The Medicine Cabinet in Your Garden
August 22, 2011
BY KITT WALSH
Long before there were drug companies and the FDA, people relied on herbs for their medicine. The village wise-woman was the one consulted for every need from a toothache to childbirth. She turned to her garden and, based on years of experience and folk-wisdom, passed down the generations, often affected a cure by mixing some dry herbs in her mortar-and-pestle or brewing an infusion for the afflicted person to drink.
Did the remedies always work? No, just like modern medicine, they sometimes did no good―but, apart from such notable exceptions as using too much foxglove for cardiac troubles (it can cause a heart attack) or belladonna (for pain relief, sometimes a permanent cure, since it killed the patient), such remedies often did no harm (and placebos worked as well then as now.) Some modern medicines like aspirin (from white willow) and digitalis (from the maligned foxglove) sprang from herbal ancestors.
Still, in the interests of not getting sued for giving medical advice when I am not a doctor, please do your own research before trying any of these herbal remedies. Also keep in mind any possible interactions with any drugs/herbs you may now be taking, and consult your health professional if you are in any doubt of how a herb’s use will affect you before you put it in your mouth. You can start your research here.
Here are some herbal remedies for common complaints:
Congestion: Eucalyptus increases oxygen flow to the cells, loosens phlegm in your chest and opens that clogged nose (thus its use in Vicks VapoRub.) Drink tea made from its leaves, wrap the leaves in cheesecloth and use in a steam inhaler or mix crushed leaves in Vasoline and rub on the chest. Hyssop and thyme leaves used together also break up congestion.
Gas and Indigestion: Peter Rabbit’s mother was on the right track when she prescribed chamomile tea for Peter’s upset tummy. Chamomile has both antispasmodic properties and helps stimulate gastric juices, settling the stomach. Steep for three minutes, strain and drink. For morning sickness, combine with ginger.
Depression: St. John’s Wort is the ticket here. Containing phytochemicals, this herb helps with depression, anxiety and even “seasonal effective disorder”(SAD), and can be put into #00 gelatin or vegetable capsules (available online or at your health food store), brewed as tea or distilled as a tincture*. Jasmine and angelica oils go directly to the center of your emotions–the limbic system–and will lift up your mood, if used several times a week in baths and massage (even rubbing your own feet with it will help.) Fresh roses (get fragrant ones) by your bed will help elevate your spirits while you sleep.
Toothache or gum pain: Make clove oil. You’ll need ¼ cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon ground cloves. Cut down a coffee filter, put cloves in and tie tightly with a string at the top, forming a little satchel. Put satchel into the oil in a jar. Make a concave foil lid and put into a double boiler, steaming it for 45 minutes. Remove and cool. Allowing the oil to steep for a week makes it even stronger, but the oil can be applied with a Q-tip right on the gum or tooth for instant pain relief. (Don’t use after a root canal, as it can inflame the surgery site. For that same reason be careful of letting the undiluted oil get on your lips or skin.) Warm clove oil mixed with sesame oil may also help alleviate earaches.
Sluggishness, Foggy Mind, Lack of Focus: Rosemary is the wonder herb to get you up and at ‘em again. Drink a cup of rosemary tea instead of your morning coffee (it can even help jump start your metabolism.) Make rosemary oil** and then rub a couple of drops on your bath mitt in the shower and massage your temples with the oil before tackling the family bills.
So gather your herbs (and aches, pains coughs and colds) and start treating your troubles with nature’s remedies. If nothing else, saving money on that drugstore bill should have you feeling better immediately.
*How to make a tincture: Cover a handful of fresh herbs with vodka or rum in a bottle, seal the bottle and leave for a about two weeks, shaking the bottle every two days. Put a piece of cheesecloth inside a sieve and pour the liquid through, pressing down to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the solid matter. Pour the tincture into dark bottles, seal and label. A tincture has a much stronger action than an infusion or a decoction. The usual dosage is 5 ml 2-3 times a day diluted in 25 ml water or fruit juice.
**How to infuse oil with herbs (non-edible version): Sterilize a jar in boiling water. Use dried herbs or fresh ones that are wilted, washed and carefully dried (press down on paper towels covering them―you don’t want any mold.) Set a crock pot to low temperature, put any vegetable oil and the herbs into the sterilized jar and put on the lid. Set into the crockpot for eight hours. Cool, wipe off moisture, and add 1 teaspoon of Vitamin E mixed tocopherols (available at any health food store) to prevent it from going rancid, and leave for a week or two before using. Its shelf life is about six months.
Kitt Walsh owns a web content company, Behind Blogs and freelances as a feature writer, editor and marketing consultant for magazines, newspapers and private clients around the world.