{"id":3359,"date":"2025-07-18T09:54:48","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T08:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/wp\/?p=3359"},"modified":"2025-07-14T11:00:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:00:28","slug":"grow-your-own-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/grow-your-own-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong – review"},"content":{"rendered":"

This review is going to capture the attention of my readers. The title,\u00a0Grow Your Own Drugs<\/em>, will have you wondering if I should be removing this website on the orders of the CIA, or is it the FBI. I\u2019m English so I have no idea, but I am waiting for the knock on the door and a visit from men in dark suits, bulging breast pockets and ear-pieces.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Grow<\/span>\u201cHonestly, officer,\u201d (do you call them officer or sir?) \u201cit\u2019s a book about cures for athlete\u2019s foot and acne.\u201d And it\u2019s the truth! This book by James Wong is the companion to the BBC TV series of the same name. You don\u2019t need to have seen the series to appreciate the book. It\u2019s a stand-alone work as I can attest, having never, myself, seen the programmes.<\/p>\n

This handsome young man has inherited his knowledge of plants and their uses from his Malaysian grandmother (well, yes, his grandmother and Kew Gardens and the University of Kent) who would pound roots to make soothing balms for insect bites and other ailments.<\/p>\n

Grow Your Own Drugs will teach you how to forage for and find wild plants for herbal preparations. James offers advice about using common garden plants to produce cures for simple health problems and beauty aids. You don\u2019t have to go out and buy a still or expensive equipment. You will already have most of the paraphernalia that you need to make these potions… and not a dodgy pipe to be found.<\/p>\n

James has a Getting Started chapter that will point you in the direction of a few ingredients that you probably won\u2019t have in your domestic larder. Nothing startling for which you\u2019d need a licence, just some oils, vitamin C powder, waxes and glycerine.<\/p>\n

Free from additives<\/h4>\n

The remedies are for non-life-threatening problems such as bad breath and spots, but they are said to work and you\u2019ll know they will be pure compounds and free from additives with no testing on animals. Do note, however, that these are \u201cfresh\u201d products and you should keep them cool.<\/p>\n

Rosehip syrup has long been recognised as being packed with vitamin C. James has a recipe for a Vitamin Booster which is classic rosehip syrup with the flavourful addition of cinnamon and cloves. I am sure this would be delicious with hot water as a warming and healthful winter drink. James suggests using the syrup to pour over pancakes or ice cream to tempt the younger members of the family.<\/p>\n

The recipe for Bath Bomb is sure to be popular. These are easy to make and the kids will enjoy helping. You might even persuade them to use the resulting product! The Hair Strengthener is a nettle tonic that may stimulate growth and leave hair soft and smooth. The most prominent ingredient is wine vinegar. But I am sure the addition of aromatic herbs (James recommends lavender and rosemary) will stop you smelling like a chip shop.<\/p>\n

Although the book’s title is Grow Your Own Drugs<\/em> it\u2019s most appealing to those of us who want to avoid taking conventional drugs. Whilst it\u2019s true that we should not be foolhardy, these treatments could help with minor health issues. If in doubt, consult a doctor. This is a well-written and absorbing book that will encourage you to look at plants in a different way.<\/p>\n

Grow Your Own Drugs
\nAuthor: James Wong
\nPublished by: Harper Collins
\nPrice: \u00a316.99
\nISBN 978-0-00-730713-5<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Read more articles about herbs and gardening for food here<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This review is going to capture the attention of my readers. The title,\u00a0Grow Your Own Drugs, will have you wondering if I should be removing this website on the orders […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,22,3771],"tags":[162,584,1022,1023,197],"class_list":["post-3359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-cookbooks","category-gardening","tag-celebrity-chefs","tag-gardening","tag-grow-your-own-drugs","tag-james-wong","tag-vegetarian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3359"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25973,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3359\/revisions\/25973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}