THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS AND AROMATHERAPY

Over 800 Natural, Nontoxic, and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty, and Safe Home and Work Environments

Valerie Anne Worwood, New World Library Softcover $26.95 (712pp), 978-1-57731-139-3

Essential oils are the latest craze in the homeparty market, but these natural health products pack a much more powerful benefit than kitchen gadgets and fashion items. Worwood was an essential-oil expert well before the current trend. The Complete Book of Essential Oils and

Aromatherapy offers decades of wisdom (this is the 25th Anniversary edition, after all) on these age-old remedies. Her book highlights the power of oils without the hype.

Impressively thorough, well organized, and with a clear table of contents, Worwood’s book is easily navigable to find information symptom by symptom, oil by oil, or topic by topic (such as workplace or travel). There are chapters dedicated to men’s, women’s, and children’s health. Each section has a brief background on the condition or issue being discussed and in-depth instructions on how to use essential oils to help: what oils to use, how to mix or apply them, and what results to expect. And essential oils are not just for superficial or minor conditions: Worwood showcases their benefits for life-threatening or chronic conditions like cancer or multiple sclerosis.

Worwood’s tone is positive and pragmatic. With benefits for whole-body health, home, and beauty, the promise of essential oils seems too good to be true, but Worwood’s research, experience, and diligent instruction, along with her calm voice, prove the might of natural oils.

While even essential-oil experts can learn from this book, it’s beginner-friendly as well, with background information on what essential oils are, where they come from, and how they can be used. This book is a vital resource for anyone looking for simple, natural, effective ways to live a healthy life, from parents to teachers to health professionals or alternative-health professionals (like massage therapists and fitness coaches).