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Top 10 Herbs To Have In Your Herbal First-Aid Kit – Chamomile
Long before I ever started down the “natural health” path, I drank chamomile tea. Many of us have because of its wonderful ability to calm a stomach and induce relaxed sleep. But, did you know there is more to this herb?
As early as the time of the ancient Egyptians, chamomile was used for reduction of fevers, something they considered to be the ‘ague’. The Egyptian royal women used the petals in preparations for their skin. The Anglo Saxons in the Middle Ages counted it among their nine sacred herbs. More recently, it was called the “plant’s physician” because it helps keep other plants near it more healthy and happy.
Beautiful Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the gentlest of herbs, which is why it is a perfect addition to most treatments for children. Colicky babies may benefit from a few doses during their especially irritable times because of it’s ability to expel gas from the bowels and aid in digestion. Many believe that colic is a result of digestion problems. Using chamomile to calm a young one’s nerves after a traumatic event or injury will also induce a restful sleep.
There are a myriad of uses for chamomile in the life of a woman as well. This herb will bring on menstruation and regulate its flow. It will also help to relieve some of the cramping many women experience during their cycle because it relaxes the uterine muscles. As a matter of fact, the Latin name Matricaria is often translated “uterus” – a name it received because of the many benefits to that organ of a woman’s body.
Because of its effect on a woman during menstruation, intake of chamomile during pregnancy should be carefully monitored, but not ruled out altogether. Many have taken this herb to help reduce morning sickness and ease labor pains.
I wonder if Mother Rabbit gave little Peter Rabbit his chamomile tea before bed to calm his nerves, help his digestion of all those veggie treats and help him sleep a little better after his long and naughty day!
I’m sure I didn’t think of something that chamomile is great for! Please add your two cents in the comments section below!
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Top 10 Herbs To Have In Your Herbal First-Aid Kit – Elderberry
The book “Practical Herbalism” calls it the universal remedy.
In the 17th century, John Evelyn, a British researcher, declared, “If the medicinal properties of its leaves, bark, and berries were fully known, I cannot tell what our countryman could ail for which he might not fetch a remedy [from the elderberry], either for sickness or wounds.”
Those are pretty big promises from such a small berry! But, experience after experience and study after study are proving those statements to be quite true.
History
In recorded history, the use of the elderberry goes back as far as Hippocrates but could extend even farther. The history on this herb is so powerful that people in Medieval Ages thought one would die within three days of chopping down an elderberry bush! Of course, as experience would prove otherwise, that idea died out and gave way to superstitious beliefs that the berries would bring good luck or had mystical powers for ridding you of bad spirits.
I don’t know about spirits, but I do know that elderberry is a powerful healer in the physical realm!
Usages
Got the flu? Reach for the elderberry first! One of the most popular and most successful reasons for having elderberry around is to ward off the flu or shorten its duration if you’ve already contracted it. When a virus invades your body, it cannot multiply on its own – it must take over healthy cells within your body. When you consume elderberry, the antiviral agents within actually attack the virus by coating it before it can reach your cells to multiply. It stands to reason, then, that you would be better off with some elderberry in your system before the flu virus reached you to begin with.
Elderberry was used in 1995 to treat the flu epidemic in Panama and has been further researched in fighting the “bird” flu and the “swine” flu!
Some other illnesses that are treated by elderberry include (but are not limited to):
- bronchitis / coughs / other respiratory ailments
- all inflammatory bowel diseases
- constipation AND diarrhea
- fever
- allergies
- burns / rashes / minor skin problems
- bacterial infections
- helps lower cholesterol
- improves vision
- improves heart health
- boosts immune system function
- hemorrhoids
As you can see, so many issues can be treated with elderberry. You will be well on your way to a complete first-aid kit even if you only add this one herb!
How To Buy
You can purchase elderberries in nearly any form for a multitude of uses. Here are just a few:
Preparations
I have two favorite ways to prepare elderberries – tea and tincture.
Tea is probably pretty self-explanatory – pour some hot/boiling water over some elderberries, steep for a few minutes, strain, sweeten and enjoy. I usually just use the “eyeball” method of measuring, but if you want to get technical you can use 2 teaspoons of berries to 1 cup of water. Many use this as a remedy to overcome the fever as it induces sweating. Make a large batch of the tea and consume several cups in the late afternoon and evening.
The tincture is a bit more advanced but you can store this in the refrigerator and have it around longer than a tea. A tincture also includes another ingredient called food-grade vegetable glycerin. I purchase mine at Azure Standard because they have the best pricing on the glycerin and the shipping. I usually get two one-gallon jugs per order and that lasts me about a year.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup glycerin
- 4 teaspoons elderberries
Instructions:
- Start with a large pot that has a nicely fitting lid.
- Measure your berries and liquids into the pot and cover. (The ratio here is 2 teaspoons of herb to 1 cup of liquid, just in case you want to make a larger batch.)
- Heat the mixture over very low heat for 2 to 3 hours.
- Strain the berries out – I bought a very large mesh strainer for this after years of using the regular little ones and what a difference it made in the process!!
- Pour into a large glass jar and close tightly.
- Store in the refrigerator for two weeks. (I have stored my for longer – up to 2 months sometimes – with no problems.)
- Dosage: I give my children approximately 2 teaspoons every few hours when they are sick or in the morning and at night when they have been exposed to a sick person or are just getting over something.
I would really like to use the sealed-simmer method at some point but it takes advance planning as the mixture needs to simmer for a few days. I never seem to plan that far in advnace and find that I need something right away when the kids start coming down with something! There are also alcohol tinctures but I have never made one.
Another way to use elderberries would be in a poultice and there are as many ways to make poultices as there are people who make them! You can pour a small amount of hot water over a hand-full of berries in a bowl and mash them a bit. Transfer this to some cheese cloth or a piece of well-layered gauze and fold the berries inside, somewhat like an envelope. Apply the poultice to the effected area as hot as you can stand it without burning yourself.
There are many other ways to use this wonderful herbal cure-all but these should get you started!
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Top 10 Herbs To Have In Your Herbal First-Aid Kit
Regardless of how long you have been interested in the wonderful world of natural health or alternative medicine, you know by now that there are countless herbs that you can use for countless reasons!
The information out there is absolutely exhausting! Trying to learn about all these herbs and their uses can be overwhelming, to say the least.
In my journey down this natural road, I have found that focusing on a handful of herbs and really getting to know them inside and out is a very good way to get you started. You can feel confident in your knowledge and begin using just a few herbs much sooner than if you tried to learn about several hundred different herbs at once. You will find that herbs are so versatile, one herb will usually cover a multitude of issues.
Over a period of time, I would like to introduce you to the herbs in my herbal first-aid kit, one by one. These are the herbs that I simply will not be without. There is rarely an issue that comes up that cannot be treated by one or more of these herbs. I have gotten to know them very well and they work absolute miracles!
Top 10 Herbs
- Elderberry
- Chamomile
- Peppermint
- Yarrow
- Echinacea
- Lobelia
- Comfrey
- Dandelion
- Aloe Vera
- Red Raspberry
You can just keep tabs on this one article, as I will be linking in all the new articles here. Or, you can easily subscribe to the RSS or email updates and have the articles delivered right to your “door” as they are released!
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Works For Me Wednesday – A Free Book Works For YOU!
Works For Me Wednesday is hosted by WeAreTHATFamily! After reading this article, go on over there and check out all the other great blog posts to see what works for other blogging guys and gals!
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I have been in
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Top 10 Herbs To Have In Your Herbal First-Aid Kit – Comfrey
Comfrey is a natural healing herb that has been in use since medieval times for a myriad of maladies. The Greeks used it often to assist in the mending of broken bones and as a pain reliever. One Greek botanic physician, Dioscordies, treated the armies of Alexander the Great with much success. It has been used down through the ages as an ornamental and medicinal plant.
Today, it has been proven to have both antibacterial properties and antifungal properties and is often used topically to relieve pain, swelling, and irritation due to scrapes, minor cuts, and burns. Comfrey can help encourage clotting as it has been proven to contract capillaries and larger blood vessels. It has also been shown to be effective when used as a poultice on large bruises, shortening the healing time.
When the root is used to make a tea, comfrey has the ability to relieve congestion and mucus buildup that come with colds and allergies thereby reducing the pain associated with it. It can also be a mild sedative in this form helping you sleep when you are ill.
Individuals with irritable bowel syndrome claim it helps decrease their symptoms. Comfrey is a laxative, but should diarrhea be due to poor food digestion, it can relieve the diarrhea by promoting better digestion.
Many diabetics use comfrey to help control their diabetes. Comfrey has a substance called mucilage in it that suppresses glucose and insulin peaks after eating a meal. This can be very beneficial to both diabetics and hypoglycemics and anyone else who needs to regulate their blood sugars.
Why does Comfrey work so well?
Primarily, allantoin gives comfrey its power. Allantoin is a cell proliferant, which means that it helps healthy cells to multiply instead of diseased cells. When you have an injury, you want to create more new, healthy cells to replace the broken and damaged ones. Comfrey will mend all kinds of tissues and bones found within the human body. Did you know that allantoin is found in mother’s milk?
Another piece of the comfrey puzzle is mucilage – a sticky substance that oozes from the plant. The root of this plant contains the highest amount of mucilage. This slimy fluid is great for sore throats and other irriations of the skin and body.
The last large compound within comfrey are tannins. These give the herb its antiseptic and antibiotic properties as they bind up proteins and constrict surrounding tissue.
Usages
The list of things you can use comfrey for is nearly endless. I have personally used it for several bruises, cuts, scrapes, mosquito bites, etc. I’ll include a brief portion of “The How To Herb Book” by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon that lists the uses for comfrey …
Has been used historically in the following:
- Acne
- Bed sores
- Ulcerated bowels
- Sore breasts
- Bronchitis
- Bruises
- Burns
- Dandruff
- Douches
- Healing after child birth
- Female problems
- Fractures
- Gum infections
- Hemorrhoids
- Infections
- Itching
- Pain
- Pulled tendons
- Yeast infection
- and more!
Preparations
Since comfrey is a “contact healer”, the way I use it most often is in a poultice. Get a handful of dried comfrey leaves and pour some hot/boiling water over them. Scoop this onto a cheese cloth or piece of well-layered gauze and fold like an envelope. Apply to the area to be treated as hot as you can stand it, while not getting burned.
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