Herbal First Aid
Sorce Unknown
Allspice: Topical pain relief, tea and mouthwash.
Aloe: Break off an aloe leaf and scrape the gel to soothe minor
burns, scalds and sunburns. Aloe has tissue regenerative properties,
and it will help heal all wounds.
Anise/seed (Pimpinella anisum): Used in a decoction recipe for a cold.
Actions: diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant.
Use: tea form-- treatment for colic; sedative. Seven tsp. of seed to
one quart water, boil down by half, add 4 tbsp. of honey, take two
tsp. to calm a cough. Drink tea for memory, aid digestion, and a wash
for oily skin.
Arrow root powder: One tbs. in a cup of juice every few hours to
relieve diarrhea. Poultice to soothe skin inflammations.
Asparagus: Boil in water and drink the water for kidney problems.
Dissolves uric acid deposits and promotes urination.
Basil: tea form-- colds, flu, cramps, bladder. Add fresh herb or
seeds to boiled water to make tea for migraines and bed time
restlessness. Pregnant women should avoid medicinal use of basil.
Bay: do not take internally-- use as poultice on chest for bronchitis
and chest colds.
Bay Laurel: Heat leaves in a little olive oil to make a bay oil salve
for arthritis and aches.
Black Pepper: take at first sign of any disease. Pain relief from
toothache, brings down a fever.
Burdock Root (Arctium lappa): Blood purifier. Useful for any systemic
rash conditions, such as psoria-sis. Antiseptic. Useful for bites,
stings, animal bites and boils. For rashes, use internally and
externally. Internally, burdock is also useful for arthritic
conditions, rheumatism, and many types of infections. It is the
primary ingredient in ESSIAC TEA, a Native American cancer formula.
Burdock is a plentiful "weed" in our area that we can harvest.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis): This species of marigold is often
cultivated in gardens. Calendula helps to soothe inflamed tissues,
reduce pain and aids in quick healing of cuts and abrasions.
Caraway: Mild stimulant for digestion. Bring 2 cups of water to a
boil and add 4 tsp. lightly crushed seeds. Simmer for 5 minutes, then
steep 15 min. Drink with meals to prevent gas, even for infant colic.
Promotes menstruation.
Cardamon/seeds (Elletaria cardamomum): Used in a decoction recipe for
a cold
Actions: carminative, stimulant, stomachic. Use: Digestive aid, eases
gluten intolerance (celiac disease). Sprinkle powder on cereal.
Catnip/herb (Nepeta catana): Used for feverish colds and flus, thick
nasal congestion and congested lungs, diarrhea and upset stomach.
Actions: Diaphoretic, astringent (tones mucous membranes thereby
creating discharge), sedative .
Celery: Sedative. Seed and stalk reduces hypertension. Celery seed
tea for the kidneys as a cleanser.
Chamomile/flowers (Anthemic nobilis, or Matricaria recutita): Used
for fever and restlessness in children. Actions: anodyne,
antispasmodic, bitter tonic, diaphoretic.
Wild Cherry/bark (Prunus serotina): Used for cough - soothes
bronchial spasms.
Action: relaxing expectorant.
Chicory: Liver cleanser, fat cleanser, dissolves gallstones. Prepare
like coffee.
Chickweed (Stellaria media): Cooling, antiseptic herb used to treat
inflammations, relieve itching, blisters, boils, and abscesses. Fresh
plant is edible in salads or as a cooked green. You can find
chickweed growing in your lawn, garden, or meadows.
Cinnamon: Ground or taken with milk-- good balance after a heavy meal
or dessert; also used for diarrhea, dysentery or general indigestion.
Mouthwash, good for upset stomach. Simmer sticks with cloves for 3
min, add 2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. honey, 2 tbs. whiskey - as cold
medication. Cinnamon is good for athlete's foot. A 2% solution will
kill this condition. Boil 8-10 sticks in 4 cups water, simmer 5 min,
steep 45 min, then apply to athlete's foot. Cinnamon reduces cancer
causing tendencies of many food additives.
Cinnamon/bark (Cinnamomum species): Used in a decoction recipe for a
cold warming digestive. Actions: antispasmodic, diaphoretic,
antiseptic.
Cloves: Chew for toothache, also good for nausea or vomiting. Use oil
for pain relief for sore gums and toothache. Add clove oil to neutral
oils for topical pain relief of arthritis. Small amounts of clove in
a tea for nausea. 3 cloves in two cups of boiled water, steeped for
20 minutes, as an antiseptic and mouthwash. Former alcoholics can
suck on one or two cloves when the craving strikes to curb the
desire.
Coriander: The tea can be held in the mouth to relieve the pain of a
toothache. Can also be drank to relieve flatulence and indigestion.
Dill: Bring one pint of white wine almost to a boil, remove from heat
and add 4 tsp. of dill seeds, let steep 30 minutes and strain. Drink
1½ cups a half hour before retiring to sleep well. To the same
directions, but substitute for the 4 tsp. of dill, instead add 1 tsp.
each of anise, caraway, coriander and dill to stimulate the flow of
breast milk in nursing mothers. Chewing dill seeds removes bad
breath.
Eucalyptus: Tea form-- to sooth a sore throat.
Fennel: Tea form-- to expel mucus. Chewing fennel seeds relieves bad
breath. Fennel seed tea sweetens breast-milk. Fennel tea relieves
colic in infants.
Garlic/cloves (Allium sativum): Used for: Chronic and acute bacterial
colds and flus, especially of the upper respiratory tract, with cough
and mucous production; for ex. bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough.
Actions: Antimicrobial, antifungal, expectorant and diaphoretic. Use:
high and low blood pressure; removing parasites and infections.
Ultimate antibiotic. Strongly recommended for hypoglycemia, and
diabetes. Destroys intestinal parasites. Reduces cholesterol. Repels
insects, and reduces sting effects of insects and red ants.
Ginger/rhizome (Zingeber officinale): Used for: good for first signs
of cold /flu or for full-blown cold/flu. Actions: antiviral,
diaphoretic, suppressing cough
Use: tea form-- for cramps and nausea; externally for stiffness; add
in cooking to detoxify meat, especially chicken. Anti-nausea tea,
blood thinner, substitute for coumadin. Boil 2/3 cup of freshly
chopped root in 1 gallon water, wrapped in cheesecloth (or old nylon
stocking) until the water is yellow. Then soak towel and lay on
bruises and sprains while still hot, to ease them. Stimulates a
delayed period. Warm ginger tea is good to break up congestion and
fever. Ginger is one of the few herbs that easily passes the
blood/brain membrane and is used in conjunction with other herbs that
are meant to have an effect on the mind. Pregnant women should avoid
medicinal concentrations of ginger.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis): Antiseptic and astringent. Used
for cuts, wounds, infections, bites, and stings. Goldenseal is also
widely used internally for the treatment of sinus infections and
other inflamma-tions of the mucus membranes, including the stomach
and intestinal tract. The medicinal part of the plant is the root.
Goldenseal is now scarce and should not be harvested from the wild.
Try to buy goldenseal roots that are cultivated or grow your own if
you have a rich woods.
Honeysuckle/flowers (Lonicera japonica): Used for colds and flu -
especially good at the first signs. Action: antiviral.
Horseradish: Freshly dug root is added to a cold-pressed oil of
choice (such as safflower or olive) to make a massage oil for muscle
aches and to break up chest congestion. Grate fresh ginger and
horseradish together and make a tea to stop post nasal drip.
Lemon/fruit: Used for colds, cough - good in syrups. Action: vitamin
C.
Lemon balm/herb (Melissa officinalis): Used for: Good for colds and
flus that produce a fever. Also for colds and flus that cause the
person to feel tense and depressed. Actions: Antispasmodic,
diaphoretic, relieves stomach and intestinal gas.
Lemongrass: ½ cup dried leaves to 2 pints of water, simmer for 10
minutes, and sip to bring down fevers.
Licorice/root (Glycyrrhiza glabra): Used for bronchial problems with
a cold or flu
Actions: expectorant, laxative, demulcent, antiviral. Use:
Tranquilizer. Balances nervous system, stimulates liver functions.
Long term usage (over 3 months) could cause liver damage.
Marjoram and Oregano: Over 2 dozen related species. Use as a tea to
help reduce fevers and break up bronchitis. Drink tea to relieve
cramps and irregular menstruation. Eases suffering of childhood
diseases like mumps and measles.
Marshmallow/root (Althaea officinalis): Used for coughs associated
with a cold or flu, sore throat. Actions: expectorant, demulcent,
antiseptic.
Mint (Peppermint and spearmint): Peppermint tea for migraines,
nervousness, stomach disorders, heartburn, and abdominal cramps.
Herpes sufferers can take 2 cups of tea a day to ease the symptoms
when the virus is active. Mints are used to buffer the action of
other herbs that have uncomfortable effects on the stomach and
intestines. Can be used in any combination for flavor. Tea form--
excellent for stomach ache
Mullein/flowers, leaves (Verbascum thapsus): Used for earaches (oil
of the flowers), coughs with a cold or flu - very soothing. Actions:
relaxing expectorant, antiviral.
Mustard: 1 ½cups of dry yellow mustard in a bathtub of water for
sprained backs. Make a paste with water and apply to knee and elbow
sprains till blisters appear! Mustard and ginger plaster for deep
rattling coughs - 1 tsp. each mustard and ginger powder mixed with 2
½tbs. of olive oil. Rub over chest and back and put on an old T-shirt
(or cover with cloth diaper).
Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha): Antiseptic and astringent. Very effective
antiseptic used in salves. Combined with goldenseal, myrrh is good
for wounds, bedsores, abscesses, and hemorrhoids. Internally, myrrh
is used to treat fungal infections, congestion, ulcers, and as a wash
for sore gums.
Nutmeg and Mace: Gas, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and kidney
problems - make a paste of powder with cold water and then add to
boiled water. 1 tbs. of powdered nutmeg produces a floating euphoria
for between 6 and 24 hours. Can cause near constant erections for men
during that time. Side effects are bone and muscle aches, burning
eyes, sinus drainage, and limited diarrhea.
Onion/bulb (Allium cepa officinalis): Used before and during a cold -
cough syrup - as a poultice. Actions: antimicrobial, expectorant.
Use: Egyptians swore their oaths on onions; Grant refused to move his
army until he got 3 railroad cars full of onions; interviews with
hundreds of people who lived to 100 plus all indicated a heavy intake
of onions in the diet. Onion is an excellent dressing for burns.
Crush sliced onions with a little bit of salt and apply to burns.
Apply sliced onion to bee and wasp stings. For asthma: puree an
onion, cover it with brandy and let sit overnight, strain it, filter
it through a coffee filter, and refrigerate. Take 2 tbs. 20 minutes
before expected onset or before going to bed.
Parsley: A few sprigs provide 2/3 the vitamin C of an orange, lots of
vitamin A, and the important amino acid histidine, which is a tumor
inhibitor. Parsley tea is good for kidney problems, painful
urination, and kidney stones. One cup of parsley to 1 quart of water
makes a strong tea. Two cups of parsley to 1 quart of water, steep an
hour and drink warm, as an aphrodisiac. In Spain they have found that
feeding parsley to sheep will bring them into heat at any time of
year!
Rose/hips (Rosa species): Used as preventive or during a cold or flu.
Action: vitamin C.
Rosemary: Tea form-- for treating headaches and body aches. Flower
tea for the breath. Boil water with rosemary in it to make it safe to
drink. Diuretic and liver aid, increases bile flow. Two handfuls of
flowering tips into 2 cups of good brandy, soak 10 days, strain and
seal. Mouthful twice daily. Oil of rosemary is a natural anti-
oxidant, and stress reliever; sniff for headaches. Chop a double
handful of twigs and put in a pint of olive oil for one week, and use
as a muscle liniment.
Sage/herb (Salvia officinalis): Use as a gargle, during a cold/flu,
or as a tea.
Actions: Astringent, antimicrobial. Use: Chew a fresh leaf and put on
insect bite to reduce sting and swelling. Sage tea for the throat.
Two cups of sage tea a day for a week will dry up mother's milk. For
the itching of skin problems, steep a handful of freshly crushed
leaves in a pint of boiled water for one hour, and bathe the area,
then sprinkle with whole wheat flour. Sage tea prevents blood clots.
St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum): The salve is good for burns,
wounds, bruises, sores, insect bites, fungal infections such as
eczema, and itching. St. John's Wort is used internally for the
treatment of depression and is currently being researched for
possible use in the treatment of AIDS. St. John's Wort can be
harvested from the wild if you find large patches of it. Animals
develop photosensitivity when they consume St. John's Wort and there
is some evidence that humans consuming large amounts of the herb may
develop photosensitivity. When using a St. John's Wort Salve, it is
best not to use it before long periods of sun exposure.
Spearmint/herb (Mentha spicata): Gentle herb, good for children, good
for colds and flus of the gastrointestinal tract and mild fevers.
Actions: Antispasmodic, prevents vomiting, relieves stomach and
intestinal gas, diaphoretic, reduces pain.
Tarragon: 1 ½ tsp. cut dried herb in 1 ¾ cups boiled water, steep 40
minutes, drink warm for insomnia, hyperactivity, depression, or
nervous exhaustion (or anything "jittery"). For digestion steep a
handful of dried leaves in a jar with apple cider vinegar, stand 7
hours, strain and seal. Take 1 tbs. before each meal.
Thyme/herb (Thymus vulgaris): Used as a tea during a cold/flu.
Actions: Antispasmodic, antimicrobial. Use: Tea form-- to rid of
intestinal worms; can also be used as a mouthwash. Antibiotic. A tsp.
in ½ cup boiled water to make a gargle or mouthwash, to prevent bad
breath, tooth decay, and cold sores. Drink for cold, flu, fever, and
allergy symptoms. As a bath for nail fungus and athlete's foot.
Compress for bumps and bruises. Health liqueur - 6 sprigs of thyme in
1 ½ cups of brandy for 5 days, shaking daily. Take several times
daily when you feel a cold coming on. Thyme is good for killing
bacteria and for relaxing tense muscles. Relieves migraine headaches
and stomach cramps.
Turmeric: Added to warm milk-- regulates menstrual cycle. Anti-
oxidant. Powdered turmeric on any ulcerated skin condition or mix
with enough lime juice to make a paste and put on herpes sores,
mumps, chicken pox, etc. Dip a cloth in turmeric solution to wash
away discharges from conjunctivitis and opthamalia. As an anti-
inflammatory, turmeric's properties are as good as 1 % hydrocortisone
and phenylobutazone. Take ½ tsp. in juice in the morning and evening
to aid in removing fat around the liver.
Vanilla: Sexual stimulant. Soak a cotton ball with vanilla extract,
squeeze it out, put it under the tongue and it will quickly calm
hysteria.
Vinegar: Naturally brewed apple cider vinegar deserves a course all
on it's own. It is one of the finest blood cleansers and arthritis
cures known. Take 1 tbs. per day of equal parts vinegar and honey in
water to taste to cleanse the blood and reduce inflammation from
arthritis. Be sure to use naturally brewed vinegar, as the white
cheap stuff in the grocery store is actually acetic acid, a petroleum
by-product, and pretty well useless. (except as a window cleaner!)
Watercress/herb (Nasturtium officinale): Used before or during a
cold/flu. Actions: Vitamin C, minerals, expectorant.
Witch Hazel Extract: Use it to treat minor burns, sunburn, and insect
bites. Apply to nasal passages to stop nosebleeds. Wash cuts with it
to help cleanse them.
Yarrow/flowers (Achillea millefolium): Used for fever associated with
colds and especially the flu. Action: diaphoretic.
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***Never ingest any herb before seeking professional medical herb. Check with a doctor, herbalist or a good soucre book before ever using any herbs in medicinal ways.