Alternative medicine

[steptoe]

Ok i am interested in herbal medicine mainly used on the outside of the body rubs salves and balms , i do like the idea of using herbs to heal and do make elderberry syrup among other things , mainly because elderberry syrup is so overpriced it is madness not to make my own , i make a batch put in to miniature type milk bottles in the fridge , it is not for long term store but i guess you can jer it if you want a huge batch .

I wonder who else uses home made stuff and if anyone can recommend any good books on herbal salves and balms , i am big on calendula and a few others bits right now but i want to build a large stock of stuff , i know fresh is best sometimes but dried can work well to and if i can make something that helps heal a bruise or helps clear an infection or just draws a splinter out it has to be worth a go .

Ok look forward to any book ideas and thank you jenny for the book share site

[Frnc]

There are many wild plants which have proven medicinal qualities. Have a look at the term ethnobotany. I don't know much detail at the moment, I'm focussed on edibility at present. I know sphagnum moss, which forms peat as it dies, was used to treat wounds in WW1. British troops used over 1 million sphagnum dressings per month.

I do keep tea tree oil and lavendar oil. They keep for a few years unopened. Opened should really be kept in the fridge. I've used tea tree oil on atheletes foot, and for itchy scalp. They have various claimed uses. Tea tree oil can be used as an air freshener in pot pourri, which I use old bottles for, and also diluted as a cleaner, which I also do. I use a mister/spray, mainly on the varnished wood floors and tiles, but also worktops. Of course it should help with germs as well as cleaning. You are supposed to dilute it to use topically (on the skin), eg with almond oil. I must admit I did use it neat on my atheletes foot a few times. It's medicinal uses are unproven. It should not be consumed, used around the mouth, given to children, or over-used. There are also hormonal and environmental concerns, so it should be used sparingly. Almost all the tea tree oil I've ever used had been dripped into pot pourri.

[jansman]

My wife is big on this. We have an ‘English’ herb garden,and she will make ‘teas’ and the like for colds,and blocked noses etc. She is also into Acupressure too for aches and pains. It’s not on my ‘radar’ but Mrs J says that this is the way forward for regular,minor ailments ,as doctor appointments are difficult to get! She is right of course.

Whilst being poorly this last three weeks,she has added herbal addition to pillows for my sleeping and suchlike ,and whilst I can’t say it’s done good,it ain’t done bad! She also took me to a Chinese Practitioner in town,and she set me up with a herbal tea for sleeping too. Now that worked,for sure,and has really knocked me back in line if I am honest.

[Yorkshire Andy]

My wife is big on this. We have an ‘English’ herb garden,and she will make ‘teas’ and the like for colds,and blocked noses etc. She is also into Acupressure too for aches and pains. It’s not on my ‘radar’ but Mrs J says that this is the way forward for regular,minor ailments ,as doctor appointments are difficult to get! She is right of course.

Whilst being poorly this last three weeks,she has added herbal addition to pillows for my sleeping and suchlike ,and whilst I can’t say it’s done good,it ain’t done bad! She also took me to a Chinese Practitioner in town,and she set me up with a herbal tea for sleeping too. Now that worked,for sure,and has really knocked me back in line if I am honest.

For your most recent ailments may I suggest a nice Lamb Naga can't beat a good hot curry to kill a cold makes you sweat it out

Medicinal Naga's are in the greenhouse got chatting to an Indian house mate of the brother in law I've now got an overstock path to clear the excess chillies and he's offered to give me and Mrs Andy an Indian cooking master class

Read many of the otc cough mixtures...calpsium seems to be a regular ingredient

[steptoe]

My wife is big on this. We have an ‘English’ herb garden,and she will make ‘teas’ and the like for colds,and blocked noses etc. She is also into Acupressure too for aches and pains. It’s not on my ‘radar’ but Mrs J says that this is the way forward for regular,minor ailments ,as doctor appointments are difficult to get! She is right of course.

Whilst being poorly this last three weeks,she has added herbal addition to pillows for my sleeping and suchlike ,and whilst I can’t say it’s done good,it ain’t done bad! She also took me to a Chinese Practitioner in town,and she set me up with a herbal tea for sleeping too. Now that worked,for sure,and has really knocked me back in line if I am honest.

For your most recent ailments may I suggest a nice Lamb Naga can't beat a good hot curry to kill a cold makes you sweat it out

Medicinal Naga's are in the greenhouse got chatting to an Indian house mate of the brother in law I've now got an overstock path to clear the excess chillies and he's offered to give me and Mrs Andy an Indian cooking master class

Read many of the otc cough mixtures...calpsium seems to be a regular ingredient

LOL well i have never tried it but i can say i can not bring myself to eat curry for a few reasons but the main comes back to being 4 to 6 yers old and being looked after by nuns who well if you know nuns you will know they held me down while pinching my nose and forsed vegetables in my mouht then shut my mouth they use to force us like that and the other food they did it with was curry and boiled rice , it took me in to my late 40's before i ever ate a vegetable , but i could never eat curry lol .

I will say this i am hooked on alternatives right now , my wife and i need normal meds they keep us a live well me mainly , but we do love what we call the old school stuff , i grew up going to my nans place in the valleys as a kid and what she could not cure with something she boiled up or made to rub on the chest lol , some of the stuff well it never killed us lol .

I am hoping to find more good books on it and as i said i want to have a largeish stock of herbs , i do grow a large amount in the garden but i am looking and targetting more herbs that are health wise not just for the flavouring .

I have just spent nearly 2 weeks in bed torn achilies never done it before but omg but i use to grow some 5 prong leaf special herb for friends and i made a batch in to oil that i then mixed with tiger balm and a few other oils and i started putting that on and well it has helped a great deal on the pain , my wife did joke may be i should have saved some leaf to make tea lol for pain relief .

[Frnc]

Was just reading up on a common wild plant which is almost all edible. Came across some medical uses.

"Rosebay willowherb has ninety times more vitamin A and four times more vitamin C than oranges."

"Few records exist of the herb’s use in folk medicine in Britain, but it was used in Europe and America, especially for skin complaints, whooping cough in children, asthma and stomach disorders.

In modern herbals, its properties are often listed as astringent*, antidiarrhoeic, demulcent (soothing and anti-inflammatory), haemostatic (stops bleeding) and mildly antimicrobial."

"The plant’s tannins might aggravate constipation, gastric ulcers, inflammatory conditions and anaemia. Consult your health advisor before use.

There is little information about the plant’s safety during pregnancy and when breastfeeding."

https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/rosebay-will ... ustifolium

Wiki says
"Fireweed is also a medicine of the Upper Inlet Dena'ina, who treat pus-filled boils or cuts by placing a piece of the raw stem on the afflicted area. This is said to draw the pus out of the cut or boil and prevents a cut with pus in it from healing over too quickly. "

ID
One of the key ID factors is the secondary leaf veins which form circles and don't reach the edge. Leaves arranged spirally up stems. Hard to ID when young. 4 sepals, 4 petals (not equal), 8 stamens, 4 carpels. Long seed pods. Petals pink sometimes white. Often found where there was a fire, hence the alternative name.

Edible parts:
Wild Food UK
"Collecting
The very young shoots can be treated like asparagus and served with butter and lemon, the older leaves get very bitter.
Young leaves can be added to salads.
The soft inner part of the stem can be easily removed and used as a thickener for soups or stews.
The flowers can be used to brighten a salad."

Flowers taste like lemon apparently.

A youtube video says the roots and shoots are edible. It's called 25 Edible Plants, Fruits and Trees for Wilderness Survival. The roots grow horizonally. A bit of root left in the ground will grow into a plant next year.

Hairy seeds make great tinder.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astringent

When very young, the shoots look like miniature palm trees and grow among last year's dead plants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fkgW3Pv9Dg Taste like asparagus.

[jansman]

My wife is big on this. We have an ‘English’ herb garden,and she will make ‘teas’ and the like for colds,and blocked noses etc. She is also into Acupressure too for aches and pains. It’s not on my ‘radar’ but Mrs J says that this is the way forward for regular,minor ailments ,as doctor appointments are difficult to get! She is right of course.

Whilst being poorly this last three weeks,she has added herbal addition to pillows for my sleeping and suchlike ,and whilst I can’t say it’s done good,it ain’t done bad! She also took me to a Chinese Practitioner in town,and she set me up with a herbal tea for sleeping too. Now that worked,for sure,and has really knocked me back in line if I am honest.

For your most recent ailments may I suggest a nice Lamb Naga can't beat a good hot curry to kill a cold makes you sweat it out

Medicinal Naga's are in the greenhouse got chatting to an Indian house mate of the brother in law I've now got an overstock path to clear the excess chillies and he's offered to give me and Mrs Andy an Indian cooking master class

Read many of the otc cough mixtures...calpsium seems to be a regular ingredient

Haha! Exactly what I had last night!

[grenfell]

To be honest I don't make much use of alternative medicine but then I don't make much use of regular medicine either. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are about it and those very rarely. Having said that I do have some herbs that can be used. Feverfew is a common enough weed/herb that grows everywhere although I've never used it. I do have lemon balm which I will occasionally make into a tea. Said to be good for the nerves and I 've tried to get my sister in law to try some as she is constantly moaning about being stressed but she prefers preseco instead. Another one I have used and did have until it all just suddenly died out is white horehound. Again make a tea and gargle with it , great for sore throats although it tastes awful.

[bobble]

We've grown a little herb plot, well two 5'x5' plots in the garden, and i collect and dry some every year. Keep tgem in old jsm jars in a drawer! Got parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, hyssop, oregano, fennel, dandelion, garlic, cleavers + lemon balm. Also have comfrey, nettles, borage, chamomile, marigolds, bistort, and a few others growing wild along the fenceline. Have buddleia, rose hips, St John's wort and an elderberry. Also got a little clump of foxgloves which just appeared one year!

[bobble]

We've grown a little herb plot, well two 5'x5' plots in the garden, and i collect and dry some every year. Keep them in old jam jars in a drawer! Got parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, peppermint, hyssop, oregano, fennel, dandelion, garlic, cleavers + lemon balm. Also have comfrey, nettles, borage, chamomile, marigolds, bistort, and a few others growing wild along the fenceline. Have buddleia, rose hips, St John's wort and an elderberry. Also got a little clump of foxgloves which just appeared one year!