There are a number of herbs, roots and trees that are very useful for various ailments. Having your own supply of certain medicinal herbs can heal you, and even save your life.
Cayenne Pepper
The first herb I will discuss is cayenne pepper. Did you know that cayenne is easy to grow, and can be made into a tincture? Tinctures can preserve the herb and extend the shelf life and potency for several years. If you made tinctures of your home grown cayenne you would be able to have a handy source to store in your herbal first aid kit. Cayenne is one of the most important and versatile herbs. It is good for the circulatory system, digestion, and helps clot wounds, and can stop bleeding internally and externally. It can even stop a heart attack in progress. The famous herbal doctors of the early 1900's used cayenne to treat heart patients, and even treat a heart attack. The heart needs nourishment and cayenne provides these nutrients for the heart.
The recommended dose for someone having a heart attack is to take one tsp. of powdered cayenne and mix it into a cup of hot water and drink this mixture every 15 minutes until the attack subsides, and medical treatment becomes available. The tincture can also be used in hot water the same way. It would be wise to carry cayenne capsules or tincture where ever you go in case someone has a heart attack. Always be prepared.
Comfrey
Comfrey is a cell proliferator and speeds healing. It is easy to grow, just plant in a well-watered spot in the sun. Soon you will see the large fuzzy leaves start to come up. You can pick the leaves directly and wrap on a sprain, cut or wound. I like to make tinctures out of the root, which I then make into oils and lotions. Comfrey root is very useful when made into a cream by mixing and warming, olive oil, and coconut oil together, then adding some of the tincture. Keep mixing because it likes to separate. Only warm to the melting point. Cool then store in small glass jar. It can then be applied to rashes, bites, and any kind of skin irritation. It heals skin better than anything I have seen including prescription crèmes. It would be well suited for burns also.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is that wonderful cactus looking plant that can be grown in your garden or a pot on your porch. It is perfect to have on hand for burns, sunburn, bruises, bug bites, and anything that burns or irritates the skin. Just cut off one of the long fleshy leaves, wash it, cut it right down the center and scoop out the gel and put it directly on the irritated skin. Aloe can be applied anywhere on the body. It is very soothing for delicate tissues.
It has anti-bacterial properties so will also work on wounds. This is one plant to always have on hand.
Ginger Root
Ginger root is one of my favorite healing roots. You can get big plump organic ginger root from Hawaii at a good health food store. Take the root and break it into pieces and plant the sections that look like they have one or two bumpy nodes on them. It will then shoot up green leaves and the roots will grow into bigger clumps. This will ensure you will have your own continual supply of ginger. Ginger is good for stomach issues. If you suffer from nausea, gas, or bloating, ginger tea is a soothing remedy that works pretty quickly. Take a piece of root about the size of half of your thumb and cut off the tough skin. Then cut it up into pieces and simmer it in water for about 15 minutes. Strain the tea into a cup and add honey or stevia, and drink it down... your stomach woes will improve in a very short time. It can also be simmered in orange juice for a cold remedy. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory root. It is good for combating any kind of inflammatory disorder, which means it is good for your heart, arteries, arthritis, etc. This is a very important item to have as part of your survival remedies.
Garlic
Garlic is one of the most valuable and versatile foods on the planet. Garlic belongs to the Allium family of vegetables which also includes onions, chives, shallots and leeks. Today garlic is a widely recognized health enhancing supplement. Garlic promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. One of garlic's most potent health benefits includes the ability to enhance the body's immune cell activity. The active component in garlic is the sulfur compound called allicin. Allicin is the chemical produced when garlic is chopped, chewed, or bruised. Allicin is quite powerful as an antibiotic and a potent agent that helps the body to inhibit the ability of germs to grow and reproduce. In fact, it's said that 1 milligram of allicin has a potency of 15 standard units of penicillin. There are now over 12 studies published around the world that confirm that garlic can reduce cholesterol. Garlic is known to stimulate T-lymphocyte and macrophage action, promote interleukin-1 levels, and support natural killer cells. Strong activity of these key cells promotes healthy immune system function, and strengthens the body's defenses.
Garlic has germanium in it. Germanium is an anti-cancer agent, and garlic has more of it than any other herb. In lab tests, mice fed garlic showed no cancer development, whereas mice that weren't fed garlic showed at least some. In fact, garlic has been shown to retard tumor growth in human subjects in some parts of the world. Another benefit of garlic is it helps regulate the body's blood pressure. So whether you have problems with low or high blood pressure, garlic can help equalize it. Garlic helps strengthen your body's defenses against allergies; helps loosen plaque from the artery walls; helps regulate your blood sugar levels; and is the best choice for killing and expelling parasites such as pin worms from the human body. In addition to all these health benefits, garlic is packed with vitamins and nutrients. Which include protein, potassium, Vitamins A, B, B2 and C, Calcium, and Zinc and many others. Be aware that Garlic and onions are toxic to cats and dogs. Garlic can thin the blood similar to the effect of aspirin. Drinking lemon juice or eating a few slices of lemon will stop bad garlic breath.
Garlic for your Health
Today, we know garlic is a perfect herb for creating and maintaining overall health, but it also has many lesser known, but powerful qualities. For example, many people don't know that it's a naturally powerful antibiotic. This natural antibiotic is effective against toxic bacteria, viruses, and fungus. It's available in pills, capsules, liquid and actual raw cloves, garlic is one of the most popular herbs around. Garlic helps platelet stickiness or aggregation to help reduce blood coagulation, and promote heart health. The antioxidant properties of garlic help scavenge harmful free radicals, which can damage LDL bad cholesterol in the blood stream. Garlic also promotes increased bile production to help reduce levels of fat in the liver. Garlic pills also help ward off coughs and colds.
Garlic and Your Heart
The positive effect of garlic on your circulatory system is extremely well documented and it has been proved to:
Lower blood pressure, Decrease platelet aggregation, Lower serum triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol the bad type levels, Increase serum HDL-cholesterol the good type and fibrinolysis the process through which the body breaks up blood clots. Plus it stimulates the production of nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessel walls, a substance that helps them to relax. As a result of these beneficial actions garlic helps to prevent arteriosclerosis and thereby reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke. Two or three cloves a day have cut the risk of subsequent heart attacks in half in heart patients. One reason for these beneficial effects may be garlic's ability to reduce the amount of free radicals in the bloodstream. Its positive effect on the circulatory system improves blood flow throughout the body so has the ability for higher male libido and can help with E.D.
Garlic and Cancer
Current research has shown that a number of readily available foods such as garlic and onions that make up a healthy diet, actually have a major impact on cancer prevention. The protective effect of garlic seems to be greater than that of onions, even though eating onions has been shown to reduce the risk of stomach cancer. These cancer fighting foods seem to have the ability to interfere with the development of cancerous tumors.
This remarkable bulb now tops the American National Cancer Institute's list of potential cancer-preventative foods. It contains multiple anticancer compounds and antioxidants, more than 30 at the last count, which such powerful compounds as quercetin, diallyl sulphide,allin and ajoene. These have the ability to block cancer causing agents such as nitrosamine and aflatoxin which have been specifically linked to stomach, lung, and liver cancer. Garlic's ajoene and allicin have also been shown to retard cancer cells as a type of natural chemotherapy. Garlic has been used to help prevent colon cancer when eaten frequently in your weekly diet.
If you burn or over cook meat it can produce carcinogenic cancer producing chemicals and research has recently discovered that when meat is cooked with garlic this effect is limited. The ten best groups of anti-cancer foods include: berries and citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables, garlic and onions, green tea, omega 3 essential fatty acids, olive oil, tomatoes, soy products, red wine and dark chocolate.
Garlic for your immune system
Not surprisingly the presence of all these antioxidants in garlic have a very positive effect on the immune system in general and can therefore protect the body against all types of bacterial and viral attacks. Research has recently even shown it to have an inhibiting effect on MSRA which is currently reeking such havoc in U.K. hospitals.
Garlic also acts as a good cold medication, decongestant and expectorant. It is a surprisingly good source of vitamins C, B6 and the minerals selenium and manganese all of which have long been associated with immune system boosting as well as other benefits.
Garlic-Promotes Weight Control
Allicin is the most potent substance found in garlic and this has been shown to not only lower blood pressure insulin and triglyceride levels in laboratory animals fed a sugar rich diet, but also to prevent weight gain.
A study published in the American Journal of Hypertension reported that animals who developed high insulin levels, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides were given either allicin or served as a control. Although all of the animals consumed the same amount of food, weight rose only in the control group whereas the animals who were being supplemented with allicin maintained stable weight or a slight decrease was actually noticed. The researchers concluded that allicin may be of practical value for weight control.
Garlic Home Remedies
Garlic is an invaluable medicine for asthma, hoarseness, coughs, difficulty of breathing, and most other disorders of the lungs, being of particular virtue in chronic bronchitis, on account of its powers of promoting expectoration.
An older remedy for asthma, that was most popular, is a syrup of Garlic, made by boiling the garlic bulbs till soft and adding an equal quantity of vinegar to the water in which they have been boiled, and then sugared and boiled down to a syrup. The syrup is then poured over the boiled garlic bulbs, which have been allowed to dry meanwhile, and kept in a jar. Each morning a bulb or two should be taken, with a spoonful of the syrup.
For ear infections: Wrap a small piece of garlic in some tissue, and insert it into the ear. Leave it there overnight if possible. Pain is almost immediately removed and the infection tends to start clearing up overnight.
For scratchy throats: Put a small slice of garlic in your mouth and suck on it for 10-15 minutes. You can put it between your teeth and cheek or chew it up it little if you can stand it, get the juice from the garlic slice. This juice slides down your throat and removes the pain. Garlic can heal the pain caused by insect bites. The juice of fresh garlic mixed with salt can be applied to bruises, sprains and ringworms. At the first sign of a cold, chop up 4 cloves of raw garlic and eat or use it as a garnish in soups etc.
You can cut raw garlic and rub the cut edge on the tooth and gums a couple of times a day to stop toothache. Take fresh garlic cloves and crush them, apply to warts until they disappear. Crush a clove or two onto a dessert spoon then add olive oil and down the hatch. You get the benefits of raw garlic with none of the breath issues. Garlic to clear sinuses. Melt some butter and add minced garlic cloves, spread on toast and eat. Garlic for herpes. Take a garlic clove and cut in half. Eat one half and take the other half and rub into the affected areas. May sting a little Adding lysine to your daily vitamins is a great amino acid that the body does not produce but it needs, and its for skin regeneration and tissue damage. This can actually slow down and prevent an outbreak just as effective as Valtrex which is very costly.
Use raw garlic juice on rashes and bug bites, it stops the itching immediately. 8 to 10 of garlic juice mixed with 2 TBLS of honey four times a day cures a persistent cough. Garlic for tonsillitis, Peel a clove of garlic and cut them in half lengthwise. Boil for a couple of minutes in about 1.5 cup water and add a pinch of salt, teaspoon of butter, a pinch of pepper and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cut a garlic clove into small pieces. Swallow them all in one go with a little water to cure bloating, stomach cramps and constipation. 10 drops of garlic juice with 2 teaspoon of honey cures asthma.
Moringa Tree
Now I will tell you about one of the most amazing trees I have heard of. The Moringa Tree is native to Northern India. It has been known there in eastern medicine to have over 300 healing properties in the leaves. Ancient Roman, Greek and Egyptian civilizations used the pleasant tasting seeds for making perfume and protecting their skin. For thousands of years, this amazing tree has slowly spread to other tropical lands, going west to the horn of Africa and east to the Philippines. Today the seeds have been carried by hand to many countries around the world.
Moringa is one of the most health enhancing plants that has ever been discovered. It can be grown in the warmer areas of the United States, or indoors in the colder areas, so you can have your own bountiful supply of the leaves, flowers, and pods each having their own medicinal properties. Here is a list of some of the amazing uses from the moringa tree: water purification, leaf juice as antibiotic, poultice for skin heals cuts, scrapes, sores, and rashes, builds immune system, dried leaves heal gastric ulcers, leaves can lower blood sugar levels, leaves promote relaxation and sleep, leaves have a stabilizing effect on blood pressure, and can treat anxiety.
Leaves are used as a remedy for diarrhea, dysentery, colitis, used as diuretic, for gonorrhea, for poultice used on glandular swelling, for skin antiseptic, leaves are used in India to treat fevers, bronchitis, eye and ear infections, scurvy and inflammation of mucus membranes, also used to kill intestinal worms, it can increase woman's milk production, flowers can cure inflammations, muscle diseases, tumors, and enlargement of the spleen CAUTION: DO NOT USE FLOWERS IF PREGNANT!
Flowers for eye wash, treat hysteria DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT!
There are uses for the roots, but at this time these remedies need more research for internal use. They help people in third world countries, grow food and fight malnutrition... Moringa leaves are full of vitamins and amino acids. It would be beneficial to have dried leaves on hand in a survival situation to keep healthy. The leaves can be eaten fresh, or dried and made into a powder which can be put into capsules.
Those are some great starters for your herbal first aid collection, and all are pretty easy to obtain.
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