Sunburn happens. If you have very fair skin, it can happen year round, but for most people, sunburn is an annual summertime event, despite their best intentions to avoid it! Avoiding sunburn by using sunscreen, covering up with long sleeves and a hat, and staying out of the sun during the sunniest of the day is always the best policy. But sometimes sunburn happens anyway, whether we forgot the sunscreen or it wore off, or we didn’t think we’d be …
Are you thinking about learning herbalism as a readiness skill to better help yourself and loved ones during an emergency? Let me be the first to tell you that getting a solid herbal education can be tough, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Anyone can learn herbalism, but it’s helpful to know which approach is the right one for you. There are many different ways to learn: you can enroll in a local herb school, take online classes, or gather resources to …
There may be a day when you cannot run to a grocery store or pharmacy for medical supplies. A visit to a doctor may be impossible however there are a number of time-tested remedies that may prove useful. Having certain items on hand can help prepare you for situations where medical attention is necessary. Here’s what should be in your natural medicine kit Aloe vera plant – Anyone who has had a sunburn knows how wonderful aloe vera can be …
One of the most uncomfortable day to day health challenges has to be suffering through a round of hay fever every year. Many people rely either on prescriptions or a handful of capsules from the health food store to stay comfortable during allergy season, but herbs for seasonal allergies can be a simple alternative, and surprisingly, many of them are readily available as common weeds. Because of their weedy, grow-almost-anywhere nature, these plants make a great allergy back up plan …
You know how almost everyone has that one thing they swear by? Sometimes it’s a remedy, or a recipe, or an herb. My great-grandmother used to have a bottle of witch hazel in the medicine cabinet of her tiny mobile home bathroom. Myself, I tend to swear by lavender and rose essential oils for most of my aches and pains. If you have those two things, you will basically live forever. (Kidding.) However, I may now have to expand my list to three sacred …
Herbal first aid is a great skill to have in your preparedness tool kit, and although I’m going to go over some of the contents of 3 types of herbal first aid kits with you in this article, it’s important to remember that herbal first aid is also a set of skills. You need to learn the correct doses, how to prepare herbs into usable form, plus all of the regular first aid (and wilderness first aid) skills to go with …
An herbal liniment is a liquid herbal preparation for rubbing into the skin. In an emergency preparedness scenario, liniment-making is a good skill to have in order to provide extra comfort for burns and sunburns, strains and sprains, and injuries from accidents or trauma. Witch Hazel: A Versatile Herb for Liniments Rubbing alcohol, vinegar, or even vodka can be used as the base for an herbal liniment, but witch hazel extract is one of the most popular bases. And, even though …
Wound care should be an important part of your first aid preparedness training. After all, what may be a harmless paper cut by today’s standards could set the stage for infection in a less sanitary environment. Furthermore, if access to higher medical care were interrupted, there would be no ambulance or life flight, and maybe even no emergency room, to provide care for more serious wounds and injuries. First aid for wounds covers many different aspects. Especially in a SHTF …
Antibiotics are often a popular topic in preparedness circles. Some people want to incorporate herbal antibiotics as alternatives to prescriptions, or as a supplement to traditional antibiotics. This might be from a desire to incorporate plants they can grow or forage so they have backup supplies, or because of a concern for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation that gets passed around on the Internet regarding herbal antibiotics. You have probably come across long lists …
Sage – the culinary seasoning that makes its way into so many holiday recipes – should also make its way into your herbal preps kit. Here’s some of the best preparedness uses for sage. Although it is usually only valued as an ingredient in savory dishes nowadays, sage (salvia officinalis) has been valued for health and healing for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks as well as Chinese used varieties of sage for an astounding number of health problems. Common …