The book is laid out logically with an easily read typeface and graphics. The internal chapter heading illustrations by Carl Wiens are simple and colorful. There is very little internal photography. What there is, is stock photography, but clear and in color.
The introductory sections (~15 % of the page content) give good directions for sourcing and use of essential oils. Best practices and safety tips are listed in their own sidebars in bullet presentation. They're easy to understand and find.
The second section goes directly to the recipes and blends. These are split into life phases such as pregnancy, delivery, babies, kids, adults, seniors, and household/enviorns use. There are (by my count) more than 75 recipes for everything from morning sickness, to health and beauty aids, to cleaning products for the home. Each recipe has a listed target group (adults, kids, etc), the type of preparation (dilution, inhalant), the yield, and notes for preparation and use.
The second main section of the book is in the form of an herbal which includes listings for 30 different essential oils and their uses and effects. These listings include the botanical (Latin) name of the plant, the common name, the characteristics of the essential oil (sweet, herbaceous, light, camphor scent, etc), the relative cost of the essential oil, the uses and applications, what other oils it blends with well, and any precautions for use of the oil.
The book also includes a tutorial for a labor kit for home or hospital delivery, a sidebar reference for ailments (acne, allergies, anxiety) along with suggested essential oils, and methods of application. There's a short subchapter on known interactions between oils and prescription medicines which mostly discusses the potentially serious interactions between methyl salicylates (wintergreen, sweet birch) and anti-coagulants like warfarin and heparin. The book ends with references, acknowledgements, and a short author bio.
The author is clearly engaged and knowledgeable on the subject manner and writes in an easy to follow style. The recipes are simple and seem safe. I think taking a more active control of the items we use on our bodies and the cleaning products we use in our homes is sensible and rewarding. This book could have benefited from more photography, however I understand that photography is one of the highest expenses involved in the making of a book. I appreciate that the cost of the book, at least in electronic format is very reasonable - currently $0.99 on Amazon, so I do understand the decision.
It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I hope the ebook release version does also. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature will carry through to the final release version.
Five stars, recommended for readers who are interested in aromatherapy, natural healing, and DIY.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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