The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies Review – Worth the Money?
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The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies: The Healing Power of Plant Medicine by Dr. Nicole Apelian and Claude Davis is not quite as advertised. We’ll discuss the good and the bad, and whether or not it’s worth $37.
The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies Review
The book is a 304 page reference guide to herbal medicine. It discusses natural remedies and medicinal plants common to North America, and includes color pictures of medicinal herbs.
The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies features several sections:
- An Herbal Quick Reference Guide based on which ailment you want to treat.
- How to Harvest the Healing Power from Plants, which discusses basic herbal preparations.
- Backyard Plants
- Forest, Scrublands, and Woodlands
- Trees and Shrubs
- Mushrooms and Lichens
- Water-Loving Plants
- Household Remedies
- Appendix
On the official website, the video notes that there are three parts to the book, but this does not seem to be the case. They also keep mentioning “my grandfather’s book”, but I didn’t find grandpa in the actual book. There is a 30 day money back guarantee.
About the Author
According to page one of the book, The Lost Books of Remedies is “edited and written” by Nicole Apelian, PhD, and copyrighted by Claude Davis.
On the cover of the book, it’s credited to Nicole and Claude, but as I noted in our review of “The Lost Ways”, Claude is a fictional character made up by a marketing team.
Nicole has an impressive resume, with multiple degrees and a wide range of experience. She’s practically Superwoman, and I admire her accomplishments.
She’s lived with indigenous peoples, been featured on survival television shows, and teaches herbalism and survival skills. The book gives a brief mention of the herbs she uses for her multiple sclerosis.
In May 2020, the FTC issues her a warning letter for making unsubstantiated herbal claims. The FTC refuses to address Big Pharma unsubstantiated claims, so this is not a particular concern to me.
Book Highlights
The Herbal Quick Reference guide offers nearly 20 pages of herbal suggestions for treating everything from broken bones to snake bites. It lists the condition, then directs the reader to the related herb entry later in the book.
The “How to Harvest” section gives instructions for harvesting and drying herbs, and making simple herbal preparations such as infusions, salves, and poultices.
Most of the book is filled with herbal monographs providing information on identification and use of specific plants. There are over 100 plants from around the United States, listed by common name and scientific name. Each entry includes one or more color photos, and there are general instructions for use.
Why I Don’t Recommend The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies
The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies does not identify the USDA zone where the plants grow. There is no bibliography or reference section, so we have no source materials for the text. The book has thin pages, and reviews on amazon note some books had missing pages.
My biggest issue with the book is inaccurate information.
The first and most important rule that I learned about foraging wild plants is to make sure to correctly identify the plant. Misidentification could be deadly if you mistake a toxic plant for a non-toxic lookalike.
They claim the leaves and stalks of burdock are good raw or cooked. This is not correct. Here’s a better description from The Forager’s Harvest by Samuel Thayer:
Some authors report that the young leaves of burdock are edible, adding that they should be parboiled in a few changes of water before consumption. Perhaps there is some semantic loophole by which such horrific greens can be admitted to the “edible” classification, but burdock leaves have achieved quite a level of infamy among wild food enthusiasts. They are so bitter, in fact, that handling them will leave a bitter residue on your fingers that will pollute any food you touch thereafter.
Almost all the photos in the book are stock photos, and sometimes stock photos have the wrong label.
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It’s a common mistake for people who don’t know herbs to grab a stock photo that is labeled as a specific plant without double checking the identification. The book shows “burdock” that is clearly thistle, and “red clover’ that isn’t red clover. If they can’t make time to check photos for accuracy, what else did they get wrong?
I suspect that the book was hurriedly compiled and not proofread with the attention to detail that it deserved.
Watch out for Contraindications and Drug Interactions
While the book focuses on how well herbal remedies work, there’s little information on when they shouldn’t be used. Some of these herbs have drug interactions, or are not recommended for those with certain conditions.
As an example, the book notes: “Warning: Do not use white willow in children suffering from low grade fevers. Do not take white willow if you are allergic to as aspirin. Do not use long term.” It does not mention liver interaction or pregnancy.
As a comparison, WebMD lists multiple pages of side effects, precautions, and interactions.
The advertising for The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies goes on at length about “finding your inner doctor” and how safe and simple it is to use herbs. Herbs are great, but if you want to use them like medicine, you need to treat them like medicine.
What I Recommend Instead of The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies
First, get a book that wasn’t thrown together in a hurry without proper proofreading. There are many amazing herbal books available.
Second, if you really want to know what to do with herbs in case of emergency, get training. There are a wide variety of online herbal courses, or you may be able to find in person classes.
Some of my favorite herbal books include:
Backyard Medicine – this book has multiple gorgeous full color photos for each plant, with simple instructions the are safe for the beginning herbalist.
The Homesteader’s Herbal Companion – geared to the homesteading lifestyle, this book includes herbs to grow and forage. There are many different recipes for human and animal care.
The Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman – this was one of my first herbal books, and it’s still a favorite. There are herbal monographs, medicine making instructions, and troubleshooting based on ailment.
Other herbalists I trust and recommend include Richo Cech, Rosemary Gladstar, Stephen Buhner, and Matthew Alfs. Samuel Thayer’s books are great for foraging edible plants. A reader recommended Heal Local by Dawn Combs.
If you want to take a course, check out The Herbal Academy. They have courses from beginner to advanced, and some of their courses don’t cost much more than The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies.
Get More Information on Herbal Remedies
We have dozens of post on the site featuring home remedies, herbalism and wildcrafting. You can find them at:
Originally posted in 2021, last updated in 2023.
do you still not know that the big pharma and the like have convinced the masses that things in this book thst say studies show are not correct ….this book is ahhmazing ! your attack on it is disappointing. also do you know the amount of people being cured From.all kinds of cancers from ivermectin..which comes from the soil
Hi Teri!
I’m all for using the healing power of plants – as you might have noticed if you had read the review a bit more thoroughly, or looked around the website a bit. I have a whole series of article devoted to using common wild plants for food and medicine, making free herbal remedies available for everyone.
My concern lies in that the book appears to have been hurriedly assembled and not carefully checked before publication, leading to the inclusion of wholly inaccurate information. This is why I recommend a number of alternative sources of herbal information that I do trust. You may want to take a look at them.
Further, if you had read a bit more about my background, you would know that I ditched Big Pharma years ago, getting off of my thyroid medication, and healing my psoriasis myself after the dermatologist told me to, “Just live with it.” Our current “healthcare” system is more of a “sickcare” system.
Thank you for a most informative review of this book. And also for taking the other step that so many leave out after not giving a recommendation… alternatives. Thank you!
There are so many wonderful herbalists out there, working with publishing companies that more meticulous in their presentation, you could spend a lifetime exploring and always have more to learn. Nicole is very accomplished, and the format of the book is appealing, but I’m a detail person (especially when it comes to health and identifying plants) and this volume did not get all those details correct.
Vielen Dank für diese beruhigende Rezension, denn ich bin der gleichen Meinung, habe aber an mir gezweifelt!
Am meisten ärgert mich, dass ich fast 50€ bezahlt habe (7€ Versand nach Deutschland), und 3 Geschenke versprochen wurden, die aber nicht dabei waren!
Das Handbuch, was angeboten wird statt des HardCovers hat mit dem großen gar nichts zu tun und ist auch nicht von Nicole Apelian. Das hatte ich mir nämlich zuerst gekauft, war da aber auch sehr enttäuscht und habe mich dann entschieden, das große zu kaufen.
Im Buch gibt es kein Impressum, im Internet keine email Adresse zu finden. Ich weiß nicht, wie ich das Buch zurück schicken kann! Ich will mein Geld zurück, ich bin unglücklich über diesen teuren Kauf, den ich mir gar nicht leisten kann, da ich krank bin und nicht mehr arbeiten kann. Deshalb versuche ich ja, mich zu heilen.
Wenn Sie mir helfen können, wie ich das Buch zurück senden kann und mein Geld zurück bekomme, wäre ich sehr dankbar!!!
Herzliche Grüße von Ella aus Cottbus, BRD
Using online translator so I and other English only readers can follow:
“Thank you for this reassuring review, because I have the same opinion, but I doubted myself!
What annoys me most is that I paid almost €50 (€7 shipping to Germany) and 3 gifts were promised, but they weren’t included!
The manual that is offered instead of the hard cover has nothing to do with the big one and is not by Nicole Apelian. I bought that first, but was very disappointed and then decided to buy the large one.
There is no imprint in the book and no email address can be found on the Internet. I don’t know how to send the book back! I want my money back, I’m unhappy about this expensive purchase that I can’t afford because I’m sick and can’t work anymore. That’s why I’m trying to heal myself.
If you can help me on how to send the book back and get my money back, I would be very grateful!!!
Warm greetings from Ella from Cottbus, Germany”
Hi Ella.
I did some digging, and found a site that claims to be the official site at thelostways dot com. If you go to that website, at the bottom of the home page, there’s a link to a contact page with a form and an email, support@thelostways.com.
It seems people haven’t had much luck contacting them, but that looks like the right place to try.
I hope you can find healing.
I usually recommend that people start with food and lifestyle, to see if there are things that they can identify as harmful. Then replace those things with options that help with healing. Herbs can help our bodies to heal, but the body must do the healing itself. There are so many things in modern life that do harm to us that it is difficult to avoid them.
Ich habe etwas gestöbert und eine Seite gefunden, die behauptet, die offizielle Seite von thelostways dot com zu sein. Wenn Sie diese Website aufrufen, finden Sie unten auf der Startseite einen Link zu einer Kontaktseite mit einem Formular und einer E-Mail-Adresse: support@thelostways.com.
Es scheint, als hätten die Leute nicht viel Glück gehabt, sie zu kontaktieren, aber das scheint der richtige Ort zu sein, um es zu versuchen.
Ich hoffe, dass du Heilung finden kannst.
Normalerweise empfehle ich den Menschen, mit der Ernährung und dem Lebensstil zu beginnen, um herauszufinden, ob es Dinge gibt, die sie als schädlich identifizieren können. Dann ersetzen Sie diese Dinge durch Optionen, die bei der Heilung helfen. Kräuter können unserem Körper bei der Heilung helfen, aber der Körper muss die Heilung selbst durchführen. Es gibt so viele Dinge im modernen Leben, die uns schaden, dass es schwierig ist, sie zu vermeiden.
Goodness. I had to DIG to find this article, but I’m incredibly glad that I was able to find it. I had been considering getting some of Dr. Apelian’s books, but after reading about the discrepancies in one of her published works, I can’t imagine that the others are much better. I had been considering investing in them because I’m planning to start taking courses after the holiday season and I thought this might be a good starting place but it appears I was very mistaken and I just saved quite a bit of money. Thank you for getting the information out there even though it seems to be buried.
The publishers of her books have a powerful marketing team, and their referral program pays very well, so they’ve flooded the internet with fake positive reviews. There are so many wonderful herbalist books out there that are better. Rosemary Gladstar, Richo Chec, James Green, David Hoffmann, Amy Fewell and many others have better material at a lower price point.
Absolutely a waste of money. You will notice in the advertisement a truck design saying “Free Delivery”. Also, notice “Printed in the USA”. One of the reviewers says she received her herbal remedies BOOKS. Advertisement photos show people holding books. “The Wisdom in this BOOK is truly priceless”. “With the “Lost Collection of Herbal Remedies,” you’re not just buying books”.
Q: What if I’m not satisfied with the books?
A: We stand behind our product with a 60-day 100% money-back guarantee. If you’re not completely satisfied with the knowledge you gain, simply return it for a full refund. You have nothing to lose and a world of natural health wisdom to gain!
of natural health wisdom to gain!
In the FAQ’s they do declare that this is a digital download. After all the false advertisement about being “BOOKS and showing a woman holding books that she supposedly received in the mail.
The said I was not going to receive the refund requested. I would gladly erase the “BOOKS” from my computer.
Absolute SCAM!
I made a couple TikToks showing errors in the book. I showed feom the digital copy how they used a stock photo of thistle instead of burdock. I showed actual description of thistle vs burdock. Explained they are in the same family but not the same. TikTok removed my video and gave me a warning on my account for going against community standards. I deactivated my TikTok after this. They are pushing this garbage book with wrong info and anyone who speaks against it is silenced bc it’s a big seller in their TikTok shop. I even said I love herbs and using them but there are better natural remedies books out there for you.
Their affiliate program has one of the highest payout ratios I’ve seen, so it’s not surprising that so many people promote it, though it is a shame that they do.
OMG! Thanks for the info!
I am so glad to hear that there are people who deactivate their TikTok accounts because if everyone did that, these manipulators would have no audience and couldn’t fool people. Silencing people is obviously not free speech and this is unacceptable. Telling the truth is against TikTok’s ‘community standards’…
There are so many much better books!!
Appreciate your review, thanks. Can you suggest any herbals or herbalists that identify a positive effect on symptoms of Long Covid? Extreme fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, are the worst of many. These devastating effects have changed life for many sufferers. The neurologists I’ve seen have not been able to provide any help even after several scans. They have advised that they can do nothing.
Hi Jock.
I don’t have a specific recommendation. A trained herbalist should be able to work with you to develop a protocol that may help address some of the symptoms, but there’s often mRNA damage in the mix that is difficult to repair.
Working on gut health is always key when addressing immune system issues, since much of our immune system resides in our gut. Doing what you can to improve detoxification so your body can flush out what doesn’t belong is generally helpful. (Epsom salt baths or foot soaks, gentle movement, lymphatic massage, sweating, etc.) Fasting and calorie restriction can help trigger autophagy, clearing out damaged cells. These are some simple things that may help promote healing.
Hello,
Try the Maria Treben book “Health through God’s Pharmacy”. I know a married couple who used that book and both healed from cancer, so in my opinion it might have something helpful for long covid symptoms as well. (not calling it covid of course because it’s an old book.)
Maybe the small Swedish bitter recipe in it, which helped with cancer, could help. That’s good for so many things.
WOW! Thank you so much! I stumbled on this book review while looking for a review of a new book being pushed on Facebook which is Ancient Remedies Revived. I saw the book in this review pushed over a year ago but it didn’t really peak my interested. I’m so glad I read your review. I’m curious if you’ve seen the Ancient Remedies Revived and have any feedback on it.
I’ve been learning a bit about herbal medicine over the last couple of years. I’m redoing my back yard to start a small fruit, vegetable and herb garden primarily for eating, but I’d like to include some critical medicinal plants as well. I’d also like to learn more about the most useful medicinal plants (tinctures, blends, teas and ointments) for common ailments. I’m going to look into your recommendations in the articles and the comments below, but is there a “beginner” book you’d recommend as an introduction to common garden medicinal plants or common dried herbs that can be used for more everyday ailments?
Hi Melissa.
I haven’t read the Ancient Remedies Revived book, but it looks like it follows the same marketing style. Find the figurehead with the inspiring story, pack a book with basic herbal information, and market the heck out of it.
The pricing on the main website is questionable. $37, marked down from $130? Who charges $130 for a basic book? Both the ancientremediesrevived site and its sister site, herbsynergies, pop up out nowhere and suddenly have dozens of articles on them. You don’t see that unless they have a writing/marketing team and/or are using AI generated content. It’s all impersonal, with stock photos, which makes me wonder if there are any real herbalist behind any of it, or if it’s just a team creating content based on keyword research.
The publisher had me wondering as well. When I search “Greenhaven Press”, the top entry is a 30+ year old publishing company that write social studies books, most well known for their “Opposing Viewpoints” series. Looking through titles from that Greenhaven Press, these books are not there and do not fit in. So what “Greenhaven Press” is this?
The whole thing strikes me as a marketing team trying to make a buck on the latest trends, which isn’t a horrible thing, but I personally prefer to connect with people I trust. There are so many truly amazing herbalists out there who share their stories along with their herbal knowledge. It’s a much deeper experience to learn from that type of legacy – at least for me.
Second question – ask any two herbalists, and I’ll bet you’ll get two different answers to their “must have” herbs list. I like to build my herbal apothecary on what grows easily in a specific area. Others use a combination of what they grow and purchased herbs. Still others opt for all purchased, because they don’t have growing space.
I share some of my favorites in 11 Best Medicinal Herbs to Grow. These are all fairly easy to grow here in our area of northeast Wisconsin. The wonderful thing about most herbs is that they have multiple actions, so they can address many different ailments. The same herb can act to aid digestion, soothe skin, reduce inflammation, and so on. I have some recommended basic herbal books at the bottom of the article.
The article Real Healing Potions discusses how to make basic herbal preparations.
The Wildcrafting Resources article has some more of my favorites, though it looks like I need to do some photo updating, as amazon changed their linking system and some photos disappeared. The descriptions are all still in place.
My friend, Heidi from Healing Harvest Homestead, is hosting free herbal training on April 1st, 3rd, and 4th, discussing her choices for 5 best herbs. I’ll be giving a shout out for that training in the newsletter.
I was about to buy the book. I’m glad I saw the reviews.
Thank you so very much. Saved me money.
Thank you for writing this. I bought the book a year ago and got rid of it the day it came. I saw so much incomplete info (vital) on plants I tossed it.
I spoke to local foraging friends who also agreed it was garbage. I made a long tiktok video warning people about it.
A year later it’s viral on TikTok. I hate that people are falling for it. And the scary thing is how widespread fake or paid for reviews and publicity is on it. Thank you for being one of the only truthful reviews.
They (the company that puts out these books) have a very well paying referral program, so it’s easy money for people who aren’t too fussy about the truth. Thank you for sharing your experience and helping to get the word out.
Hi,
I wholeheartedly confirm this book is straight trash. Worst buy ever.
Nicole’s a scammer and her co-authors as well, never buy anything from them.
Hi again, I’d like to ask what do you think about this book?
Dane De Luca Mulandiee
Knowledge To Forage: Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants & Trees
I have not read that book, but after doing some research, I can offer some feedback on it.
The couple exists, and has a youtube channel and website. I’d suggest taking a look at their material online to see if you like the style of their presentation. They are based in the UK, so that may or may not be a best fit in terms of matching your growing conditions/plants available for foraging. The do appear to be actively engaged in gathering knowledge and sharing practical information as well as interesting folklore associated with the plants.
I do have some concerns about the layout of the book. They self-published, and it looks like they didn’t understand how to properly format the book, because there are no outside margins. As one reviewer pointed out in the video they shared, with use, the text on that outside edge is likely to take a beating and potentially become illegible. Hopefully at some point they will reformat and fix the issue. The book is good sized and literally packed with information – right to the edges of the 441 pages.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help 🙂 Regarding the Carla Emery book, it doesn’t matter which edition, they are all the same? Thank you
Carla Emery passed away in 2005, so any edition published after that date did not have any new information from her. The 50th Anniversary edition is nice because the paper is a little heavier and a little brighter than the older editions. (I originally got the 9th edition, but it’s getting pretty dog eared from use, so I also picked up the 50th anniversary edition.) When Carla was still alive, she kept updating the book, so later editions have more information than the earliest editions.
Thank you so much for the article!! And thank you for not teasing readers to read tons of pages but going straight to the point. I had a gut feeling and I never ordered any books from Claude Davis and I’m so happy I have found your articles! Thank you very much.
Hello Thank you for your article. I wish I had read it before I bought the book. There are discrepancies between what’s on the website descriptions and page numbers and the book description and page numbers. Also the book shown on the website is a single column page book with a different heading format. The one I received is a double column page book with a plain heading. I think maybe I have received an affiliate copy of the original. Upon further research I discovered there are many affiliates marketing this book, even from India and Belgium. So a warning to your readers, Be Aware, Do The Research!
Al
The Lost Ways company has a powerful marketing machine. I started digging a little more based on your comment, and found their affiliate signup page.
Opening text on the page is as follows:
With 75% commissions, it’s no wonder so many are willing to give them glowing reviews.
It’s now viral on TikTok. I keep trying to warn people.
Thank you. This is exactly the info I was looking for! I would like a book about making herbal remedies but I’m not planning to forage for ingredients or get them from my yard. Can you recommend a book with recipes for a little bit of everything? Thanks
Hi Yolanda.
There are so many good resources out there, including the ones mentioned in the article.
The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook by David Green is another interesting read, but it tackles the topic by sharing many different ways of preparing herbs. So – tons of recipes, but a little more work to figure out “if you are dealing with this, try this treatment”.
Laurie,
This is my first visit to your site and I appreciate that you spent time to critique the book, ‘The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies’.
I purchased the book and like the content overall, but agree that it is incomplete and lacking the zones where each medicinal plant grows. I could have sent it back, but decided to keep it. Your critique is most helpful and needed as I have not spent much time foraging for medicinal plants in the wild. I do extensive vegetable gardens, berries, melons, and culinary herbs, but just started into growing some common medicinal herbs; such as chamomile, stevia, comfrey and burdock. I don’t have a lot of time in my day, but I will check back from time to time as your site is brimming with lots to read.🙋🏻♀️
Laurie,
Your response to Dionne was just priceless! You didn’t lose your cool and you didn’t stoop to her level. I look forward to your emails and you don’t disappoint. “Kill ’em with kindness” is a great motto and you did just that. You are so capable, educated, informational and beautiful. I’ve copied so many of your recipes, canning tips, and food information over the years. Keep doing what you do – enlightening your readers!
Thank you, Susan.
Dear Laurie,
When I read the “Dionne” thing, it popped into my head that I hope you sat back and were able to have a good belly laugh. Can’t you just picture this dum dum hitting “send” with her pithy message? Then turning to the mirror to fluff her bangs and check her lipstick, take another “selfie” for all her adoring Instagram fans and give a smug little “there, I told her”.
Social media has given rise to “influencers” that think none of their body parts stink and troll out a never ending supply of mean,nasty, ignorant. Ignore and keep on keeping on, girl!!!
We are all beautiful in our own ways. I can’t believe someone thought that her opinion was in good intention. The golden rule…treat others how you want to be treated. Our world has enough negativity do better. Laurie is amazing just the way she is!