To start off, I will give a little bit of information about myself. I am in my early twenties and currently studying at a ministerial college/ seminary near a larger U.S. city. I am located in a small rural community, that is a little too close to Washington, DC for my comfort, but I am not able to relocate at this time. I have been a long-term SurvivalBlog reader, but this is the first time that I have been able to write an article for the blog.
I am by no means an expert, but I do know how to make myself useful. I live on a small homestead, and currently focus on breeding/ raising Rex rabbits and using the local flora to my advantage. I fairly recently began working on categorizing the local plants and making food, teas, and medicinal poultices with them.
I would like to take a moment to think about TEOTWAWKI. Let’s say that the power grid is down and all the manure has been shoveled into the fan. You happen to have a small child or grandchild, that has fallen and scraped their knee. Normally, this is no problem, but you have no medicine on hand. What will you do? I hate to say this, but the child could easily lose the limb to infection or even worse, die. I hate to make anyone think of such a horrible disaster, but there are ways to avoid this outcome.
This article is NOT a professional opinion on this matter. God has given us plants that can heal wounds and cure illnesses. Many can be used to kill harmful bacteria. The Bible truly shows us that God cares for our every need.
I again will say that I am not a doctor. I do recommend using modern medicines, while they are available to you. I do, however, recommend starting to know the plants around you for medicinal uses. I personally recommend Earll Mindell’s book Herb Bible. But if you can, find a book on something more apropos to your local plants, that could be a better resource for you to use. Now, for my advice in a topical / specific disease manner:
Controlling Diabetes
The following list was made by a friend of mine. He reports that with his use of medicinal herbs he has been able to lessen his insulin shots. (Again, this is not medical advice nor a recommendation to stop taking prescribed medications!)
Dandelion – his wife likes to deep fry the flower heads or make tea. The greens can be fried or used in a salad as a substitution for lettuce. The roots are good as a carrot substitute. I did see something about them recommended as a treatment for colon cancer.
Garlic – this one should go without the need for recipes.
Ginseng – great in teas.
Aloe Vera – great overall plant for burns and bug bites. It can be made into consumable food and helps to lower blood sugar.
Milk Thistle – this plant is superb to eat, but will require gloves. All types of thistle are edible. Roots can be used like carrots, leaves and flowers for tea.
Turmeric – good for teas and many other recipes.
Ginger – The root of the ginger plant makes great teas, and can be used as a seasoning. My grandmother uses it for fish. This can be grown from a root bought at you local grocery store.
Sinus and respiratory problems (this was one of my biggest problems growing up.)
Mullen – I harvest the leaves and flowers to make tea for the sinus season.
Mint (Spearmint, Peppermint, and any other mint plant.) – great for teas, jelly, and seasoning. The plants are perennial and grow like wildfire. I find that the mint helps open airways.
Elderberry – great for jellies. My aunt used to make some, that was excellent. Do be careful to learn how to distinguish between elderberries and chokecherries. Their berries are quite similar, but comparing the differences in the leaves will show you which is which. Chokecherries can be poisonous to humans.
Balsam fir – helps with throat and sinus infections.
Snake plants – these don’t help as medicine, but they are nature’s natural air filters. I keep a living one in my dorm to help control the stinky guy smell.
Antibacterial and wound treatment
Yarrow – I am currently drying some. The flowers and leaves make good tea. The stems are good to ground up to stop bleeding and prevent infection. This is a tried and true method used for centuries.
Bee balm – leaves and flowers are good for teas, but leaves, stems, and flowers make great poultices. This is due to its natural antibacterial properties.
Garlic – again, not an unknown herb.
Chamomile – great for teas and antibacterial in nature.
Ginger – as mentioned before, this also has antibacterial properties. Also, it can easily be frozen for later use.
Rosemary – again can be used as a common cooking herb, but can also be made into a poultice.
Lemon balm – makes great teas and can be made into poultices for wound treatment.
Plantains (not to be confused with the banana shaped fruit) – a common “weed”, that can be made into a poultice.
Mental Health
Lavender – Great for tea and a perennial. It helps to calm down and give you clarity of mind. (I thought, that I was allergic to it, but I am only allergic to artificial lavender. It makes you wonder, what is being put into it.)
Ginko – these trees are enduring to no end. They grow practically anywhere. Their leaves are great to use for tea. It helps memory and clarity of mind.
Cedar wood – My friend claims that the scent of this wood helps with the sleep problems associated with ADHD. But I haven’t used it yet.
St. John’s Wart – makes good tea. Is also a good stress reliever.
Women’s problems
As a man, this is not by specialty, but…
Red clover – helps with the time of the month and change of life. I personally like red clover tea, but I don’t get the same benefits that women do.
Gathering and Preserving
This may sound elementary to some of you, but to others it might be brand new information. I could write three articles about this topic, but you may not even have the same plants available to you locally, so I will stop with these few common ones and generally discuss the practice of herbal medicine.
Your Plant Foraging Kit
The final item is a foraging kit. This includes a small shovel, a pair of heavy-duty scissors, a sharp knife, a bag to put your plants in, and some sturdy gloves for the prickly plants. These tools are all worthwhile investments that you should not skimp on. A good set of tools will last a lifetime, but a cheap Chinese-made shovel will be bent or broken in a year of foraging for plants. Also, as our editor would say: “one is none and two is one”.
You will need a few other tools that should already be at your homestead. The main thing, that I would recommend, is a mortar and pestle. This will help you grind dried plants into usable powder to make teas, poultices, and seasonings for food.
The second thing is a dehydrator/ dryer. You should already own one of these, for your homestead. They are good to make jerky, tasty dried fruit, and for drying plants. You can get a used electric one inexpensively at a thrift store, if you keep your eyes open for one.
JWR recommends the book The Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody. It includes very complete instructions on how to use plants/herbs and turn them into decoctions, infusions, poultices, teas, et cetera. Most plant leaves and roots can be processed with a knife and a cutting board, but having an electric food processor is a great labor saver.
Storage
You can easily put tea mixes into canning jars for storage, but be careful to keep them dry. Nobody wants to drink ginger tea with hints of “penicillin”. I personally use a vacuum sealer on my jars of dried herbs.
Once you learn about plants and begin to identify them, you must begin to put the information into practice. Make a dandelion salad or a tea from your preferred plant. I personally grew up hating the dirty leaf water, but I have begun to enjoy it by forcing myself to drink it over and over. If the world changes dramatically, you will be left without your fast food, but the plants should still be around. You must get accustomed to it to be ready for any future. You may find yourself even enjoying or craving the herbs, when you try them in seasoning meal dishes.
I am by no means a vegan, but if you leave me in the woods with no food, I can still eat and survive. But do you trust yourself to do the same? I recommend running mock survival scenarios in different seasons at your retreat/homestead. Live off the land for a few days, and see how your skills help you to make it.
Your stockpiles may be great, but without renewed resources, you will eventually run out. How will your diabetic family members survive without insulin? They may die, because you didn’t know how to use a common “weed” as a sugar regulator. I am reminded of the novel One Second After, and the emotional scene, where a young girl dies from untreated diabetes.
Again, I am neither a doctor nor a medical practitioner. This is meant to be a beginning to your personal research into plants. I am still a student of this topic. I genuinely want all of you to be able to take care of your families and live healthy lives. My job as a minister in training is to help people. I believe that this can help you and your family to live long and healthy lives.
Above all, take some time to stay physically fit and healthy. Your body will need to be in good shape to survive any catastrophe. Bodily exercise may profit little (1 Timothy 4:8), but that is not an excuse to become overtaken by sloth. Take some time to keep yourself in good health, and you will thank yourself later.
I would love to hear feedback on this article. You can direct your comments to JWR, for posting in the Wednesday Snipperts column. I want to hear your wisdom about herbal medicine. I am also working on several articles about various topics concerning my homestead, and my prepping at seminary. I consider us to be our own little SurvivalBlog family, where I am just a weird cousin. – Your Brother in Christ, Watchman H.A.
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