handy herbal-remedy guide

[anne]

I just bought some dandelion root to test it out before I go digging them up. It's not bad. It tastes vaguely like peanuts and coffee. Plus, you need to slowly dehydrate/roast them at a low temp, so a solar oven would be perfect for roasting roots.

The best DIY instruction (with lots of pics) I've found so far are here:
http://www.prodigalgardens.info/dandelion coffee.htm

woo yes! dandelion is amazing,
yep, dandelion is a blood purifier, the leaves are rich in vitamins

the root can be used instead of coffee, for the caffeine sensitive

 

[tagvolatile]

thanks much, I've taken kava kava, recently, though in pill form, and it seemed very ineffective, but in tea, it's effects are definitely more evident.. grazie.

 

[crampicide]

thanks much, I've taken kava kava, recently, though in pill form, and it seemed very ineffective, but in tea, it's effects are definitely more evident.. grazie.

i agree, i notice its effects much more in loose leaf tea. its actually been debated to be illegal in some states because of its sedative effects, hah

 

[crampicide]

This isn't specifically a health related question, but what about acne? Are there any herbal remedies to avoid all that chemical shit?

ive read elderberry (tea) helps, as well as rubbing honey all over your face a few times a week. chamomile may help mixed with the honey- but you also for skin irritations need to pay attention to what you are eating, sometimes detoxing while using herbs can make it go away.

 

[crampicide]

for stopping bleeding I'd like to mention a couple safer choices to use then wolf lichen.

yarrow and plantain both will stop bleeding, so will cayenne pepper.

you can make a good wound powder out of yarrow, plantain and usnea all ground with a mortar and pestle.(coffee grinder will work with yarrow and plantain but usnea needs a mortar and pestle.)

thanks for the info- agreed, wolf leichen can indeed kill you. it was used by many tribes rubbed on arrows to coagulate the blood of their hunted- gotta know what you are doing with that shit, if you do it can save your life

 

[Eatgarlic]

I use this and it works like a charm!

for stopping bleeding I'd like to mention a couple safer choices to use then wolf lichen.

yarrow and plantain both will stop bleeding, so will cayenne pepper.

you can make a good wound powder out of yarrow, plantain and usnea all ground with a mortar and pestle.(coffee grinder will work with yarrow and plantain but usnea needs a mortar and pestle.)

Also, common plantain (Plantago major/lanceolata) is awesome for bug bites! Just pick it and chew it up, then spit that shit into your hands and rub it where ever you itch! It has a cooling effect and it is the only thing I use for stuff like mosquito and flea bites. Its okay if you swallow some of it, as it is also edible. It grows pretty much everywhere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_lanceolata
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major

 

[WapatoGreyer]

Very helpful. I love stuff like this. Thanks so much for the post!

 

[Tare]

Thanks! I recommend caution in wild gathering. Be aware of what the soil is exposed to if possible, urban and rural areas, might be near a factory or something, or hell even a farm using pesticides and such. Testing plants in small amounts for ill effects because its in a sketchy area is safe, but research this process, and be aware that some plants have evil twins so be thorough in identification. Depending on how it is prepared and at what point of it's life cycle the plant is in also determines reactions. Fun stuff.

 

[ksleet]

This is great stuff. I've been told that as it gets colder the "essence" or medicinal properties are better extracted from the root, whereas in the spring it's best to collect before the plant flowers, then again this varies for certain plants.

 

[izzybop]

This isn't specifically a health related question, but what about acne? Are there any herbal remedies to avoid all that chemical shit?

I usually mix tea tree oil, witch hazel, and water and rub it all over my face with a cotton ball. it dries up my pimples and keeps my face from being greasy.

 

[seasonchange]

^ witch hazel is a great astringent.
and to agree with izzy even further, tea tree oil is amazing for EVERYTHING.
seriously.

 

[LeatherTrampGypsy]

Also, if you get stung by a bee....take a pinch of tobacco and spit on it, rub the spit and tobacco on the swollen area. It'll make the swelling decrease and it wont ache or throb any longer.

I use this and it works like a charm!



Also, common plantain (Plantago major/lanceolata) is awesome for bug bites! Just pick it and chew it up, then spit that shit into your hands and rub it where ever you itch! It has a cooling effect and it is the only thing I use for stuff like mosquito and flea bites. Its okay if you swallow some of it, as it is also edible. It grows pretty much everywhere.

Plantago lanceolata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plantago major - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[outskirts]

Tobacco is also good for getting embedded ticks to back out and easily pull off.
I've also heard that it will kill lice too.

 

[MamaSow]

Great thread here. Thanks crampicide for starting this and including so much really useful information. I appreciate everyone else's contributions too.

I really do prefer to use earth medicine, herbs, whenever possible. Far less wasteful than pharmaceuticals. I also like being self-reliant ..... If I can cure it with a plant or herb or naturally, I will.

 

[Desperado Deluxe]

Super old necro thread

 

[dumpster harpy]

+1 on the honey. I've never found anything as effective on cuts and scrapes.

Also tobacco can be used to stop bleeding. I once worked as a line cook and got cut pretty bad on my wrist. My boss was this Chinese guy, and he apparently had a wide knowledge of traditional medicine. As soon as I got cut, he grabbed the first aid kit, swiped the cut with an alcohol pad, and demanded a cigarette from my coworker. I thought he was gonna light it up and cauterize the cut. He broke it in half, poured the tobacco on to the cut, and wrapped it with gauze. It was a menthol so it tingled a bit, but the bleeding stopped almost right away.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized it's because nicotine constricts your blood vessels.

[Edit: just realized how old this thread is. Oh well. Still lots of good stuff in here.]

 

[Time4Change]

actually you can buy herbs by the ounce, ive remedied myself for about 1.50$ ::

I agree with this, buying herb from bulk sections of health food shops is incredibly cost effective and generally great quality herb, whereas walmart supplements are notorious for not actually containing what they advertise;

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...rt-walgreens-accused-of-selling-fake-herbals/

"A warning to herbal supplement users: Those store-brand ginkgo biloba tablets you bought may contain mustard, wheat, radish and other substances decidedly non-herbal in nature, but they’re not likely to contain any actual ginkgo biloba.A warning to herbal supplement users: Those store-brand ginkgo biloba tablets you bought may contain mustard, wheat, radish and other substances decidedly non-herbal in nature, but they’re not likely to contain any actual ginkgo biloba.

That’s according to an investigation by the New York State attorney general’s office into store-brand supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart. All four have received cease-and-desist lettersdemanding that they stop selling a number of their dietary supplements, few of which were found to contain the herbs shown on their labels and many of which included potential allergens not identified in the ingredients list.

“Contamination, substitution and falsely labeling herbal products constitute deceptive business practices and, more importantly, present considerable health risks for consumers,” said the letters, first reported today by the New York Times.

The tests were conducted using a process called DNA barcoding, which identifies individual ingredients through a kind of “genetic fingerprinting.” The investigators tested 24 products claiming to be seven different types of herb — echinacea, garlic, gingko biloba, ginseng, saw palmetto, St. John’s wort and valerian root. All but five of the products contained DNA that was either unrecognizable or from a plant other than what the product claimed to be"