Tried and True Natural Medicinals

[Caveman Survival]

After posting the virtues of plantain (Plantago major or broadleaf plantain) in another thread, I thought it might be ideal to have one started specifically about natural and herbal remedies.

The internet is full of naturals, and I usually hear someone somewhere always extolling the virtues of this plant or that, and that's fine, but my hopes is that this thread be used for remedies that you ACTUALLY use or have tried, and the positive (or negative/neutral) effects you have had with it.

It's fine to post other benefits of it that you may not use it for, but be sure to include how you have actually used it, so that we can at least gauge it's basis in fact, not just what others have read from others who have read from others...

Ok, go!

[Sniper-T]

an easy peasy one to start...

Willow bark. stone age aspirin. works every time!

Dunno if you saw this thread CS...

http://www.imhm.org/resources/Documents/Binder1_MPG_Guide_2010_sfs.pdf

Not sure where Taz is lately, she's the resident herbologist, per se

[Caveman Survival]

Yeah I like willow. My neighbor has a gooder in his yard so I have ready access. I use the end branches (pencil size) and make a tea from them. It really works for me. My wife uses the tea as a tonic for her hair as well, it seems to help with dandruff.

[Caveman Survival]

I haven't sniper, but it'll be a good read. I learned a lot while I was studying for my horticulturalist apprenticeship (I finished level two... Deciding if I'm gonna finish three and go for my red seal or not).

And I don't doubt for one bit when I read about herbal medicines and the like, but I'd rather here from people who have actually tried it and what they thought of it.

For example, I use pineapple weed religiously for mosquito and black fly repellent. It's a part of the chamomile family and is edible, by why waste a good skeeter deterrent as a garnish on a salad or in a tea. When I use it however, for the first 2-3 minutes I get real itchy where I have applied it. Lol the first time I used it I thought to myself, "oh shit... I've done it now". But when the itching went away I was amazed at how well it worked while I was puttering around in my skeeter infested back yard. I had to re-apply it throughout the day, which did not cause more itchiness, which is ok cuz there's a shit ton growing in my sidewalk, but I was happy no chemical companies made a dime off me.

Personal experience with these remedies is what I was more hoping for

[Caveman Survival]

I use steeped tea leaves (for me it's jasmine or green tea) as an after bite remedy. Something about it works wonders for me and those I have showed it to.

Just apply really warm leaves as a compress to the bitten area and lightly press and hold for 3-5 minutes. I swear, for me the welts left from skeeter bites decreases in size immediately and the itch it gone shortly after. Within 5-10 minutes I wouldn't even know that I have been bitten.

[jamesneuen]

I grew up with a drawing salve for infections and splinters and such.

Has beeswax, pine tar, and butter, also seen camphor added

[Kesephist]

Back in the day, when I DIDN'T have a steel rod and four screws in one leg, I bicycled. Those damn axehead-with-a-doily racing seats plus the fact I weighed 225 (TWTD (sigh)) had me with the H condition (no, not P/C, just embarassing and not really want gross anyone out).

Witch-hazel applied topically did a VERY good job without being as uncomfortable feeling as the actual complaint. Problem is, though, what I used was store-bought, and tarnation if I remember if it was in water, or as a tincture, or what all.

On the side of this, in your BOB medkit or out there in the Back of beyond...cotton balls, or, of all things, dried cattail fluff. I tried the latter, found the only processing needed was a fine metal comb. it served rather well.


Kesephist