Herbal Remedies First Aid Kit

Gen. 1:11-13 ~ "Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit w/seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit w/seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the 3rd day."

Psalm 51:7 ~ "Cleanse me w/hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

Esther 2:12 ~ "Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete 12 months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, 6 months w/oil of myrrh and 6 w/perfumes and cosmetics."

Song of Songs 3:6 ~ "Who is coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed w/myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant?"
In my quest to live a more frugal life I cook more from scratch (a little more difficult since I had to go back to work, but do-able), I make my herb mixes, many of my sauces and condiments; I make my house-hold cleaners, soaps, skin care and many home remedies. And while learning about making some of those home remedies, I put together an herbal First Aid kit. I have gathered my information from several books, magazine articles, blogs, advice from friends and co-workers and the Internet. Here is what I have chosen for my kit:

• Tea Tree essential oil ~ Truly, one of God's miracle products! It is antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-fungal. It's good for cuts, scrapes, insect bites, athlete's foot, toe-nail fungus, acne...and on and on.
• Thieves Oil ~ The same uses and benefits as Tea Tree and many more. You can buy it already made or make your own; I recommend making your own. Go to this post of mine for your own recipe and uses.
• Lavender essential oil ~ Another blessing. Also antiseptic and antibacterial, it is excellent for insect bites and stings, burns, headaches, anxiety and insomnia. When I'm about to sing or speak in front of a large audience, I take about 5 whiffs before I walk out and I'm good-to-go...it's like a deep breath of calming fresh air. On sleepless nights, simply sprinkle about 3 drops on your pillow and in a few minutes you'll be sleeping like a baby.
• Echinacea ~ Builds immunities. Capsules, Herb Pharm tinctures or Traditional Medicinals tea, or make your own tea by boiling the flowers from your own herb garden for colds, flu, fighting infections, building immunities ~ helps shorten the life of a cold or, better yet, build your immunities by having a cup or 2 a day so that you are less likely to catch a cold. A necessity in cold/flu season, if you are going on an airplane/train/bus trip or if you work w/the pubic. Cheaper and more effective than Air Born fizzies.
• Slippery Elm ~ lozenges or powder for coughs and up-set stomachs.
• Feverfew ~ tablets, tinctures or capsules for headaches, migraines and general aches and pains.
• Arnica Montana ~ sublingual (dissolves under tongue) Arnica Montana homeopathic tablets or pellets and either gel, ointment or cream. Great for painful bumps and bruises. I even take the tablets for headaches.
• Valerian or Melatonin ~ sublingual tablets for stress and insomnia.
• Comfrey ~ ointment, cream or gel for sprains, bruises, even helps in healing fractures. Also available in a comforting tea.
• Calendula ~ another great cream, this one helps w/scrapes, scratches, rashes and sunburn.
• Witch Hazel ~ helps clean and heal cuts and scrapes; also helpful for acne.
• Myrrh ~ the Herb Pharm tincture, good for sore throats and acne.
• Thyme ~ syrup or Herb Pharm tincture for coughing and chest infections.
• Garlic ~ gel capsules to take orally or puncture and apply onto infections, and comes as oil in a dropper bottle for earaches. Don't forget to keep bulbs of garlic handy in your kitchen...garlic is so good for so many things.
• Aloe Vera gel capsules or bottled gel ~ if you don't have a plant in your kitchen or you have your First Aid Kit w/you on vacation, you can puncture a capsule and use the gel like you would the meat from the plant for burns and scrapes.
• Ginger ~ natural 'candies'; great for digestion and up-set stomach from car-sickness or other causes and as throat lozenges. Also keep some ginger root on-hand in your kitchen.
• Ear Candles ~ simply an amazing invention! The soothing smoke draws ickies out of your ears. You won't believe it til you try it! Keep tightly sealed in a plastic zip-lock bag until use so that the bees wax doesn't get hard and brittle.
• Headache Balm ~ also good for sinuses and migraines. See my recipe HERE. 
• Yarrow Balm/Salve, Tincture or Essential Oil ~ well known as a wound cleanser/healer, a few drops of tincture helps with colic or up-set stomach, relieves most digestive infections, ulcers, colds and flu; taken internally (tea or tincture) or externally (balm/salve) helps with varicose veins.
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• Herb Pharm tinctures ~ sold at most health food stores or at their website. These are great for when you just can't take another pill or, since they are liquid, for FAST relief or benefits. Nearly every herb you can think of is available and many blends as well.
• Bandages ~ various sizes of adhesives and Ace bandages for sprains and strains.
• Thermometer
• Safety pins
• Instant ice pack/heat pack
• Cotton
• Q-tips
• Tweezers

You can learn more about homemade First Aid from a myriad of books and resources. Just some of my favorites have been:

• Natural First Aid ~ by Brigitte Mars
• Herbal Antibiotics ~ Stephen Harrod Buhner
• Learning Herbs.com

I hope this new year will be a healthy, happy and blessed year for all of you!
{Some of my own garden herbs: echinacea, lavender, rosemary, sage}

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><