A Short Primer On How to Use Herbs

The fresh leaves, barks and roots of herbs can be used n their natural form or they can be found in the form of capsules, tablets, liquid supplements, bark pieces, teas, powders, extracts, tinctures, cream lotions, oils and salves. You can also buy the whole leaves of herbs, berries, flowers, seeds and bark in some health food stores.

 

There are numerous ways to safely use herbs –

 

Compress – A compress is a cloth soaked in a warm or cool herbal tea that is applied directly on the injured area. Never use a compress on an open bleeding wound!

 

Decoctions and Infusions – Make tea from the bark root, seed or berry of a plant. Never boil herbs or you will remove healing compounds. Decoctions made from herb pats should only be simmered for twenty to thirty minutes.

 

Essential Oils –Essential oils are derived from herbs or other plants through the process of steam distillation or cold pressing. They are usually mixed with vegetable oil or water and are used as a mouth, ear or eye wash or as an inhalant, douche or tea. You can also use these oils as massage oils.

 

Extracts – Extracts are made by pressing herbs with a heavy hydraulic pres and soaking them in alcohol or water. Excess alcohol or water is allowed to evaporate and this yields a concentrated extract.

 

Herbal Vinegars – Herbs are immersed into raw apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or malt vinegar and left to stand for two weeks. Herbalist say that you can use this concoction for years however to be on the safe side – use all herbal vinegars within three months.

 

Ointments and Salves – An extract, tea pressed juiced or powdered form of the herb is added to a salve that is applied to an affected area. Never apply an ointment to an open bleeding wound.

 

Poultice – A poultice is a heated moist mast of herbs combined with mustard or flour that is spread on muslin or a similar cloth and then worn on an inflamed or sore area of the body for up to twenty-four hours. The purpose of a poultice is to relieve pain and inflammation.

 

Powder – Perhaps this does not need explaining but it is when the useful part of the herb is ground up into powder, which is then made into capsules or tablets.

 

Syrup – Herbal syrup is made by adding the herbs to sugar and water and boils it down. When taking syrup be sure to take the recommended dosage or you could overdose or not get enough of the active ingredients.

 

Tinctures – Tinctures are a well preserved formed of fresh herbs. The herbs are preserved in alcohol, brandy or vodka. You can make your own tinctures at home.

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Stocking Your Shelter or Pantry With Herbs is a Good Idea

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.

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