Even in the smallest gardens, along country roads, in the fields, in the hills, in the mountains and in our pantries, there's a world of remedies waiting for us. Herbs and plants, in fact, provide invaluable help not only in digesting, but also in personal care and in achieving a state of well-being. Tisanes, infusions, tinctures, soaps, creams, and appetising recipes, turn into pleasurable personal care products, useful to ease the discomfort deriving from minor pathologies, from difficulties in digestion to retention and swelling, etc. You only need a little curiosity and desire for experiment, and there are many alternatives to sustain yourself with a tisane, a tincture, and to feel more beautiful with a cream, a perfumed soap, and a special dish or juice. Herbs and plants are not only useful for giving us shade, and cheering us with their fruits and flowers, but have always been used as more or less important remedies. Just think of chamomile infusion, which has always been used to sooth colicky babies, and of cherry stalk, which can be consumed as decoction to increase diuresis and as food - preferably accompanied with artichokes and dandelion - to purify and detox your body. AUTHOR: Cinzia Trenchi, a naturopath, freelance journalist and photographer specialising in wine and food itineraries, has collaborated in the writing of numerous recipe books published by Italian and foreign publishing houses. A passionate cook, she has also worked for many Italian magazines covering regional, traditional, macrobiotic and natural cuisine specialties, providing both the text and the photographs, and including dishes of her own creation.

In the past years, she has realised several books for White Star Publishers, with great enthusiasm and creativity. 80 colour photographs.