are simple, clear and concise, and well illustrated with colour photographs.

General Day-to-Day Health issues and their remedies are covered, along with chapters dealing with
Immune Defense,Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Care for Babies and Children, Herbs for Elders and also chapters on herbs for Emotional Support and Travel Wellness.

There is an excellent chapter entitled Herbs for Odds and Ends, which covers flea treatment in animals, herbs for dying fabrics, domestic uses of herbs for cleaning, air freshening etc and in making notepaper.

I enjoyed this book so much I have ordered a paperback copy for myself :-)

Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me have a digital copy of the book to read and review.

If you can get your hands on these herbs, there are TONS of recipes for beauty and overall health. You probably would never have to go to the pharmacy ever again. I don't know about the effectiveness but the recipes definitely look promising.

Master Recipes from the Herbal Apothecary is a practical book for people who pursue health and wellness with herbs. I find the list of kitchen supplies needed to get started and the table with types of preparations, their uses and the dosage guidelines very helpful. The only thing that confuses me is the size of capsules the reader is supposed to use in capsule preparations. Other than that the book is very comprehensive. There are very good step-by-step photographs that show how make the different kinds of preparations. For each health concern you can choose between a couple of recipe alternatives, for example a tea, a tincture, or an essential oil blend. Overall, there is a broad variety of really good recipes in the book with herbal combinations I have not thought of before. The recipes are not only for different medical conditions, for example a cold, but also for the general well-being and emotional support, which in my opinion is as important for our health. The recipes that caught my eye for example are the Screen Time Relief Mask, The Get-Up and Go Tea , the No-Monsters-Allowed Spray, the Child-Calming Massage Oil, and the Happiness Balm, to mention just a few.

This book with love any homeopathic lover. The book contains the tutorial to create salves, pills. tincture and more herbal remedies. The author adds a well explained reference about each plants and ingredients. Also, the book is divided by age which makes easiest the navigation around the pages.

#MasterRecipesFromTheHerbalApothecary #NetGalley

Master Recipes from the Herbal Apothecary is exactly what you would expect it to be: a list of herbal remedies for a wide range of ailments. The book doesn't promise to cure you of serious illnesses, but it does provide information for supplementary and preventative care. I didn't have the chance to try the recipes (I don't have the supplies) but the information was easy to digest and seemed to line up with what I know. I'd definitely recommend this for someone who wants to have a guide on hand, but not for someone who is just starting out and needs to learn the ropes.

I feel like this could be a really great resource but I worry that there is a distinct lack of visual aids for readers. Our patrons are very into photos with their resource texts and this doesn't seem to have what they desire.

I really enjoyed this. For the beginner like me who is just starting to research these types of recipes, this book was laid out very well and beautifully, and really explained what each herbal remedy helped and why. I like the alpha-order of ailments, as well as the many different varieties of treatment. Going to get started soon!
Thank you for the ARC, #NetGalley #MasterRecipesFromTheHerbalApothecary

After watching JJ Pursell interesting YouTube videos about medicinal herbs I was excited to read her newest book. Packed full of recipes and dosages for not only health but also covers pets and herbal recipes for around the house. I particularly liked her hot oven oil extraction method and the fomentation method which I had not heard of before. Imagine a healing wellness session finished off with a healing herbal formentation - delightful! Includes a conversion chart but some herbs may require some hunting for Southern Hemisphere folk.