STEPHEN LEWIS delves into a handy new guide to herbal remedies.

There's nothing new about using herbal remedies to treat coughs, colds and other everyday ailments.

We were using the plants that grow around us to fight off illness long before modern wonder drugs such as penicillin came on the scene.

With the rise of modern medicine, much of the ancient folklore about which plants were good for which ailments was lost. But herbal remedies are back. Just look at the rows and rows of bottles and jars lining the shelves of your local supermarket to realise this

There is such a range of products, in fact - all making optimistic health claims - that it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Now a handy new guide to herbal remedies, by medical herbalist Penelope Ody, aims to help you chart your way through the maze. Popular Herbal Remedies features 52 different herbs, some of which can be used to treat several ailments. Each herb has a page to itself, detailing where it is found, what ailments it is effective against, how it is used - and whether it is readily available in capsule or tablet form.

To make the guide even easier to use, there is a handy 'Ailments index' at the back. If you're feeling below par - anything from colds and flu to constipation, cough, headaches, insomnia and stress - simply flick to the back page to be guided to the herbs which might help.

Publishers BR Pharmaceuticals, which supply vitamins, minerals, food supplements and herbal remedies, stress herbal remedies are not a substitute for conventional medicine. If you're already taking a prescribed course of medicine it is always advisable to seek professional medical advice before taking any herbal remedy, they say.

But used sensibly, this guide could open up a new world of natural health for you and your family. Here are just a few of the herbs featured:

Cranberry - generally confined to Christmas sauces, research in the 1990s revealed unsweetened cranberry juice is effective against urinary bacteria and good for fighting urinary infections and cystitis. Available as juice extract, capsules and tablets.

Fenugreek - highly regarded by the father of medicine, the Greek Hippocrates who lived almost 2,500 years ago, it was also used in ancient Egypt to ease childbirth. It's still used in Egypt today for period pain, and can be used as a digestive remedy and anti-diabetic, though insulin-dependent diabetics should not take it without professional advice. Available as infusion, tincture and capsules.

Feverfew - one of the most popular over-the-counter remedies for treating migraines, it can also help for chronic arthritis, period pain and minor fevers. Some sufferers eat a couple of leaves a day - but it's also available as capsules and tablets.

Garlic - has been used as a cold and catarrh remedy for at least 5,000 years. Its main use has always been as an antiseptic, effective against a wide range of bacteria and fungi and used for colds, chest infections and digestive upsets. Now available in odourless form in capsules and tablets.

- Popular Herbal Remedies is available by mail order from BR Pharmaceuticals, priced £3.50. Call 0113 256 5836.