In a medical emergency you may not have access to either prescription or herbal medicines. It is a really good idea for you to stock your pantry with assorted herbs that have healing properties either in the dried form or the liquid form. It is easy to make your own.
Records of Native American, Roman, Egyptian and Hebrew medical practices shows that herbs have been used safely to cure almost every known illness for centuries. Although herbs are considered to be natural keep in mind that they are in a sense drugs and should be labelled, respected and kept out of the wrong little hands. After all, all that the pharmaceutical industry really is a business that is solely based on their ability to isolate the powerful ingredient in these plants and sell them for a lot more money. In Europe prescribing herbal remedies is as common as the prescribing of pharmaceutical drugs.
Many people believe that herbs are just as effective as drugs but without the side effects. This is not always true. A herb such as valerian, used for insomnia can cause dizziness and hallucinations. St. John’s Wort causes the same kind of photosensitivity to the sun that antidepressants and antibiotics do. It is always a good idea to research an herb to see what its potential side effects are and write this on the jars that you store them in before you put them in your shelter.
Although it is true that herbs are less likely to cause side effects realize that many of them are very potent. You should also be aware that the compounds in some herbs also interact with other medications. For instance you would never take valerian in combination with a drug lorezapam unless you wanted to end up in a stupor that could lead to a coma. Always consult with a physician if you are on long-term medication and wish to take herbs as well.
As a general rule of thumb herbs that are bitter tasting are medicinal herbs. Herbs that are more pleasant tasting can be used more often are the ones that we use to flavour food. Almost all roots and barks have natural fungicidal and bactericidal properties. Yet another thing to remember is that the fresher the herb is, the more potent it is. The other good news is that it is easy to make your own tinctures, teas and herbs stuffed inside gelatine capsules.