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Ossman & Steel's Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing

A Collection of Old-Time Remedies, Charms, and Spells
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Ossman & Steel's Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing by Jake Richards is a fascinating exploration into the traditional practices of folk healing found within the Appalachian region. The book introduces readers to a variety of remedies, rituals, and techniques passed down through generations, offering insight into the rich cultural heritage of Appalachian healing practices. With a focus on accessible and practical applications, it serves as both a historical document and a guide for those interested in alternative medicine and self-improvement.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this intriguing exploration of Appalachian folk healing if you're fascinated by traditional practices, interested in learning about cultural wisdom passed down through generations, or looking for natural approaches to personal health and well-being. This book may appeal to you if you appreciate self-help books with historical insights and practical advice.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A long-treasured but forgotten classic of folk healing, with an introduction and commentary by the author of Backwoods Witchcraft and Doctoring the Devil.

Ossman & Steel's Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing, originally titled Ossman & Steel's Guide to Health or Household Instructor in 1894, is a collection of spells, remedies, and charms. The book draws from the old Pennsylvania Dutch and German powwow healing practices, which helped shape Appalachian folk healing, conjure, rootwork, and many folk healing traditions in America. Jake Richards, author of Backwoods Witchcraft and Doctoring the Devil, provides context for these remedies, offering practical advice for modern-day 'backwoods' healers on how to use them today.

The first part of the book contains spells and charms for healing wounds, styes, broken bones, maladies, and illnesses of various kinds. The second part includes other folk remedies using ingredients based on sympathetic reasoning, such as sulphuric acid, gunpowder, or other substances for treating swelling, toothache, headache, and more. These remedies are presented for historical interest, enhancing our understanding of how folk medicine evolved in America.

Jake Richards hopes that reintroducing this work will reestablish its position as a useful household helper in the library of every witch or country healer.

Series: The Backwoods Library

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  • Conjure Cards
    A unique divination deck based on the authentic backwoods traditions, folklore, and superstitions of Appalachia. For centuries, people living in Appalachia have used homemade playing cards for fortune-telling and dream interpretation. This tradition has arisen over many generations of backwoods conjurers, grannie witches, and yarb doctors. The Conjure Cards fortune-telling deck was created by Jake Richards, author of Backwoods Witchcraft,...
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  • Backwoods Witchcraft
    In Backwoods Witchcraft, Jake Richards offers up a folksy stew of family stories, lore, omens, rituals, and conjure crafts that he learned from his great-grandmother, his grandmother, and his grandfather, a Baptist minister who Jake remembers could "rid someone of a fever with an egg or stop up the blood in a wound." The witchcraft practiced in Appalachia is very...
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  • Doctoring the Devil
    In this "great starting point for those hoping to practice Appalachian folk magic" (Publishers Weekly), conjure man Jake Richards shares the root work practices and traditional magic he learned from his family as he grew up in the hills and hollers of Appalachia. Who were the old conjurors and witches of Appalachia? What were their practices and beliefs? How can...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Ossman & Steel's Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing
    A long-treasured but forgotten classic of folk healing, with an introduction and commentary by the author of Backwoods Witchcraft and Doctoring the Devil. Ossman & Steel's Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing, originally titled Ossman & Steel's Guide to Health or Household Instructor in 1894, is a collection of spells, remedies, and charms. The book draws from the old...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The reviews highlight Jake Richards' contribution to reviving Ossman & Steel's Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing, stressing its importance in preserving Appalachian and Pennsylvania Dutch folk traditions. Richards is praised for providing insightful commentary and contextual background, blending historical research with personal anecdotes. The book is lauded for being a valuable resource for those interested in folklore, folk magic, and healing traditions, balancing contemporary insights with traditional practices.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781578637539

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 July 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Weiser Books

Illustration: Spot art throughout

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Silver Ravenwolf
  • Introduction by Jake Richards
  • Foreword by Silver RavenWolf

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 133.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 172g

Pages: 152

About the Author

Jake Richards holds his Appalachian heritage close in his blood and bones. His family has tilled the soil in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina for a good 500 years. He spent most of his childhood at his great-grandmother's house on the side of Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. Jake has practised Appalachian folk magic for almost a decade and teaches classes on the subject in Jonesborough, Tennessee, where he owns Little Chicago Conjure, a supplier of Appalachian folk magic supplies and ingredients.

Also by Jake Richards

View all
  • Conjure Cards
    A unique divination deck based on the authentic backwoods traditions, folklore, and superstitions of Appalachia. For centuries, people living in Appalachia have used homemade playing cards for fortune-telling and dream interpretation. This tradition has arisen over many generations of backwoods conjurers, grannie witches, and yarb doctors. The Conjure Cards fortune-telling deck was created by Jake Richards, author of Backwoods Witchcraft,...
    Paperback
    $4499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Backwoods Witchcraft
    In Backwoods Witchcraft, Jake Richards offers up a folksy stew of family stories, lore, omens, rituals, and conjure crafts that he learned from his great-grandmother, his grandmother, and his grandfather, a Baptist minister who Jake remembers could "rid someone of a fever with an egg or stop up the blood in a wound." The witchcraft practiced in Appalachia is very...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Doctoring the Devil
    In this "great starting point for those hoping to practice Appalachian folk magic" (Publishers Weekly), conjure man Jake Richards shares the root work practices and traditional magic he learned from his family as he grew up in the hills and hollers of Appalachia. Who were the old conjurors and witches of Appalachia? What were their practices and beliefs? How can...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

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