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Natural Herbs for Your Medicine Cabinet

© Kathern Welsh

While looking for information for this week's article, I came across a very interesting section in the book, Mother Nature's Herbal by Judy Griffin, Ph.D. This book is very informative and has a great deal of valuable information that can't be found altogether in other books. It is actually what it says, "An Herbal Travel Companion to Accompany You Along the Path to Wellness." I will be sharing other sections in later articles.

As Dr. Griffin says, working with herbs increases all levels of consciousness, which is necessary to overcome chronic problems within our bodies. It takes one to three years to change chronically diseased systems. Below, you'll find some simple herbal aids used by our ancestors as folk remedies. The herbs used here were brought to America by colonists and grown locally--many of them may be growing in your garden. Herbs are most beneficial as nutrients. Consult your physician for diagnosis and treatment of disease states.

ACNE: Locally apply a compress of washed and bruised fresh comfrey leaves to any skin lesion. Simmer several leaves in a pint of water about 10 minutes. The water turns a brown color. Strain and apply locally, warm or cool. Refrigerate the remaining liquid from 1 to 5 days and reapply 1-2 times daily.

ATHLETE'S FOOT: For Liniment of Peppermint, combine 1 teaspoon of menthol crystals, 1 teaspoon camphor flowers, and 1 pint of oil. The above items are available through your druggist. Heat until dissolved (do not boil) and add 1 teaspoon peppermint oil. Strain into a glass jar and refrigerate. Apply locally to the affected area 2-3 times daily.

BLEEDING: Apply ice and pressure directly for 10 minutes, then apply cayenne pepper to the affected area. Dampened and bruised yarrow leaves applied locally will also stop bleeding.

BRUISES: Locally apply washed and bruised fresh comfrey, costmary, or violet leaves for 15 minutes. This can be reapplied several times a day.

BURNS and SUNBURNS: Apply a cold water compress with undiluted aloe vera gel and 2 drops of lavender essential oil for 15-20 minutes. Reapply as necessary.

COLDS: Drink several cups of lemon balm and peppermint tea as an infusion daily. Add a dash of ginger to alleviate chills or induce sweating. This is safe for children and may be sweetened as desired.

COUGHS: Combine 1 tablespoon marshmallow root (Althea officinalis) in 6 cups of cold water and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Bring to a boil and simmer to reduce the liquid by half. Sweeten to taste, strain, and bottle. Drink 1 cupful 3 times daily to alleviate coughs and scratchy throats.