My Top List of Herbal Cures

A large portion of the world's population benefits from herbal medicine or medicine derived from plants. Many of these plants are easy to obtain in whole, seed, plant, or dried form to use for the treatment of ailments. You can buy them at a store, buy them on-line, or grow the herbs at home yourself. I prefer to get them the cheapest way possible. For some herbs that means growing the plants yourself, but for others like common cooking spices, it's just easier to buy them already processed, dried, or chopped at the grocery store.

Headaches:

For treating headaches, I like to either make a tea from dried and crushed Fever-few or soak a rag in an infusion of mint and lay it on my forehead. To make a tea,, use 1 tablespoon dried and crushed herb per cup of boiling water; let steep for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the strength you want. An infusion works the same way except you make more of it and boil it in a saucepan on the stove.

Upset Stomach:

For an upset stomach, I like to make mint iced tea. Make the tea as described above and then put it into the fridge or pour it over ice.

Bruises:

For bruises, I like to use a salve made from bees wax, vegetable oil, and St. John's Wort. You'll need 2 tablespoons of powdered St. John's Wort (beware because it doesn't smell very good) per cup of vegetable oil. Heat oil, but do not boil it, and add the powdered herb. Let that heat for about 2 hours. It will make the whole kitchen smell so keep the room well ventilated or do this outside on a hot plate. Then turn off the heat and let it stand for one more hour to cool. Once the oil is cool, strain the herb powder out of the oil and put the clean oil back in the pot and on the burner. Heat the oil again but DO NOT boil it. Then slowly add the beeswax. Let it melt into the oil. Stir, cut off the heat, then pour immediately into the container you wish it to be stored in. Let the container and the mixture cool until the wax thickens to the consistency of a paste. Then your salve is ready to rub onto your bruises twice a day until they are gone. This should cut the healing time in half.

Acne, cuts, & scrapes:

For acne, small cuts, and small scrapes, I like to use Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel is an astringent and will dry up oily skin. Apply once or twice a day to the affected area. If used on the face for acne, use witch hazel along with a non-oily moisturizer like Oil of Olay cream moisturizer. Also, Witch Hazel evens out skin tone and is good to use as a makeup remover (not for the eyes). Witch Hazel is sold cheaply in most stores that have a pharmaceutical section and is usually located next to the rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide.

Athlete's foot:

For athlete's foot, the herbs garlic and ginger are the best for killing a fungal infection like that. Garlic was used by Roman soldiers in their sandals to prevent foot rot and fungal infections while they marched. Ginger has similar effects to garlic. To prepare an athlete's foot wash, chop up a tablespoon each of fresh garlic cloves and ginger root. They are both easily found in the produce department of most large grocery stores. Add the chopped herbs to two cups of boiling water in a pot on the stove. Simmer, but do not over boil, the herbs on the stove for about 30 minutes. Let cool on it's own then strain out the herbs using a mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Pour liquid into a bottle; it should keep for at least 6 months if kept in the refrigerator. Apply to affected area 3 times a day.

Urinary tract infections:

To prevent urinary tract infections, try taking a daily dose of cranberry. It's available at most grocery stores in dried, fresh, juice, or pill form. The pills are usually on the supplement or vitamin aisle. It is also very helpful when dealing with kidney stones and active urinary tract infections, but you should still see a doctor for these ailments for you may need antibiotics as well.

Yeast infections:

If you suffer from recurring yeast infections, a daily dose of garlic may be able to cut down on the recovery time for a yeast infection and also help prevent them in the first place. Again, if you have a yeast infection or think you might have one, you should still see or consult your doctor and use clinical treatments. Garlic will help to prevent them and speed up the recovery time. Garlic pills are usually found wherever supplements and vitamins are found. Yogurt with active bacteria is also good as a preventative for yeast infections.

Cold sores:

For cold sores, I've found that lemon balm speeds up the healing process of the sore. Also, L-lysine helps to prevent and heal cold sores. Lemon balm is usually available at plant stores and plant nurseries in their herbal section, and it can be applied by making a wash or mouth rinse. Boil 1 tablespoon of crushed or chopped lemon balm leaves per cup water for 30 minutes; let cool on it's own, strain, and bottle it. Apply 3 times a day with a cotton swab or by swishing around in the mouth. L-lysine is in pill form. It is a supplement that can stop the herpes virus from latching on to certain other proteins that help it cause sores. It can be found where vitamins and supplements are commonly sold. If you do not have a cold sore and are wanting to prevent it, take two pills once a day. If you already have a sore, then take three pills twice a day until the sore(s) subside(s). If symptoms persist despite treatment, you might need to consult your doctor about a stronger medicine.

These are my favorite herbal treatments that I have learned about and had experience with so far. I hope that they are helpful to you as well.

Please remember that herbs can cause allergies to some people. Always test out a small amount of the herb to make sure you aren't allergic to it.