Herbal Medicines

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There is a multitude of herbal medications that are derived from plant life today. For generations and generations before us, plant life was a great source of medicine. It was not until the early 1900s were when the pharmaceutical industry developed man-made synthetic drugs to replace natural plants that people started losing their way with herbal medicines. There are many different plants, flowers, leaves, trees, and other forms of vegetation that can provide extreme relief if you know what they are. Not knowing what they are can be extremely dangerous as some of these items can be toxic when not handled properly. Aloe vera, ginger, cinnamon, and peppermint are just a few natural plants and roots that hold great medicinal value. Once again downloading an app or purchasing a book that contains medicinal plants will help you to learn what is and is not considered safe to use as herbal medicines. When the drugstore doesn't have medication on its shelves, and you can't go to the doctor people will have to start turning back to the old ways of medicine. These ways that worked for thousands of years before science developed pharmaceuticals and many of these ways can still be applied and work once again.

 

There are a lot of natural remedies that are as efficient as the drugs you buy in the drug store but if you are in a survival situation make sure you know the plants before you think of using them. There are a lot of plants that look very similar but don't have the same effects on the body. The best thing is to by a good herbal plant guide and keep it in a place that you know you can reach it easily.

 

I agree natural cures can work and are probably safer. A lot of herbal teas can be used as medicine and replace pills. I think if you know what your doing you can really go without pharmaceutical medicine. I've been looking into holistic medicine and cures for a while myself. These ancient ways of healing are really the safest ways in my opinion.

 

We have the sambong plant and the banaba tree. The sambong leaves are good to dissolve kidney stones while the banaba leaves are diuretic, that would induce you to urinate thereby cleansing your kidney and bladder. We make a tea using 5 leaves of sambong and banaba plus a piece of lemon grass. That concoction is what have been drinking at least twice a week since 2006 when I was diagnosed with the 3rd occurrence of kidney stones.

In 1995, the first discovery of kidney stones led to lithotripsy, the process of cracking the kidney stones with the use of sound waves. It is considered a minor operation for an out-patient. In 2001, a repeat of the appearance of stones and also a repeat of the procedure. In 2006, the urologist suggested the sambong pills. It looked okay. And when we asked if the fresh leaves are okay to use, the urologist agreed. So now it's been 10 years that I seem to be free from kidney stones. And although I haven't gone to a checkup or ultrasound, there's no symptom for 10 years which is proof enough that those herbal treatment are effective, at least in my case.

 

That's is interesting, do you think that the tea is more preventative or a real cure, or both?

 

As I said, I have kidney stones for 10 years now but the symptoms have not visited me. I have to admit that I hadn't had a checkup since 2006 so I'm not really sure if the stone still exists or if it had shrank. The sambong leaves are curative and the banaba is preventive according to the urologist. It's actually 2 kind of tea but we just mixed it when brewing so it's like having a 2-in-1 tea that is both curative and preventive. And our concoction is actually 3-in-1 since the lemon grass dissolves cholesterol which takes care of my previously high cholesterol level.

I can't find the photos of those leaves, sorry about that. But I will take pictures so I can give you an idea of what they look like. By the way, all of those - sambong, banaba, lemon grass - are all planted in front of our house but outside the property line.

 

I'm glad that the tea is working for you, if you haven't had any symptoms until now it's because it's working well.

 

Surprising Dandelion

We hate it. Its yellow flower is always there to mar our perfect lawn, but that humble weed is packed with tens of chemical compounds with unpronounceable names that have medicinal properties. Since Dandelion has colonized he planet and can be easily recognized, it can be of great use to survivors stranded anywhere in the world.

It has been used in popular medicine for centuries from China to South America. As topical application it cures skin problems like rashes and psoriasis because it contains inulin and mineral salts, both found in commercial products. Taken as a tea it helps with stomach discomforts and flatulence. The root, again as tea, helps to stimulate bowel movements. It is a good diuretic but because the high level of potassium it does not eliminate this mineral.

The young leaves, before turning bitter, are used in salads. They contain vitamin A, C and K, and their content of iron and calcium is greater than in spinach.

 

I love dandelion greens. I use 'em fresh like a salad with oil and vinegar, wilted down in a bit
of bacon grease.
I fry the flowers dipped in batter for a fritter.
I've eaten a number of "weeds". Just know your plant before you eat 'em.
Especially know mushrooms WELL.
One mistake can kill. "There's a fungus among us." :>)
Young plantain is good, as are stinging nettles if you know how to prepare them a host
of others. Google it.

http://www.ediblewildfood.com/edible-weeds.aspx

I've eaten cat tail. The thing at the top that's the "flower".
Roots, clean well.
Boil "flower" while still in it's husk. Butter and eat. Tastes like.............cattail!
A tiny bit similar to corn on the cob. I think it's the butter that reminds me
of corn.
http://www.ediblewildfood.com/cattail.aspx

Try it. Hard to mistake cattail for something else.
( NOT fluffy's tail for cryin' out loud!)

"here kitty, kitty, kitty...................................."

 

There are a lot of herbs that are generally useful. I think if you have a serious medical condition though you are probably better off going to a homeopathic physician rather than trying to treat yourself. I think that herbs can be a powerful treatment adjunct though and can be useful for many people however. It is important to find what will work for you.

 

I'm studying herbal remedies at the moment.
It's new to me and I don't want to make a mistake.
I take Melatonin for sleep. Natural and not habit forming.

p.t.s.d. + depression from the rigors of police work.

 

Almost all so called herbal remedies are nonsense. Not all, of course, but generally speaking this field is rife with charlatans, kooks, fools, and frauds. In short, be careful, be informed, and remember good science always trumps woo.

 

Great point!

 

Yes absolutely! Modern Day medicines almost all derived from herbs. People used poultices and herbs for a great effect before the development of Western medicine. I agree that modern medicine is generally stronger and more efficient, but it also comes with a whole host of side effects, which in some cases might be worse than the original problem.

 

It's true that medicinal plants had been used by our ancestors for thousand of years before us. Depending on what parts of the world we lived in, there is an equivalent medicinal plants to cure every illness that was handed down by generation to generations but just declined when the synthetic drugs was born. For example, chamomile is abundant in western countries which can soothe an upset stomach, whereas, ginger is abundant in asian countries but has same effect. Few people know now what herbal medicines to use in case if the synthetic drugs is out of stock at the pharmacy. Although, the advantage of synthetic drug versus medicinal plant is it has a fast reaction to our body in case of emergency but can damage our body if taken in the long run, however, the medicinal plants don't have no side effects even if taken for a long period of time but it's reaction is slow. Therefore, it is always advisable to use a synthetic drugs in case of emergency and use herbal medicines for long time medication.

 

Yes, really I think those who use a combination of homeopathic and Western medicines are better off than those who simply rely on one or another. Some traditional medicines have been used by different cultures for many years, and being able to combine medicines of the East and the West is really the best of both words. Check with a qualified medical practitioner before deciding to do it on your own however.