Search Results for: herbal medicinbes

Making Herbal Medicines, by Michele Cooper

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Herbs are powerful medicine. Do not think for one minute that all herbs are harmless. Herbs can also interact with any medicines you are taking, making them stronger or counteracting some of their properties, so research them well if you are taking any meds. Herbal Preparations I will go over various preparations for herbal medicines, which can be made into various forms, including an infusion, decoction, syrup, pill, capsule, and more. I will provide general instruction for each of these below. Infusion (Tea) Probably the easiest method to prepare herbal medicine is an infusion, more commonly known as tea. However, for an herbal infusion, it is better to allow the tea to steep for five or more minutes. To Make Herbal Infusion To make an herbal infusion, add boiling water to your herbs, cover with a small plate, and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes. Add sugar or honey,…


An Introductory How To Guide to Wild Herbal Medicine, by P. Farms Mike

…simple; plant-based medicines or herbal medicine.  Nature is our medicine cabinet!  Most of the pharmaceutical-grade medicines we have today are based off of plants and plant derivatives, so why not take it one step back in the process to the plants themselves.  Anyone who has begun a study of herbal medicines has heard the story about foxglove and how it was prescribed by herbalists in the past to help treat heart conditions.  Unsurprisingly, when modern science began studying this herb they discovered it contained a medicine that they extracted called digitalis.  Digitalis has been prescribed for decades for patients with heart conditions. One of the things that my wife and I discovered as we began our quest into herbal medicines is that (unless you live in very cold or very hot climates) we are quite surrounded by medicines.  Not only medicines but vitamin supplements in plant form.  For example, we…


Become Your Own Herbal Doctor, By Elizabeth Y.

Common ailments can really keep you down in the best of times, but when the SHTF you won’t have the luxury of staying in bed and taking a sick day when a bad cold or diarrhea strikes.  In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, there will be no doctor to call and no over-the-counter medicines to treat your symptoms.  If that sounds at all scary to you…it should. But fear not! Luckily, we all have the ability to become our own doctor, as plant medicine is all around us.  But it takes more than a reference book or cursory knowledge of herbal medicine to be prepared to use it.  To be really prepared to cure yourself when TEOTWAWKI strikes, you must start now, just as you have with your other preps.  Before we embark on the path to natural healing, let me offer this disclaimer. I am not a doctor…at least, not in…


Herbal Survival Medicine by KLS in Ohio

…base to synthesize medicines, but cultures older than ours have found a vast array of restorative remedies from plants. Chinese medicine utilizes over 5,700 herbs. Traditional Ayervedic (religious) medicine of India uses about 2,000 plant species. Arabic medicine uses over 2,000 herbs. Current U.S. medical treatments are based on the idea that “the absence of symptoms is health”. Conversely, Chinese medicine has a 3,000 year history and is based on the idea that “the absence of disease is health.” Arab herbalists developed effective remedies using the practice of combining three or more complementary herbs to treat many diseases and illnesses while Europe was in the Dark Ages. Even Native American Tribal cultures developed many remedies using the indigenous plants of our continent. How sad it would be if we were to loose the work of thousands of years of herbal medical knowledge in a SHTF moment. Granted, there have been…


Herbal Medicine for Preppers, by Chris S.

Being able to take care of our own medical conditions is very important. Sometimes we can’t get to a doctor, can’t afford it or perhaps there will be a breakdown and there are no doctors available. I’ve found it invaluable to know what to do on my own when out on backpacking trips and an injury or sickness shows up. In cases like this having a good knowledge of herbal medicine and having a few things on hand can mean the difference between agony and wellness or even life and death. I’ve used herbal medicine for over 20 years for livestock and pets as well as friends and family members. Having children around has provided plenty of opportunity for using herbs whether it’s a scrape that’s bleeding or accidentally eating something poisonous from the cupboard, not to mention a few colds, headaches, bruises and broken bones. Living on a farm…


Letter Re: Become Your Own Herbal Doctor

Jim: I enjoyed the Become Your Own Herbal Doctor article very much as herbal medicine is my current interest and latest preparation.  Because I did not learn this type of information from my grandmothers or mother, I have opted to take a class to speed up the learning curve.  The author is correct; the home remedies our families knew just a hundred years ago have already been lost to most of us.  Taking this class has been a fun and educational process.  We have learned so many herbs and their uses; we’ve even crafted our first (sprain/strain) salve.  There is a lot to learn in this field, but the process has been rewarding.  The class I take is also offered as an online course for those of you like me who need some structure to make any real progress or just want a fast track to learning herbal medicine.  One…


An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure for TEOTWAWKI, by K.M. in Ohio

…Christopher director of “The School of Natural Healing” in Utah said: “I truly believe that we need an Herbalist in every home and a Master Herbalist in every community.” Further Reading and Education: Books with recipes: Health Through God’s Pharmacy: Advice and Proven Cures with Medicinal Herbs by Maria Treben Holistic Herbal 4th Edition: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies by David Hoffman Growing 101 Herbs That Heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes, and Remedies by Tammi Hartung, A Modern Herbal (in two volumes): The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs & Trees with Their Modern Scientific Uses by Maude Grieve The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable by Juliette de Bairacli Levy Healing Wise (Wise Woman Herbal Series) by Susun Weed Web sites: www.herbmentor.com; www.natural-healing-guide.com Education: www.heartofherbs.com http://snh.cc (The School of Natural Healing) Herb Sources: www.WesternBotanicals.com www.MountainRoseHerbs.com…


Herbal Cures at Your Doorstep, by Organic Cathy

“Health care” in America – while having “evolved” – leaves much to be desired i.e. cost, effectiveness, government restrictions of natural medicines, deaths caused form “modern” medicine, control and pharmaceutical greed to name just a few. in the blaring light of reality of today’s coming collapse even simple health care will be challenging to say the lease. While I am not formally trained in herbal medicine, I do have some medical background and twenty plus years of growing and using herbs and more recently delving into wild herbs. TEOTWAWKI will change the availability of “home health care” from government regulated pharmaceutical based approached to real home health care where individuals – especially those in remote areas – will need to rely on what is at hand. I hesitate to even approach this subject, as it is vast, involved, time consuming and can be very overwhelming. On the other hand, knowledge…


The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 1, by Jen R.

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…because some of these tribes were unaware of juniper’s uses for smallpox? Or was it because they all got hit so quickly that there was no time to prepare the medicine? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19683421 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22865029 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17291738 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5955472/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6388510/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6406502/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5739313/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4598063/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26747836 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22063725 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22860587 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23154840 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3175711/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18547046 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26007187 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22739414 https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2211&cont Jen R I checked all the links when I submitted my article to Survivalblog last month. Unfortunately, this link is no longer good. In fact, the entire website has disappeared. http://tipsdiscover.com/health/herbal-antibiotics-the-localized-non-systemics-usnea/ Jen R Thank you for your kind comments. One of my sources, Stephen Buhner, author of Herbal Antibiotics and Herbal Antivirals, is an excellent reference. Both of those books focus on the strongest natural antibiotics and antivirals and provide details on making the medicine from them. I highly recommend both. Unfortunately, some of the plants he recommends are not native to much of the US or cannot be easily grown, especially…


Alternative Treatments for Auto-Immune Disorders in the Absence of Traditional Health Care, by J.F., RN

…pain in hospice patients. All of these remedies are available in herbal specialty stores or online and do not require prescription.  If you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest there is an abundance of wild Feverfew – it’s bitter, no doubt about it, but chew a little leaf for a headache or make an infusion of 1 teaspoon dried leaves per cup of water up to four times daily for its anti-inflammatory properties. Of course, as with all herbal remedies, don’t use if you’re pregnant or might be pregnant.  Don’t forget to put aside Sea Salt for your diet rather than regular table salt – it contains less sodium so reduces the ‘water retention’ properties of inflammatory conditions as well as fluid retention in high blood pressure conditions. Vitamin C, 1000mg daily, has been shown to reduce inflammation in blood vessels – something that occurs in auto-immune disorders and cardiovascular…


Tea for Two Hundred, This Year and Next- Part 3, by Sarah Latimer

…days. In the refrigerator, the leaves and fruit probably only have a few days to a week before they will begin to rot or mold. Roots, like ginger, will hold weeks in the refrigerator, if their cut ends are kept wrapped in plastic. The finer the leaf, the shorter the duration, usually. Of course, leaves like the mints, have antibacterial properties and so can be stored fresh longer than many other leaves of similar size, such as strawberry or blackberry leaves. However, refrigeration is only for very short-term storage and is not my main means of storage, by any means. Let’s talk a little bit more in detail about drying and storing tea, herbal teas, and tea flavorings. Drying Actual green and black tea is a leaf, and a majority of the herbal teas and flavorings I grow are either leaves or flowers. Because of the decay and risk of…


Front Yard Pharmacy: Your Herb Garden, by B.W.

…or TEOTWAWKI, it is important to consider your alternatives to modern pharmaceuticals and think about growing your own medicines. While this can certainly be done in a backyard herb garden or even using guerrilla gardening techniques, my proposal is that herbal medicine can become the focal point of your front yard garden beds and in doing so, can be hiding in plain sight. Whether you live on a 1,000 square foot lot in the city or a compound in the woods, I think all can benefit from these additions to your landscaping and can take you one step further to surviving and thriving no matter what comes your way. The following are my favorite books for the beginning herbalist. They include uses of different herbs, recipes, and how-to guides for making tinctures, infusions, salves, and teas. Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs A Beginner’s Guide Herbal Medicine for Beginners The Herbal Apothecary…


Letter Re: Herbal Medications and Remedies

Dear Jim: I read ‘The Gray Nineties‘ [an early draft edition of the novel “Patriots”] back when it was shareware, and did some gun accessory business with you back then. [In the early to mid-1990s.] I finally got around to perusing SurvivalBlog. One of the old posts includes a plea for ‘hard data’ on effectiveness of herbal medicines. My wife used to work for a ‘neutriceuticals’ company, doing literature reviews, and as an M.D. I have some exposure to the literature as well (though not as much as I should — I keep wasting time reading things that might have an effect on reducing my need for my own services). What I have observed is that there is not much out there in the way of good research on herbal preparations. What little there is shows mostly negative or equivocal results (which makes it hard to get published). What little…


A Guide for the Herbal Medicine Closet, by Heather F.

…wonderful eyewash for conjunctivitis. Elderberry is absolutely wonderful for the respiratory system! A powerful immune-booster. Every time I feel a cold coming on I go straight to elderberry tea! Typically within a few hours I feel myself again! It’s Uses: Leaves: emollient, vulnerary (topically), strong purgative, expectorant, diuretic, diaphoretic. Flowers: diaphoretic, anti-catarrhal, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory. JWR Adds: Elderberry contains a cyaniad producing glycoside in that is particularly dangerous to small children. It also contains an alkaloid that is toxic in fruit that is not ripe, so beware of that as well. As with any herbal remedy, reserach it well before use! Berries: Diaphoretic, immune-building, laxative, anti-rheumatic. How to use it: Syrup: Place around 5 oz. Fresh berries, or 3-4 oz. dried berries in a mason jar, cover with boiling water. Allow to sit over-night. Drain out the liquid, and reheat slightly. Add about ½ c honey. Now you have your infusion….


When the Antidepressants Run Out, by Dr. S.V.

…is active since 1978 and it has a panel of multidisciplinary experts in the field of medicine, pharmacology, botanist, toxicologists and others. This panel came out with 312 monographs of clinically supported herbal use with 286 individual herbs and herbal formulations. The main criteria of this panel is that the herb should be absolutely proven to be safe and and should show reasonable efficacy. These monographs represent the most comprehensive and supported information about herbs In 1978 the German government established an expert committee, the Commission E, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of over 300 herbs and herb combinations sold in Germany. The results were published as official monographs that give the approved uses, contraindications, side effects, dosage, drug interactions and other therapeutic information essential for the responsible use of herbs and phyto-medicines. For the first time, the complete set of all Commission E monographs has been complied, translated…