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Herbal Remedies for Various Ailments
Here’s a list of remedies for various ailments that you might face in a survival situation (Thanks to my sister Fuchsia for helping me compile this list!!)
Please Note: The following remedies are for use ONLY in a survival situation, not for routine use:
· Diarrhea. Drink tea made from the roots of blackberries and their relatives to stop diarrhea.
White oak bark and other barks containing tannin are also effective.
However, use them with caution when nothing else is available because of possible negative effects on the kidneys.
You can also stop diarrhea by eating white clay or campfire ashes.
Tea made from cowberry or cranberry or hazel leaves works too.
· Antihemorrhagics. Make medications to stop bleeding from a poultice of the puffball mushroom, from plantain leaves, or most effectively from the leaves of the common yarrow or woundwort (Achillea millefolium).
· Antiseptics. Use to cleanse wounds, sores, or rashes.
You can make them from the expressed juice from wild onion or garlic, or expressed juice from chickweed leaves or the crushed leaves of dock.
You can also make antiseptics from a decoction of burdock root, mallow leaves or roots, or white oak bark.
All these medications are for external use only.
· Fevers. Treat a fever with a tea made from willow bark, an infusion of elder flowers or fruit, linden flower tea, or elm bark decoction.
· Colds and sore throats. Treat these illnesses with a decoction made from either plantain leaves or willow bark.
You can also use a tea made from burdock roots, mallow or mullein flowers or roots, or mint leaves.
· Aches, pains, and sprains. Treat with externally applied poultices of dock, plantain, chickweed, willow bark, garlic, or sorrel.
You can also use salves made by mixing the expressed juices of these plants in animal fat or vegetable oils.
· Itching. Relieve the itch from insect bites, sunburn, or plant poisoning rashes by applying a poultice of jewelweed (Impatiens biflora) or witch hazel leaves (Hamamelis virginiana).
The jewelweed juice will help when applied to poison ivy rashes or insect stings.
It works on sunburn as well as aloe vera.
· Sedatives. Get help in falling asleep by brewing a tea made from mint leaves or passionflower leaves.
· Hemorrhoids. Treat them with external washes from elm bark or oak bark tea, from the expressed juice of plantain leaves, or from a Solomon’s seal root decoction.
· Constipation. Relieve constipation by drinking decoctions from dandelion leaves, rose hips, or walnut bark. Eating raw daylily flowers will also help.
· Worms or intestinal parasites. Using moderation, treat with tea made from tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) or from wild carrot leaves.
· Gas and cramps. Use a tea made from carrot seeds as an antiflatulent; use tea made from mint leaves to settle the stomach.
· Antifungal washes. Make a decoction of walnut leaves or oak bark or acorns to treat ringworm and athlete’s foot.
Apply frequently to the site, alternating with exposure to direct sunlight.
Dealing With Intestinal Parasites and Diarrhea During TEOTWAWKI
If everything hits the fan then you definately want to keep as healthy as possible.
Sometimes though it’s not the big things that can take you down.
Intestinal Parasites and Diarrhea may not sound too threatening when compared to a horde of zombies but believe me, if you get hit with either of these and you don’t know what to do, then you can be down and out in a heartbeat.
Intestinal Parasites
You can usually avoid worm infestations and other intestinal parasites if you take preventive measures.
For example, never go barefoot (that includes all you Cody Lundin wannabes too!!).
The most effective way to prevent intestinal parasites is to avoid uncooked meat and raw vegetables contaminated by raw sewage or human waste used as a fertilizer.
However, should you become infested and lack proper medicine, you can use home remedies.
Keep inmind that these home remedies work on the principle of changing the environment of the gastrointestinal
tract.
The following are home remedies you could use:
· Salt water. Dissolve 4 tablespoons of salt in 1 liter of water and drink.
Do not repeat this treatment.
· Tobacco. Eat 1 to 1.5 cigarettes. The nicotine in the cigarette will kill or stun the worms long
enough for your system to pass them.
If the infestation is severe, repeat the treatment in 24 to 48 hours, but no sooner.
· Kerosene. Drink 2 tablespoons of kerosene but no more.
If necessary, you can repeat this treatment in 24 to 48 hours.
Be careful not to inhale the fumes as they may cause lung irritation.
· Hot peppers. Peppers are effective only if they are a steady part of your diet.
You can eat them raw or put them in soups or rice and meat dishes.
They create an environment that is prohibitive to parasitic attachment.
Diarrhea
A common, debilitating ailment caused by a change of water and food, drinking contaminated water, eating spoiled food, becoming fatigued, and using dirty dishes.
You can avoid most of these causes by practicing preventive medicine.
If you get diarrhea, however, and do not have antidiarrheal medicine, one of the following treatments may be effective:
· Limit your intake of fluids for 24 hours.
· Drink one cup of a strong tea solution every 2 hours until the diarrhea slows or stops.
The tannic acid in the tea helps to control the diarrhea.
Boil the inner bark of a hardwood tree for 2 hours or more to release the tannic acid.
· Make a solution of one handful of ground chalk, charcoal, or dried bones and treated water. If you have some apple pomace or the rinds of citrus fruit, add an equal portion to the mixture to make it more effective.
Take 2 tablespoons of the solution every 2 hours until the diarrhea slows or stops.
Simple Homemade Toothpaste Recipes
When the crap hits the fan dental hygiene will be extremely important!
Think I’m kidding? The last thing you need is your teeth rotting out of your skull while you are trying to wait out the end of the world.
I mean really, you’re going to have enough problems as it is!
So to help fight those pesky post-apocalytic cavities here’s a couple of basic tooth paste recipes.
Recipe 1
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 small packet of stevia powder
20-25 drops of peppermint oil*
1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, using a fork.
*Add about half of the amount of peppermint oil to start, and test the toothpaste to see how much you want/like.
Recipe 2
1/4 cup white cosmetic clay
1/4 cup vegetable glycerin
20 drops tincture of myrrh
4 drops orange essential oil
4 drops clove essential oil
1. Put all ingredients in a bowl, and whisk them thoroughly until smooth.
2. Fill a plastic toothpaste tube ( available at camping-equipment stores) with the paste. Fold the end of the tube over several times until it is firmly sealed, or fill a jar with the paste.
3. Store in a cool, dry place away from bright light.
Use within 6 months.
How To Make and Apply a Bread Poultice
Bread poultices work very well for infections.
They are also excellent for boils and are a very effective method of bringing a boil to a head or bringing infection to the surface.
How to Make One
Pour boiling water over bread and wrap in gauze or cheese cloth and place on cut or wound.
Use as hot as you can stand it. Repeat a few times a day as long as necessary.
It works fast!!!
Making A Comfrey Poultice
Comfrey Plant
What’s Comfrey??
Comfrey is an essential herb to have growing in your garden as it can be used as a fertilizer and also has many medicinal uses.
Allantoin is the healing compound found in comfrey that has been shown to break down red blood cells and accelerate the production of new cells to speed healing.
In years gone by, it was referred to as Knitbone as it has healing qualities and a paste of comfrey was used as a plaster cast for broken bones.
A poultice made of comfrey can be used to treat bruises, wounds, ulcers and other skin wounds. Also a poultice relieves the pain of a swollen joint.
How to Make a Comfrey Poultice
. Chop up 1 cup of comfrey leaves or root and cover with very hot water.
. Let steep until cooled.
. Place the leaves between gauze or cheesecloth bandage.
. Squeeze the poultice gently to remove excess liquid.
. Apply to affected area.
. Repeat application if needed.
Comfrey should be used on superficial cuts and wounds only. It is not for use on deep wounds or severe burns. If you develop a fever or the wound begins draining pus, or lines and redness develop near the wound, this can be a sign of a serious infection, and you should seek treatment immediately from a Doctor.
One also can soak an injured limb in a bowl full of comfrey tea to ease pain.