Let’s talk a bit about assembling an ‘Herbal Arsenal’.
An arsenal includes those weapons you have on hand when an enemy attacks. The enemy in this case might be illness, injury, or could be some type of emergency situation.
Kinda like a first aid kit, only with herbs and natural remedies.
Why would you need such a thing?
Well, you wouldn’t necessarily if you’re entirely comfortable with synthetic medicines. Now, please let me clarify… we’re not against meds. We’ve most definitely been known to take an ibuprofen or tylenol now and again (even recently), and for goodness sake, if you’re stopped up so bad you can’t breathe during a cold, please chug a dose of NyQuil and get some rest. And I’ve done my share of needed hospital/doctor time, that’s for sure.
But if, like us, you prefer to skip the chemicals as much as possible, here’s a bakers dozen of some herbs and herbal preparations to start with that we always have on hand in our herbal arsenal:
1. Colloidal Silver, natural, traditional antibiotic, works on everything from sore throats to bladder infections, to topically on cuts and burns, etc
2. White Willow Bark, this is the herb the original aspirin descended from. Pain reliever, fever reducer, inflammation fighter, etc
3. Green Goop, antibiotic salve, for all those scrapes, cuts, boo boos, muscle aches and sprains, etc. Good for almost everything
4. Yarrow, fever reducer, hormone stabilizer (PMS and menopause ARE emergency situations after all ?), we wildcraft this from our yard and then tincture it
5. Bentonite clay, invaluable as a poultice for stings and bites; we’ve successfully used it on brown recluse bites and cleared them up without even a scar, wound infections in general, anything that calls for drawing power
6. Echinacea, our go-to herbal antibiotic for colds and flus, again, we wildcraft this ourselves and make tincture
7. Grave Robber’s Blend (like Thieves® Oil), our other go-to for colds and flus
8. Activated Charcoal, for the occasional someone who ingests something they shouldn’t, for little children just break open the capsule and have them drink thru a straw
9. Ginger (powder or candy), or Peppermint essential oil, for stomach upset
10. Magnesium citrate, for times of stress, to help sleep, for when you wrench your back, and when you’re constipated, anxious, etc
11. No-Itch Salve, when those bug bites won’t leave you alone, yeast infections, hemorrhoids, etc
12. Valerian Root Capsules, for insomnia
13. Breathe All Natural Vapo-rub (like Vicks®), for when you’re stopped up and can’t breathe
While we’re not against meds in necessary situations, the question begs, why put chemicals into your body unless you absolutely have to when there’s so many good natural alternatives? Don’t all those lists of side-effects make you nervous, even a little? They do me, in part, because I’ve experienced some of them.
No, herbs don’t work quite as quickly as a drug that forces your body to do what it’s told. (Thus the side effects). You have to be more patient and diligent. However, herbs do work more synergistic-ally with your body, the way God intended. After all, he created the human body, and he also created the plants that help take care of that bod. And he might know what he’s doing. Just a little….?
Anyway, that’s a list of what’s in our home’s Herbal Arsenal.
You can come visit us in person at the Bartlesville Farmers Market on Saturdays (April through October),
and/or at the Bartlesville Artisan Market each Saturday morning (September through March) at the Washington Park Mall next to Billy Sims.
And as always, you can order online at www.jordanscrossing.net/store
Be healthy, be happy, be hopeful,
mary?
P.S. if you do happen to order from Vitacost please tell them Jeff Wine recommended it, and we’ll get a little kickback. thank you!!