PREPS PART 25: MEDICINAL HERBS

IF TSHTF and the hospitals and doctors offices were out on a permanent vacation, what will we do for medicines?

I know many of you are dedicated herbalists, some are dabblers and many of us have a smattering of herbal lore.

I would love to hear from all of you. What plants do what? How do you grow them and in what parts of the country? How do you identify wild plants for use?
How do you prepare them, store them or make use of them?
What ailments require which plants?
How do you make medicated creams and ointments? cough syrup? Didn't someone recently speak of spruce tips tea for a cough?
How does one use willow bark for fevers?

OK all you brilliant TBers......teach us.

I'll go first. When I was a kid I grew up in the Caribbean. When I had a nasty cough, our butler ( DON"T LAUGH!) made me a concoction from hibiscus flowers, gin, honey and lemon. Worked great!

(3rd crash of DSL connection so this will be brief.)

Graviola, Olive leaf extract extremely effective at eliminating illness
over past 1.5 years.

1,3 Beta Glucan also a significant help.

Former Organic chemist and this is what I go with.

bv

We swear by elderberry extract. I bought it in capsule form and we managed to fight off every "bug" all winter. As soon as we felt like we were coming down with something we'd start taking it, and by the next day we felt almost normal. I made my own extract last fall, but haven't tried it yet.

What about cannabis?

It's been shown in scientific studies to be effective for nausea relief, appetite stimulation, and relief from chronic pain.

Probably impossible to include in preps, but a plant or two shouldn't be too hard to obtain after TEOTWAWKI, and there will be no more problem with actively cultivating them.

http://www.aussurvivalist.com/downloads/AM Final 2.pdf Survival And Austere Medicine.
This is an entire book on the subject of mecidal care without a doctor handy and Chapter 8 is all about herbs and preparation thereof. Lists the 10 wildcrafted herbs that are good to know/have plus the 10 homegrown that are excellent plus lots of other info.

Dinghy said:

We swear by elderberry extract. I bought it in capsule form and we managed to fight off every "bug" all winter. As soon as we felt like we were coming down with something we'd start taking it, and by the next day we felt almost normal. I made my own extract last fall, but haven't tried it yet.

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But what will you do if there is no store to buy it from? I guess I am looking for how to grow your own, forage your own etc.
I don't think I have ever seen an elderberry, or if I have I wouldn't recognize it.

To be self sufficient we must be sufficiently self sustained.

goatlady2 said:

http://www.aussurvivalist.com/downloads/AM Final 2.pdf Survival And Austere Medicine.
This is an entire book on the subject of mecidal care without a doctor handy and Chapter 8 is all about herbs and preparation thereof. Lists the 10 wildcrafted herbs that are good to know/have plus the 10 homegrown that are excellent plus lots of other info.

Click to expand...

that's a great file Goatlady, thanks. Do you grow your own? Do you have any favorites?

Does anyone have a preferred medicinal herb identification book?

Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Steven Foster and James A. Duke (Peterson Field Guide) is my favorite. Excellent pictures and descriptions of plants, the parts used and what they are used for.

Catnip for nerves and mixed with fennel for colic, blackberry or cinnamon for diarrhea, willowbark for pain and inflammation, motherwort for lady's problems and it is very good for heart palpitations related to anxiety, horehound, coltsfoot, and lungwort for coughs and lung problems, comfrey for injuries and as a poultice for boils, chamomile for sleep and as an eyewash, goldenseal for inflammations of the mucous membranes - especially mouth and eyes, thyme in cough mixtures (I think thyme is antibacterial, but I need to check that. I also need another cup of tea!), wintergreen and meadowsweet have salicin which salicylic acid is derived from (aspirin), yarrow as a fever reducer and a blood stopper, ginger for stomach upsets and in liniment with comfrey, hot peppers and willow bark, elderberry for colds and flu...

That is some of what I use, I will probably remember more when I have a cup of tea and wake up a bit more. I have been using herbs for about 35 years, I am self taught and do not hold any illusions of expertise. I know what works for me and my dear ones and hope that it will be of some little use to someone else.

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Spinner, can pink yarrow be used or does it have to be yellow? And what do you mean by a blood stopper?
Can you give your recipes for making these things? What part of the plant do you use etc.

Hi LilRose,

I use wild yarrow mostly and here it is white. I think the pink is probably fine. I mean to stop bleeding of wounds. I will try to give some sort of "recipes" later when (hopefully) I am a bit more alert.

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The only type of SHTF herbalism that will be valuble to us will be what is called "Wildcrafting". This is what you want to study. Some options now to help you would be to find a "Wildcrafting Herbalist" in your area and take some of their classes. They will walk you out into your area and show you the herbs and what they are for. Or grab a book of your area plants and wildflowers. The names of many of these wild plant are different names than what we use so you will need a book on just herbs. Wildcrafting herbs.

Plants that you can grow in your garden that are useful;

Comfrey. During the spring you can use the leaf. The leaf makes a mild tea that is good for coughs and minor skin irritations. The leaf moves energy up and out. Good for phlegm. The plant dies back every year in the fall and this is the time to harvest the root. You can dig gently around the base of the plant and take the root but do not take the whole plant. You can also start new plants with these roots. Harvest the root. From this you can make tinctures to keep on hand. Fill a glass dark jar 3/4th full of the root then top off with 80% vodka. Store in a dark, cool place and shake once a day. In 5-6 weeks your tincture will be ready. Seive off the vodka and put the tincture in another glass jar for use.

The root tincture can also be made into a glycerine tincture for use as salves. Add the tincture into a pan for simmering. Add exactly the same amount of vegetable glycerine and cook down slowly until you have the amount of alcohol tincture. You are cooking out the vodka and now have just glycerine. From this formula you can make a salve. Add one teaspoon vitamin e to preserve, plus what ever oils you need for medicinal use like almond, shea butter for softening, castor for pulling the formula in and put back on the stove. To one cup formula add 3 tbsp bees wax and melt just until the was is almost gone. Take off the stove and stir to cool. When ready to pour add 1/4 tsp lavender essential oil, stir and pour into little containers for later use. This formula should last a year out of the fridge.

To use the root for coughs leave it in alcohol tincture form. The tincture is good coughs. One dropperful a day is needed.

Elecampane root. This herb is for heavy phlegm and bring up and out the thick infection of the lungs. It is the lung plant. It grows nicely in the garden. I have never used the leaf but the root is powerful. Once again follow the recipe for alcohol tincture above. The Elecampane dies back in the winter and this is the time to harvest the root. Follow the same procedure for Comfrey root harvest above.

Arnica Montana. Another powerful plant for soreness and pain. The part of this plant that is harvested is the flower. Harvest the flowers in spring. You can add them to a bottle of vodka and make a tincture. Helps to heal over-doing. Also helps heal with injury such as surgery and such. It also dies back in the winter and comes back in the spring.

Burdock. Burdock is the thistle family. It looks like huge bull thistle. This plant you will need an identifying book. It grows wild in medows and wet areas. You need to harvest the root only. Identify the plant, pull the plant and cut the root off. No need to worry about over-harvesting this herb as it is a prolific weed. Burdock root can be made into a tincture as above. It cleans the blood quick. If you have an infection, spider bite or some virus this plant is the one to use. It works with out any side effects.

Lady's Mantle is another herb for heavy bleeding for women. The plant grows nicely in a wet area. In spring it comes out of the ground. Wait for the fowers to pop out and harvest the stems with little flowers and all. About the top 3-4 inches. It can be made into a tincture. It is wonderful for menopause.

Mother's Wort. This is the mint family. All mint's have a square stem. This also can be made into a tincture. Stops heavy bleeding and is used after birthing. The leaves are used in this plant. You need the new leaves. Here it stays all year long.

Dandelion. This is the plant everyone tries to kill from their lawns. You can take the heads and plant them in a pot. They will return every year. When late fall arrives, harvest the root. The leaves are great in salad. Make a tincture with the root. Dandelion is perfect for colds, flu, infections and cleansing out the liver. Dandelion grows in the presense of radiation. The plant is powerful in drought and it can live in barren areas with no water. These are the plants we want to comsume as they have the protective effects that will pass on to us when we eat them. In fact I learned that we want the plants that live in the most impossible places to grow as they can survive, so can we.

Mugwort. It grows in hard, dry, sandy areas will little water. You can harvest the whole plant and transfer it to your garden. The leaves in spring are used. It also dies back and returns in spring. Mugwort is small amounts us used for parasites. Mugwort and Pumpkin seeds will kill most worms. Two to three leaves are all you need a day for 14 days. You can also tincture and take one-half dropper full a day for worms.

Hibuscus flowers. As mentioned above, these flowers remove heat from the body. They also help relieve the person working in heat. I make a tea from the flowers. You can buy a pound of this dry herb and it will last all year. A couple of one pound bags will store nicely is the SHTF. Two flowers a cup to make infused tea is all you need. I make a half gallon and drink it in the summer. If it removes heat from the body, it can help lower fevers.

Coltsfoot root. This one grows in forest settings. It comes out in spring, so fall is the time to harvest the root. Please do not pull this plant. Only harvest small amounts of the root. Just enough for a couple of bottles of tincture. Coltsfoot is a deconjestant. It brings all the phlegm out of the lungs. It is a little stronger than Elecampane.

Feverfew. This plant is known for allergy problems. In spring you harvest the new leaves only and make a tea. It can also be made into a tincture as above. Mine sends little seeds all over the garden so it is very hardy.

Chamomile. There are two kinds of chamomile. The roman is used in essential oils and chamomile beds. The german is used for teas and tincture making. Chamomile grows wild in many areas. The German Chamomile can be grown is a very dry, sunny area of your yard. You can scatter the flower heads and increase next years yeild. Three bushes gives me 2 pounds of the flowers. This plant can also be tinctured. I give the fresh flowerheads to my parrot for calming him down. It helps with stress too. So you can eat the fresh flowers, dry them or tincture them for later use. Chamomile is a source of calcium as is Horsetail (shavegrass), clover, nettles, oatstraw, and redclover. This will make a nice high calcium formula in equal amounts.

Stinging Nettles. This grows in the most impossible areas. Be careful to use gloves on this plant. If you touch it, it is much like little bee stings that will last all day. Nettles boost the immune system and is a source of calcium. The leaves are harvested in the spring. It has square stems like the mint family. Nettles grows in swampy areas. Take only the top of this plant and leave the root system to grow next years harvest. In fact do not over harvest any wild plant. Just book-mark where you found this plant so if you need more next year you know where to find it. Do not tell everyone where you find your plants. They can find their own. This way the plants will not be abused.

These plants can also be dried and made into a capsule that will last 6-8 months. That is why tincture making is important. So grab a book of plants of YOUR area to learn more about what is growing near you. Also remember to harvest plants that are not exposed to roads. They can be contaminated. We like to take drives back into the mountains to collect our herbs. And remember that plants in the wild will be stronger than our garden plants as they get very little water and this increases the essential oil content.

Youb might like to go to Seedsofchange.com and order your seeds. I would love to have goldenseal but we are not the right area. You might order plants like;
comfrey
motherwort
chamomile (both German and Roman)


There are so many more plants in the wild. I can write a book here but it would be best to grab that local area herb book and get the seeds you need. You cannot grow every herb in your garden. Some need to be wildcrafted to get the most potent plant. You will be surprised at how many plants you have near you. I must have 12 identification books and still find plants not listed. For this reason keep your arsenal small. Only 10-12 plants are needed for most all problems. Remember that. Learn not all the plants. This will drive you madd. Instead learn if the plants disperse heat, phlegm, bacteria, virus, heal wounds, rid the body of worms, cleansing plants, and plants that stop bleeding. This is the simple herbalism. I can go on and on of about 250 plants but most will not be in your area and the information will not be useful to you or you will be overdosed with information.

I forgot one invaluable product for WTSHTF. Black strap mollasas. It is the only product in one that is chocked full of vitamins and minerals as well as iron for anemia conditions. You can add herbs to this mixture and refrigerate. One teaspoon a day is needed for a vitamin mix. The root plants will be eaten for minerals. Any root plant that is in the ground will be a source of minerals. Since all herbs plants have roots they will offer minerals. Just something to remember.

A lot of the plants listed in books on herbal medicine are European. Arnica montana is a good example. There are American species with the same properties. For the western U.S. the best source of information on medicinal herbs is a series of books by Michael Moore. They describe LOCAL wild plants and their uses. I particularly like his "Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West". He also has a website with much good information. I've lost the URL to it. Search for it under the name "Southwest School of Botanical Medicine". Finding the plants can be rather difficult. They don't grow uniformly scattered across the country but in specific types of habitat. One local plant in much demand by herbalists grows in swampy areas at about 8000-9000 feet elevation. They are also frequently difficult to identify. The field guides with the pretty pictures only cover a small percentage of the plants growing in the areas they are written for. Also the plants may be in a different stage of growth than the ones in the pictures and look quite different. Cultivate a friendship with any botanists you meet. They have the expertise to properly identify the plants and avoid embarassing identification mistakes that can get you poisoned. They can also tell you where the plants are likely to be growing. Here is an example. Usnea species of lichen produce usnic acid which is a gram positive antibiotic. In some areas almost pure Usnea can be plucked off of tree branches and identification expertise is not needed. In most areas it grows intertwined with Alectoria sarmentosa which is useless and species of Letharia which are poisonous. Some expertise is need to get the right one as they look very much alike. The commercial suppliers don't seem to be able to tell them apart or they wouldn't be selling them so cheap (probably mostly Alectoria).

Windy Ridge

Herbmountain, you are absolutely correct about wildcrafting. I believe that (for the most part) we have what we need where ever we live. Obviously if we live in the middle of a desert there is not much to harvest. I do purchase some of the herbs that I use, but I know the plants and where to harvest them. Most of what I use can be found or grown where I live and I have never pursued knowledge of the Chinese herbs or exotics. Cinnamon is one that I would have to do without, but blackberry works as well or better for diarrhea. Ginger I can grow if I have a place to do it. For hibiscus I would probably substitute cold catnip tea to cool an over heated body and hot tea maybe mixed with yarrow and elderflower to lower a fever.

Goldenseal will grow here, though I have never found it in the wild, I want to try to naturalize it on our land. Ginseng grows here, too, but I don't have access to it. Those who wildcraft ginseng guard it like gold - personally, I think it is more valuable than gold.

I wildcraft elderberry and make my own "elixir" from the berries. Elderflower is useful for a fever reducer, but I prefer to use the berries to make a tincture (much discussed here in the past) and a syrup. My "elixir" is a combination of the tincture and elderberry syrup and it works great!! I just had a chance to put it to the test and it stopped the cold or flu in it's tracks. Don't know exactly what it was because it was gone on the third day and I never had enough symptoms to identify it.

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LilRose said:

But what will you do if there is no store to buy it from? I guess I am looking for how to grow your own, forage your own etc.
I don't think I have ever seen an elderberry, or if I have I wouldn't recognize it.

To be self sufficient we must be sufficiently self sustained.

Click to expand...

I made my own extract using vodka and elderberries. I don't plan on using it until the capsules are gone, since it will store longer than pills.

Aloe vera plants have many uses, and it's easy to grow. The juice from the leaves is good for burns, skin irritations, rashes, and poison ivy. Everytime I got a sunburn when I was a kid, my mom would cover me in it, and it works great. I've read that some people take it internally for some illnesses, but I wouldn't advise it because it is known to be a stomach irritant.

cinnamon is essential for any type 2 diabetic :
proven reductions in blood glucose levels;
keep a supply with your preps.

http://chetday.com/type2diabetes.htm

m801,

Aren't jerusalem artichokes also useful for diabetics? I don't have these issues in my family to deal with so I haven't kept up on it. They can be wildcrafted here.

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Grow your own

Like, LilRose said, I think there will be a time when we can't buy medicines or herbs. Since I usually can't figure out from a picture if my weed is the weed photographed, I've been buying herbs and herb seeds. I have comfrey and horehound and some others growing in the yard and now I know for sure what they look like. All I needed was a little plastic tag to tell me for sure what it is.

Some good sources:

www.richters.com ---- they have everything!!! If not as a plant, then seeds.
www.raintreenursery.com --- this is where I bought my elderberry.
www.crimson-sage.com -- another good source.

This is a great site for I.D. of wild plants in your area. You can get a list specific list for your zip code. They also have lists of birds, mammals, dangerous and poisonous plants and creatures, etc.

http://www.enature.com/

Another excellent resource is google's image search. If you want to identify nettles, for example, just go to google image search and type in nettles or stinging nettles and you will have a choice of images showing all stages of life of the plant.

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I have aloe growing in a pot, very vigorous.
I just planted a ginger root today from the grocery store.
I have echinacea (sp) growing wild
I always have fresh garlic from the store, I wont plant until Christmas week.
I have yaupon growing wild (Lex Vomica) a purgative. I dont know how to use it, and I wont until I do. I've heard the natives used to use it to relieve constipation, but until I know for sure.....

Just make sure the elderberry you get/plant/harvest is the nigra (Euopean)variety - that's the medicinal one for flu.

lilRose, great thread. Thank you.

I'm just a beginner--got bad sick and doctor's wouldn't help. Many of my favorite herbs I'm just starting to grow. Here are some of my favorites to use.

Echinacea, purple coneflower. Great immune system booster. Taken in teas all winter.

Olive leaf. Another immune system booster. Had to switch off of goldenseal because of nosebleeds after using it once a week for two months. So far so good with olive leaf. No problems after one month of daily use.

Angelica. Hate this stuff but put it in salads and omelets for the ex. He said it made him feel better overall. We harvested it on fishing trips.

Catnip. Put in salads and teas.

Garlic, onion, chive. Use lots and didn't get a cold or flu all winter. The garlic leaves are great in a salad, soup, on potatoes, on anything.

Edible chrysanthemum, japanese greens. Have a yard full of this stuff. Put leaves in salads, dry for winter teas. This blossoms after first frost. Then I harvest most flowers and some leaves, dry well and save for tea. A flower or two sweetens a cup of tea like a tablespoon of honey, yum. Regular mums are not edible.

White Pine. All winter once or twice a week I grab five needles to put in a cup of tea, just by itself or with other goodies. This is a vitamin C bomb. Yep, no colds or flu.

Jack by the Hedge, garlic mustard. Wisconsin calls this an invasive herb. It will take over a forest floor, meadow, anywhere, and crowd all the other plants out. This is one we can harvest all we want. I use it in salads, sandwiches, put on a roast. Another yum.

Rasberry leaves. We're supposed to dry them first, but I just munch on them. Oh well. When out fishing, I usually grab a few handfulls to take home and dry for winter teas.

Burdock. Have a forest of this in the back yard. Got rid of the boyfriend who kept mowing them down. So this autumn will be my first harvest.

Violets. I just use the leaves for salads and sandwiches. Doesn't seem to have much taste.

And my all time favorite. Creeping Charlie. The old name is Gill over the Ground. Salads, sandwiches, and I dry it all summer for winter teas. Wonderful liver medicine. Takes away gall bladder pain for me. Makes me happy to get rid of that gnawing ache.

I put my favorite field guide somewhere handy. And there it will stay until I accidently bump into it again. Dang. At least ten times I've searched the house and can't find it in the obviously very safe place it must be. Probably next to Reader's Digest Magic and Medicine of Plants. Can't find that either.

Here are my favorite links.

Wisconsin plants
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora/

regional plant id. sites
http://www.missouriplants.com/Links.html

cacti and succulents
http://www.succulent-plant.com/home.html

Edible Landscaping and Gardening
http://www.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible.html

Sage Mountain, herbalism site
http://www.sagemountain.com/2005/

Henriette's Herbal Homepage (online encyclopedic reference, medicinal and culinary)
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/

Henriette's link page
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/goodlink.html

Thanks again for the great thread.

WOW! You guys just blow me away! Such knowledge!
I have bookmarked all your sites and plan on starting my own medicinal garden as soon as I get my homestead....PLEASE wish me luck. We are heading up next week to look for a place. I want a piece of land big enough to grow food and herbs and a nice house with a barn. I hope the Universe is listening.

LilRose, Good Luck! And here's hoping you find a place with a good spring or two, and maybe a farm pond or creek with little fishies and bullfrogs, and crawdads and cattails.

Thanks Ceeblue.
I am hoping. If this doesn't pan out, I am heading all the way across the country and look in Tennessee. Saw some great properties online.

Do they get tornadoes there?

Windy Ridge? Great suggestion on Michael's book. About Rocky Mountain? I think I heard that Michael closed the college. I met him and he is a neat guy. His book is a great suggestion. Like I said earlier. I must have 20 books, was 12 until my last vacation and still find plants not listed. And they are all Northern California areas. Some day when I have lots of time Im going to attempt to put a list together for myself. Lots of film will be needed.

James Green has a neat book for Herbal Medicine Making for those in entry level medicine makeing. He also talks of the energy of herbs. Calls them friends and such. He is a funny guy.

As for the toxic Arnica Montanna? You can get the correct botanical seeds that are organic from Seedsofchange.com. No hybrids sold there. I purchased them 4 years ago and my plants are still beautiful. It is very invasive as the flower heads move like dandelion.

Windy Ridge? Great suggestion on Michael's book. About Rocky Mountain? I think I heard that Michael closed the college. I met him and he is a neat guy. His book is a great suggestion. Like I said earlier. I must have 20 books, was 12 until my last vacation and still find plants not listed. And they are all Northern California areas. Some day when I have lots of time Im going to attempt to put a list together for myself. Lots of film will be needed.

James Green has a neat book for Herbal Medicine Making for those in entry level medicine makeing. He also talks of the energy of herbs. Calls them friends and such. He is a funny guy.

As for the toxic Arnica Montanna? You can get the correct botanical seeds that are organic from Seedsofchange.com. No hybrids sold there. I purchased them 4 years ago and my plants are still beautiful. It is very invasive as the flower heads move like dandelion.

Back to thyroid issues. There is no herbal replacement of a "Hormone". There are precursors but not the hormone. This is from animals such as pigs and bovines. Im now wondering. If a cow was slaughtered would the thyroid be dried out and taken internally? Yuck. This is gross. How about "Head Cheese". Does this contain thyroid?