Herbs and Herbal Info

Here's some general and basic info about herbs and herbal preparations.

• Comfrey salve: This salve will be useful for helping to heal minor cuts and scrapes. It can also be used on bruises and to moisturize dry skin. Since comfrey is a powerful and quick healing plant, please be sure to clean your wounds out well before applying your salve so that you don’t heal in an infection.

• Lip balm: We have been so glad we included lip balm in our travel kit, especially after a day at the beach. It’s so nice to be able to soothe dry, cracked lips as soon as we notice them!

• Valerian tincture: This can be invaluable to help ease frazzled travel nerves. A dropperful before going to sleep can help you have a restful night in an unfamiliar place or just calm your nerves in the midst of a stressful situation.

• Dried yarrow: A quick spit poultice of dried yarrow can help stop bleeding, disinfect, and help heal even serious cuts and wounds.

• Lavender essential oil: A few drops of this on a damp cotton ball will help disinfect cuts and scrapes.

• Slippery elm lozenges: These are helpful for sore throats and coughs. For the ones you made in Lesson 14, licorice and slippery elm are both soothing for irritation in the throat and healing for any inflammation that may be present. The slippery elm will be particularly soothing for a dry cough and the licorice will act as an expectorant.

• Chamomile tea: A cup of chamomile tea can help ease nausea and anxiety. Tea bags can also be used to create a chamomile steam to help clear congestion, or used as a poultice for eye issues.

• Peppermint tea: A simple cup of peppermint tea can greatly ease stomach upset from eating unfamiliar or less healthy food (as we all sometimes do when on vacation). It’s also great for reducing flatulence and easing heartburn.

• Echinacea tincture: A few drops of this tincture can also be used to disinfect wounds. This is also great to carry with you on trips. Taking a dropperful (30 drops) a few times a day for a couple days before traveling can help boost your immune system so you’re less likely to get sick. We always do this before getting on an airplane, for example. Echinacea is also great for sore throats. Simply squirt a dropperful directly onto your throat every hour until symptoms cease. You can also take a dropperful of tincture every hour under your tongue when a cold or flu comes on to boost your immune system.

• Wormwood tincture: This is a strong tincture that can be used to treat food poisoning and parasites including roundworms and threadworms as well as intestinal worms. To treat cramping, diarrhea, gas, and bloating that is a result of these issues, take 3 drops of the tincture in about a 1/4 cup of water every hour for up to 4 hours.

• Yarrow tincture: This tincture can be used as an anti-bacterial both internally and externally. So it is great for disinfecting and healing wounds. It is also useful cold and flu prevention, healing sore throats, and bringing down fevers. Finally, your tincture in the spray bottle makes a great insect repellant. You can use it straight or dilute it.

• Tea tree essential oil: This is also a wonderful disinfectant for most wounds. It can also be used for fungal infections and for healing the herpes virus. It is a great remedy for cold sores. Simply put a few drops on a Q-tip and dab on the cold sore when it first appears.

• Homeopathic arnica: This is our family’s favorite remedy for bumps and bruises. One or two little tablets dissolved in your mouth immediately after a bump will really help reduce swelling and bruising.

• Rescue Remedy: We keep this on hand to help settle our nerves after an accident. Just a few drops under the tongue of any upset individual can help calm them down in just moments.

• Bentonite clay: You can mix with water and make a paste for insect bite relief and healing of poison ivy. You can add to a bath for itching as well. There are internal uses as well that you can research, such as using for diarrhea.

• Cayenne pepper: rebuild heart tissue, strengthen arterial walls, blood thinner (stimulates blood). Can be used internally and externally. Sore throat, low hydrochloride acid (wakes up GI), poor cicrculation.

  
  

  How to make a Cayenne pepper compress (for circulation)

  Use: Cotton/paper towel/plastic, Add Olive oil/castor oil. Sprinkle cayenne pepper on top layer of oil. Wrap Straight onto body (hands/feet)

Types of Herbal Remedies:

Infusions, Decoction, Syrup, Vinegars, Liniments, Honey, Tinctures, Infused oils, Steams, Salves, Balm (lip), Poultices, compresses and fomentations, Tea and tea blends, Lozenges, Bath salts, Tooth powder, Wild food

Herbs for Cystic Fibrosis:

• Ginger root: GI issues, nausea, gas bloating, inflammation, circulatory stimulant, arthritis, reduce fevers, indigestion & pain. Good in tea, tinctures, food, capsules or powder.

• Garlic: infections, expectorant, digestive stimulant, circulatory stimulant, cold and flu, cardiovascular system, imbalance of gut, skin and ear infections, or respiratory infections. Diluted in carrier oil for topical. Good in food (raw or crushed), teas, powder, capsules, tincture, infused oil (olive oil with mullein-2 weeks) cooking removes Allicin (anti-microbial)

• Marshmallow: leaf or root; laxative, GI inflammation, respiratory irritation and inflammation, prebiotic, soothes dry coughs and sore throats, moistens dry tissues, GI issues like ulcers, stomach aches, constipation or diarrhea. Good in teas, capsules, powder of root is most potent (mix with cold water). High heat and tinctures will remove many properties. Tea made with leaves.

• Catnip, peppermint, or mints (leaves): antispasmodic for gut and respiratory; gas, bloating, gut pain, soothes nausea, circulatory stimulant, whole herb and EO good for headaches, GI stimulant, colic in infants, teething, fevers and expectorant. Best used in teas or flyer in extracts. Capsules and EO. Catnip more mild, safest and calming for children. Peppermint EO ingestion for GI issues, also good for Pseudomonas biofilm.

• Mullein (leaf, flower and root): leaf for antispasmodic for Respiratory, expectorant (tea best way). Flower used for stimulating expectorant, nerve tonic, ear infection, and pain (infused oil). Root used for nerve pain, spasms, facial palsy, ticks, TMJ. (Tincture or decoction). best infused in olive oil (with garlic)

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