I’m excited to introduce Kat Yorba to the Sherpa family of contributing authors! She will be adding value in the herbal medicine realm – an area I’m weak in but have always wanted to tighten up.
This is her first installment and introduction to a series called Herbal Medicine Kit. Please welcome Kat and check out her bio at the end of this article!
Why Go Herbal?
by Kat Yorba
Kat Yorba
As Homesteaders, Preppers and people who just want to eat and feel right….we have learned that “Whole” foods are best for us. If we nod our heads in agreement with that statement, then why do we continue to use man-made chemical pills, syrups and drugs when we get sick?
The best course of action in my opinion would be the “whole” route…granted the road less traveled, but getting busier everyday! Your bodies were created to break-down, metabolize and use effectively whole foods, plants, spices and the like….so, let’s look at several reasons why it would be good for us to “Go Herbal!”
- Herbs are nature made…so they are really and truly natural.
- We know what’s in them; they have a very small ingredient list!
- Very inexpensive to grow, harvest, create and use.
- They work!
I am sure there are many more very good reasons but this is an awesome start! Let’s take a peek at #2 for a minute: The ingredient list….have you looked at that cough syrup you take, lately? I have been dealing with allergies this season quite badly…and instinctively reached for a leading name brand allergy syrup to relieve my symptoms. But lucky for me, I have been on this reading labels kick so I did! Wow…take a look:
“Diphenydramine HCI, anhydrous citric acid, D&C red #33, FD&C red #40, flavors, glycerin, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, poloxamer 407, purified water, sodium benzoate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sucrose.”
Some of the ingredients I actually know like glycerin and purified water, but the ones I cannot pronounce I am quite sure I don’t want in my body!!
Barrel of medicine
Your “Go-to” Herbal Medicine Kit!
The Herbal Medicine Kit 101 – Your Basic First Aid
So let’s create an Herbal Medicine Kit that you can have in your home for any minor medical emergency and everyday aches, pains and illnesses. The beauty of this kit is YOU make it; so you know what’s in and YOU customize it for you and your family! This also means YOU can decide how far you want to go in deploying your Herbal Medicine Kit; bit by bit or cold turkey!
Herbal Medicine Kit 101 will deal with just the basics to get us all started. But look for future postings for information and recipes for specific ailments, and issues that come with the changing seasons. These posts will help you expand your Herbal Medicine Kit and create a very personalized kit just for you and yours!
What’s In the Herbal Medicine Kit?
Thought you would never ask. Here’s a run down for you:
Dried Herbs
Herbs we will look at and use in-depth:
Arnica
Lavender
Tea Tree
St. Johns Wort
Yarrow
Astragalus Root
Baptisia Root
Echinacea Root
Comfrey
Calendula
Yellowdock
Grindelia
Goldenseal
Oregon Grape Root
Essential Oils
Essential Oils we will look at and use in-depth:
Lavender
Peppermint
Eucalyptus
Cinnamon
Clove
Marjoram
Chamomile
Lemon
Tea Tree
Citronella
Pennyroyal
Cedar
Rose Geranium
What products will I make?
Aloe Burn Spray
Arnica Tincture
Herbal Compresses
Herbal Healing Salves
Herbal Liniment
Homemade Aloe Vera Gel
Insect Bite Oil & Repellant
Lavender Smelling Salts
Antiseptic Spray
Poison Oak, Ivy & Sumac Past
Ant Bite Remedy
St. John’s Strain & Sprain Oil
Wound Healing Tincture
Yarrow Tincture
Looking Forward
Once a week, Herbal Medicine Kit will be updated with new information ranging from detailed info on each of the herbs and essential oils listed, recipes for the products listed above and fun trivia and pics thrown in for good measure! I hope you look forward to traveling down the Herbal Road with me…as much as I do!
As we both become more and more familiar with herbs and gain greater knowledge of them I feel confident that we will all find ourselves turning to herbs first in most first aid and everyday illness situations. I hope you will enjoy and find useful the tutorials (printable too), in-depth descriptions of plants, tips, tricks and recipes that will be a part of this series.
I look forward to learning with you!
About Kat Yorba: I am a “red-neck country wife” to one wonderfully amazing man, mother to many outrageous children, daughter of the ONE Glorious God. Learning to be more self-reliant & self-sufficient in a semi-homemade, homesteading way! Connect with Kat on her blog, Simply Living Simply, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.
Survival Sherpa 
I’m looking forward to this… because I’m TERRIFIED of herbs. Seriously. I had a severe burn on my foot, once, just after I got into survivalism, and the herb gurus said, “put honey on it”. Honey exacerbated the infection, and I ended up in the ER and unable to walk. So apparently I did something wrong, or had not-so-natural honey? Regardless, I’ve been afraid of herbal stuff, ever since.
That doesn’t mean it can’t be useful. It’d just be nice if… we knew how to make it work.
LikeLike
that’s a shame annamatrix that they gave you the wrong advice.Fresh aloe vera would have worked wonders. With time you will be able to discern the quacks from the credible sources. Dr Mercola and Dr Richard Schulze are among some of the tried and tested sources. At the end of the day, do your research and use your good sense and if in doubt seek medical advice.
LikeLike
annamatrix, HI…this is Kat! Thank you for your comment…I think Honey is a very important component to any holistic medicine kit. But maybe not the best for burns 😉
I would agree with Tricia that Aloe Vera would have been an better choice and I would have even added Lavender Essential oil to that Aloe Vera Gel for a double goodness whammy. Lavender is very soothing to skin issues and helps them to heal very quickly. I would suggest making a spray of Aloe Vera Gel, 1/2 tsp of vitamin E and 3-4 drops of the highest quality Lavender Essential Oil you can afford. Combine all and spray on affected areas. You could also make a cool was contianing Lavender Essential Oil and colloidal oatmeal, this would be good for large areas.
I hope this answers a few questions….join us next time and God Bless!
LikeLike
Hi Todd,
I just thought you would like to see my family’s personal Medical Kit. I have posted it to my personal Facebook page for you look at: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.cooper.370515.
LikeLike
Awesome kit, Caroline! Thanks for sharing it! I posted it on our FB page.
LikeLike
Hi there!
I came across your blog today, and I must say, it is full of a ton of great (and interesting!) information. My family makes a salve called Seneca Herbal Black Salve, and I was wondering if you would be interested in writing a product review of it?
You can email me back at sales@senecasalve.com if this might be of interest to you!
Thanks for your consideration! 🙂
Ben
LikeLike
I too believe that homemade is best but let’s face it. If you are living off the grid or if the economy fails whatever essential oils you have may be all you ever get. It takes a lot of a natural item to make an essential oil. So shouldn’t we be learning how to make medical kits out of items that we can grow and process practically and consistently.
LikeLike
No doubt! My philosophy has always been to been to be a producer. All our stuff will eventually run out or go bad. I’ve got a friend who produces essential oil as a hobby. Another ‘Doing the Stuff’ to learn. 🙂
The idea is to put away enough stuff to buy enough time until you can produce stuff for yourself and others.
Great point, Nanette!
LikeLike
I’m not only learning about local herbs and plants for food and medicinal reasons but also making the oils because there are/will be times when the oils will work where other items won’t. I am also learning about salve and ointments. My folks taught me much and am learning more. All who can learn will be needed in any disaster.
LikeLike
Nanette,
I agree with both you and Todd!! The best course of action is to use what we have and what we can grow.
But as a pre-steader, I like to plan for all contingencies, so I am stocking high quality dried herbs, herbal seeds for future use and essential oils which if stored properly can be good for many, many years. I like to rotate them so I know my stock is fresh. I use them on a daily basis from everything to making salves and medicinals to beauty and cleaning products.
Great comment, thank you!
LikeLike
Pingback: Wha Are Medical Herbs | Medicinal herbs
Pingback: Looking Forward to Learning About Herbs | Food Blooms
Reblogged this on MisBehaved Woman.
LikeLike
Aloe is magic. So are many other herbs but aloe is definitely my favourite. You can do so much with it and it works so effectively. Herbal medicine should definitely be added to every survival stockpile/medical kit.
LikeLike
Thank you Elise, you are correct…Aloe is magic and so are all the herbs and essential oils that we have been given! We are learning more and more that good health is at our backdoor…nature!
LikeLike
Pingback: Herbal Medicine Kit: Preparations for Internal Use | Survival Sherpa
Pingback: Herbal Medicine Kit: Preparations for External Use | Survival Sherpa
Pingback: Product Review: Seneca Herbal Black Slave | Survival Sherpa
Pingback: Product Review: Seneca Herbal Black Salve | Survival Sherpa
Pingback: Reader Appreciation Fall Giveaway | Survival Sherpa
Pingback: 33 Awesome Projects for Preppers - Backdoor Survival
Pingback: Herbal Medicine Kit: Bites, Stings and Splinters | Survival Sherpa
Hey Kat- love your ideas! I’ve been reading on elderberries for flu prevention and treatment. I’m thinking of planting a couple bushes and making my own syrup, since “sambucol” is so expensive in the stores. Any thoughts? There are a lot of recipes out there- might add echinacea.
LikeLike
I think planting your own bushes is a most excellent idea!! Last year I went to make my Elderberry syrup and couldn’t find berries for the life of me. Seems everyone else had the same idea.
I personally have never looked into planting a bush, we are in transition from CA to TX so don’t really want to plant forever plants until we get to TX!
But, here’s a great Elderberry Syrup Recipe:
2 C. dried elderberries
1 Qt. boiling water
1/4 C honey
1/4 C lemon juice
Place berries in saucepan, cover with boiling water, cover and let soak overnight. The next day simmer for 30 minutes, puree the warm berries in blender adding remaining ingredients. Pour into clean glass bottle and store in refrigerator.
**PS..I think echinacea would be a great addition at the end!
Thank you for the comment!
LikeLike
The “bushes” can get 12 feet tall! Anybody planting this kind of thing for food/medicine in places besides their yards? Was thinking of taking plantings and planting them in random areas in case I couldn’t get to my place. Is that crazy?! 😉
LikeLike