PA R T O N E
Herbal Alternatives Build Confidence Using Natural Remedies by Vlad and Joy Robles
New to Herbs &
Home Remedies? by V l a d a n d J oy R o b l e s
Tey say “necessity “necessity is the mother of invention invention”. ”. Tat is partly what started us on the path of learning lear ning about home remedies, essential oils, herbs, gardening, gardening, what what we should eat, how it should be pre pared, home-births, and so on. A limited budget and a growing g rowing number of active children motivated us to “get “get creative” at home.
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you are tired o being ill prepared or just plain lost as to how to resolve simple-everyday needs that arise in your amily and are ready to do something about it, welcome to More Tan Alive. God desires ulllment or each us. Fulllment is not achieved in the outcome o a situation, but in knowing you made the right decision. Knowing that looking back at it, you would do it again just the same. As you read through this EBook, keep in mind we are not proessionals (we have no advantage that is not available to you). We are not here to give you advice or make any recommendations. We are simply sharing with others some o the things we have learned over the years, along with insights we receive regularly rom our customers. So, MAKE the time to read through the website as much as possible. You are worth it. So, are those God has entrusted to be in your inuence. Wee have taken much time and energy to provide you with articles that W record some o our personal experiences. Tey cover topics such as: essential oils, bulk herbs, home-schooling, home-sc hooling, child training, trainin g, home child-births, child-bir ths, etc. As you read them, you will notice how simple it is or you to do the same. All o these topics play an important part in educating your children. We don’t interrupt lie (school) to meet someone’s need. We teach our children that meeting someone’s need is a vital part o lie (school). As we learn, our children learn. Someday, they will teach us and their children. Wee have organized some basic instructions on preparing herbal remedies. W Tey are simply there to give you ideas as to how to make your own remedies at home. Tough many would like or you and me to think so, there is no mystery or required education to eectively using essential oils or herbs. Occasionally, we receive letters rom olks sharing remedies with us. We hope you can benet rom rom these as well. Perhaps Perhaps you will write to us too and share some o your own remedies. We oten receive notes rom our customers letting us know how they have beneted rom rom using the herbs. Tere is lot’ lot ’s to be learned rom rom browsing through through Customer Feedback.
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Ater you make yoursel amiliar with the above reerences, you’ll need to secure your very own herb books. Tey will provide you with helpul instructions, recipes, answer many o your questions, give you warnings, etc. •
Our books will open up a new world o possibilities to you.
Ater years o experience using herbs, we nd ourselves learning new things almost everyday. Te ollowing books are reerences we go to almost on a daily basis. Tey are all written by diferent authors each ofering to you and me their own expertise and perspective. Tere are literally hundreds o herbs out there. Naturally, no one book covers them all. Each author has chosen to write about the herbs they have studied, and perhaps enjoy. Also, some books are written or beginners, and others or olks that want to add to their knowledge. I you have little ones at home, we’d recommend Te ABC Herbal. It will give you a very quick and simple overview o how herbs work. It also includes recommendations or how to naturally treat the most common childhood illnesses with herbs. Te How to Herb Book is a bit more in depth than Te ABC Herbal , but is still a great book or beginners. It gives urther explanation on the properties o herbs, a bigger list o illnesses that can be treated with them, suggests herbs that can be combined at home to treat each illness, etc. Herbal Antibiotics has great inormation on the subject o herbs as a whole, and how they benet us today. It doesn’t cover as many herbs as say Te How to Herb Book, but it provides much more detailed inormation about the herbs it covers and their uses. It also includes great directions or making remedies, and a ew recipes. Practical Herbalism is HE book or those o you seeking detailed instructions on preparing remedies. It also has good inormation or those o you interested in growing your own herbs. Tis is a beautiully illustrated work.
Lastly, N utritional Herbology is our most exhaustive reerence. It provides an incredible amount o detail on each herb and possible uses. Tis is our most used reerence, and the one we’d choose i we could only use one. However, it can be overwhelming at rst i you have not read some o our other books rst. •
Herbs are not like over-the-counter or prescription drugs.
Rather than being addictive, herbs work themselves out o a job by stimulating the body to proper unction. Along with their healing properties, they also eed the body with much needed nutrients. Tough one could overdose on an herb, and some do have side-efects, they are much more useul and saer than drugs. O course, they are much more afordable too. Any well-read mama can bless her amily with easily made teas, tinctures, poultices, and so on. ry our already mixed remedies and teas. Tey will introduce you to the wonder working properties o herbs. www.morethanalive.com | 1-800-516-5911
How-To Directions Much reading and experimenting has taught us that there are many good ways o making remedies. Behind each o the links below you will nd several dierent ways o making the same type o remedy. Tough the methods vary slightly with each person, the general principles are the same. I you are new to herbs, it is good to read how each one does it to learn rom them all. We have concluded one method is not necessarily better than another. It’s usually a matter o preerence and convenience. ruly, the best methods are those which you use because until you use it, it cannot be eective.
Infusions and Decoctions (teas) Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal Te simplest herbal preparations are inusions (teas) and decoctions. An inusion is made by pouring a cup o boiling water over a teaspoon or two o herb. Ten you let the herb steep in the hot water or three to ve minutes and strain. Tis method is suitable or most aromatic (activating) herbs. A stronger preparation may be made by simmering the herb or 30-40 minutes at a low temperature. Use about 2 teaspoonuls o herb per cup o water. Simmer sot parts such as owers, ruits, and leaves or twenty to thirty minutes and harder parts such as roots and barks or thirty to orty minutes, then strain. It is always best to use pure water when making herbal preparations rather than tap water. Both inusions and decoctions may be sweetened with a little raw honey, glycerine or other natural sweetener. Store unused portions in the rerigerator.
Excerpt from Practical Herbalism Te simplest and most traditional method o taking herbs into the body is as an herbal beverage. Herbal “tea” may be made with either resh or dried herbs, and may be either an inusion or a decoction. Either one can be made as a “simple” – using a single herb – or a combination ormulated to take advantage o the synergistic support o the selected herbs. In some cases, herbs may be added to a ormula to help balance or oset some less desirable eect o the primary herb – unpleasant taste or excessive stimulate, or instance. An inusion is made by pouring boiling water over the herbs in a cup or teapot, and allowing the mixture to stand or 15 minutes or so until the herbs have released their benecial components to the water. Te inusion may then be strained and sweetened to taste – preerably with a whole natural sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup. Occasionally, it may be recommended to let the inusion stand until it is cool to more thoroughly extract the constituents.
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Inusions are usually made rom the more delicate parts o the plants – owers, leaves or owering tops. When using aromatic herbs like Peppermint or Lemon Balm, it is especially important that the tea should be covered while it is inusing to prevent the loss o volatile elements to the atmosphere. A decoction diers rom an inusion in that the herb is combined with water in a small pot, and is brought to the boiling point over low heat. Te mixture is then simmered slowly or 15-30 minutes, or sometimes until the amount o liquid is reduced by a specied amount – or instance, to one-hal or the original volume. Te resulting liquid extract is then strained, sweetened i desired, and taken according to directions. Decoctions are usually made rom the denser, more woody parts o the plants – roots, bark, and stems – or rom herbal material whose primary active are poorly soluble in water. Inusions and decoctions should always be made with resh, pure water. Spring water is ideal. Tey are best when prepared as needed, but they may be prepared ahead i they are kept rerigerated and used within 48 hours. In addition to their obvious internal applications, inusions and decoctions can be used to great advantage externally as well. Detoxication baths, omentations, washes or wounds, scalp and skin rinses, eye washes and drops, and vaginal douches may all be prepared rom an inusion or decoction. External teas like these are usually made stronger than those intended or internal consumption. A “strong” inusion or decoction typically requires 2-4 times the amount o herb in proportion to the water, and a “strong” decoction may be simmered or a longer time or reduced to a great extent, as well. Glycerin may be added to these mixtures to preserve them or a longer period. One part o vegetable glycerin to three parts o extract works well.
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Excerpt from Herbal Antibiotic s Making Infusions An inusion is made by immersing an herb in either cold or hot, not boiling, water or an extended time. (Basically, a tea is a weak inusion.) Te water you use should be the purest you can nd, not tap water. Rainwater, distilled water, or water rom healthy wells or springs is best. Inusions should be kept only a maximum o 3 days i rerigerated, 1 or 2 days i not rerigerated.
Proportions and Steeping ime Unless you are making a steam, hot inusions should be prepared in tightly covered jars to keep the volatile oils rom rising o the inusion as steam. Herbs that have a strong essential oil or perumey smell when the leaves are crushed are usually high in volatile oils. Quart or pint canning jars are very good, as they will not break rom heat, and the screw cap allows them to be shaken i desired and keeps any volatile oils rom oating o as steam. I usually like to leave inusion overnight. I prepare them beore bed and then strain them out the next morning and drink them throughout the day. Te ollowing guidelines or making hot inusion will work with most herbs. Leaves: 1 oz. (25 g) herb per quart o water. Steep 4 hours in hot water, tightly covered. ougher leaves require longer steeping. Flowers: 1 oz. (25 g) herb per quart o water. Steep 2 hours in hot water, tightly covered. More ragile owers require less time. Seeds: 1 oz. (25 g) herb per pint o water. Steep 30 minutes in hot water, tightly covered. More ragrant seeds such as ennel need less time (15 minutes); rose hips need a longer time (3-4 hours). Barks and roots: 1 oz. (25 g) herb per pint o water. Steep 8 hours in hot water, tightly covered. Some barks, such as slippery elm, need less time (1-2 hours).
Cold Infusions Cold inusions are preerable or some herbs. Te bitter components o herbs tend to be less water soluble. Yarrow, or instance, is much less bitter when prepared in cold water. Cold inusions usually need to steep or much longer periods o time. Each herb is dierent.
Making Decoctions Decoctions, prepared with boiling, can be much more potent than inusions and are generally prepared or use as compresses, enemas, and syrups. Like inusions, decoctions should be kept only or a maximum o 3 days i rerigerated, 1 or 2 days i not rerigerated.
Proportions and Boiling ime Te standard pharmaceutical approach to decoctions is 1 oz. (25 g) o herb per pint (475 ml) o water boiled or 15 minutes and strained when cool; water is 6
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then added to bring the total volume back to 1 pint. I approach the process a little dierently: I take 1 oz. (25 g) o her in 3 cups (750 ml) o water and boil slowly and steadily until the liquid is reduced to one hal. (I larger amounts o the decoction are desired, the amounts o water and herb may be increased). Te boiling should take place in a stainless steel or glass container, never aluminum. Te doses can range rom a tablespoon to a cup depending on the plant used. For use as a compress, you simply soak a sterile bandage in the decoction and then place it on the body. As a syrup, add honey to taste.
Excerpt from Te How to Herb Book Herbs used in inusions or teas are in solution and contain only the water soluble parts that can be extracted by pouring boiling water over the dried, powdered, or resh herb. Te advantages o teas are: 1. Tey are easily assimilated, easier or a weak body to accept. 2. Te hot water helps release the power o the herb. 3. Liquid is already in the tea.
How to Prepare or Buy Tem Inusion – ea made rom leaves, stems, blossoms, or powdered herb. Pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 tbsp. resh herb; 1 tsp. dried herb; 1 tsp. powdered herb or open 4 capsules. Cover, and let steep 10-20 minutes. Never boil. Decoction – ea made rom bark and roots. Put 2 tbsp. cut pieces per 1 cup cold water. Bring to a slight, gentle boil and gently simmer or 20-30 minutes. Strain. Reuse the same herbs with another cup cold water and repeat the above process. Strain. Mix both batches together.
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Tinctures Excerpt from Practical Herbalism inctures are concentrated liquid extracts made with resh or dried herbs. Herbal material is macerated (soaked) in a natural solvent called a menstruum. Te menstruum – usually a mixture o distilled spirits and water – dissolves and carries the active constituents out o the brous plant material. When the mass is pressed and ltered, the resulting extract more or less contains the same proportion o naturally balanced ”actives” as the original plant. inctures are, thereore, called whole herb extracts, and can be used with the same saety considerations and expectation or outcome as the herb itsel. Te key advantages to tinctures are that they are concentrated and convenient to use, easy to mix into combinations, dosages are easier to control and they have an excellent shel lie. Tey may be taken internally, applied directly to the skin, or used in external applications like omentations. On the downside, tinctures are more costly and tedious to make when compared to drying herbs. Some people also nd the alcohol that is usually used to make them to be objectionable. Te menstruum can be varied, and many tinctures are made with either cider vinegar or glycerin and water. Wine is also occasionally used. Aqueous alcohol solutions are generally preerred or two reasons. Many o the most active constituents o plants are alkaloids or resins, and these chemicals are most soluble in alcohol. Non-alcohol extracts may not retain the original balance o these important phyto-chemicals. Secondly, the alcohol itsel acts as a disinectant and preservative, helping to destroy contaminating bacteria and molds. When properly stored, alcohol tinctures will retain their potency or ve years or more. Non-alcohol extracts have a shorter shel-lie, and should be used within one or two years. Commercial tinctures are usually made according to strict proportional standards set in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia (U.S.P.), the National Formulary (N.F.), or in traditional homeopathic ormularies. Tese standards require measuring the moisture content o resh herbs, and varying the proportion o water and alcohol accordingly to precise tolerances. Te percentage o alcohol (proo ) in the menstruum also varies or each herb, based on the known solubility o its constituents. Commercial tincturing is an interesting process that attempts to get the most potency rom every herb, but it is unnecessarily complex or tinctures that are or home and personal use. I we consider tincturing as a method o preservations rather than a standardization process, then we can reduce the steps to a very manageable level. Our product will be as sae and eective as the original herb, and it will more closely resemble the tinctures and extracts that have been used since beore the time o Galen. Te sense o accomplishment and satisaction at having prepared these traditional extracts is very gratiying. 8
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Making a Basic incture Materials Required: • • •
4 oz. resh herb or 2 oz. dried herb 16 oz. 100 Proo Vodka (50% aqueous-alcohol solution) 1 Quart Mason jar with lid
Method: 1. Weigh out the amount o herb required. 2. I resh herb material is used, it should be very nely chopped or crushed. A ood processor makes short work o this task. Dried herbs also need to be reduced as much as possible. A ood processor or blender works well or most dry herbs, but very hard material like some roots or barks may require a grain mill or coee grinder (reserve it or this purpose). 3. Put the nely cut or ground herb into the jar. 4. Measure out the Vodka (Brandy, Rum or other good quality distilled spirits may also be used), and pour it over the herb. 5. Seal the jar and shake to mix thoroughly. 6. Set the jar in a warm place where you will pass it regularly. A sunny window sill or porch railing is ideal. Shake the jar at least twice daily to mix its contents. 7. Ater two weeks, strain o the liquid through a clean piece o muslin or linen abric. Squeeze as much o the menstruum as possible out o the herb pulp. I desired, the liquid extract that is recovered can be ltered once more through an unbleached coee lter paper, but any remaining particles will eventually settle out o the tinctures once it is in bottles. 8. Pour the tinctures into dark amber glass bottles. Fill as completely as possible to eliminate air, and cap tightly. Label the bottles with the herb name, date made, and menstruum used. Store in a cool, dark cabinet until needed. Many old time herbalists prepared their tinctures according to the phases o the moon; starting the tinctures on the New Moon, and nishing it when the moon is ull. Muscle response testing indicates that this lunar support may make a dierence, and like chicken soup, it can’t hurt.
incture Notes and Recipes: • I using glycerin as the menstruum, always use vegetable glycerin, and dilute it with two parts o distilled water. Simmering the mixture at the beginning o the process (as or a decoction) or 15 minutes or so may help extract the plant actives. • Cider vinegar (raw) should be at least 5% acidity. Use it undiluted. www.morethanalive.com | 1-800-516-5911
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Excerpt from Te How to Herb Book Herbs aged in alcohol or apple cider vinegar. Put 4 oz. powdered herb or 8 oz. dried herb to 1 pint apple cider vinegar or alcohol. (Everclear bran 190 proo is a good one.) Shake bottle 2 times daily and allow it to age rom 12-14 days. Powdered herbs only take 4 or 5 days. Aging herbs in alcohol extracts more o the properties than does vinegar. It also mixes easier when putting tinctures or extracts in juices. Putting the dosage o alcohol tincture in about 1/4 cup very warm water will dissipate the alcohol. Tese herbal preparations are easily assimilated and much more concentrated than the herb alone.
Excerpt from Herbal Antibiotics A tincture is made by immersing a resh or dried plant in ull-strength alcohol or an alcohol and water mixtures. Alcohol is extractive: it pulls all the water out o plants into itsel. Te resulting tincture is a mix o both water and alcohol. With resh plants, the liquid tinctures is generally equal to the amount o liquid added at the beginning. With dried plant material, especially roots, the nal volume is oten much less than what you started with. Store tinctures in amber jars out o the sun. Alcohol-based tinctures will generally last or many years. Because o the shel lie and ease o dispensing, many herbalists preer tinctures over capsules and inusions. inctures rom various herbs can be combined or dispensing as a blend (although a certain ew such as myrrh and propolis do not combine well).
Using Fresh Herbs Fresh leay plants may be chopped or let whole beore placing them into the alcohol or pureed with the alcohol in a blender. Fresh roots should be ground with the alcohol in a blender into a pulpy mush. Fresh plants naturally contain a certain percentage o water. When a tincture is made rom resh plants the plant is placed in 190 proo alcohol (95 percent alcohol): one part plant to two parts alcohol. For example, i you have 3 ounces (85g) (dry measure) o resh Echinacea ower heads, they would be placed in a jar with 6 ounces (177ml) (liquid measure) o 190 proo alcohol. I generally use well-sealed Mason jars, store out o the sun, and shake daily. At the end o 2 weeks, decant the herb and squeeze in a cloth until as dry as possible (an herb or wine press is good or this), and store the resulting liquid in labeled amber bottles.
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Using Dried Herbs Plants as they dry lose their natural moisture content. Some plants, like myrrh gum, contain virtually none; others, like mint, contain a great deal. When making a tincture o a dried plant you add back the amount o water that was present in the plant when it was resh. Many books list the amount o water that should be added back. One good one, and the one I use, is Michael Moore’s HerbalMateriaMedica . Generally dried plants are tinctures at a 5:1 ratio, that is, ve parts liquid to one part dried herb. For example, Echinacea root contains 30 percent water by weight. I you have 10 ounces (284g) o powdered Echinacea root you would add to it 50 ounces (1479ml) o liquid (1:5), o which 35 ounces (1035ml) is 95 percent alcohol and 15 ounces (444ml) is water. Again, do not use tap water. Dried herbs are generally powdered as ne as possible, usually in a blender or Vita-mix. It is best to store herbs as whole as possible until they are needed. Te tincture is let or 2 weeks and then decanted.
Glycerites Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal A basic glycerite is made like a decoction, only extraction times are longer. o make a basic glycerite, simmer the herb or two to three hours at a very low temperature. Strain and add an equal amount o glycerine. Tis glycerite should keep or several months to several years i you keep it in a sealed container in a cool dark place. Te only problem we’ve ever observed is that it grown mold i you don’t get enough glycerine in it or proper preservation. Another way o making a glycerite is to combine equal parts o glycerine and water and then extract the herb in this mixture as described above. Strain and store as beore. Since glycerine helps to extract the herbal constituents, this makes a much stronger (and stronger tasting) herbal preparation.
Sealed Simmer Glycerites Here’s how you can make a “sealed simmer” glycerite. You will need to collect the ollowing materials: 1. Canning jars (1/2 pint, pint or quart, depending on how much you want to make) with rings and lids. 2. A pot or pan big enough to hold the jars. 3. Puried water (distilled or run through a reverse osmosis water treatment appliance). 4. Glycerine. www.morethanalive.com | 1-800-516-5911
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5. Te herbs you wish to extract. Tese may be resh or dried. Ten, you will need to complete the ollowing steps. 1. Wash the jars, rings and lids thoroughly in hot, soapy water and rise n hot water so they are clean and sterile, just as you would do i you were going to do canning. 2. Place the herbs in the jars. For resh herbs, you pack the jar ull o the herb. With dried herbs, you use about one ounce per pint. 3. Fill the jar leaving about 1/2 inch o headroom with a mixture o 60% glycerine and 40% water. 4. Place the jar into the pan and ll the pan about 1/2 up the sides o the jars with water. You can process as many jars as your pan will hold. 5. Simmer the jars in the water or two to three hours. Or, i you are in a hurry, bring the water to boiling and boil the jars or 20-40 minutes. Barks and roots require most processing time than leaves, owers, and ruits. 6. Strain the herbs out o the solution using a clean, ne cotton cloth. Te resulting liquid should be put into a bottle with a tight tting lid and stored in a cool, dark place. It should remain good or about two to three years.
Oil Extracts Excerpt from Practical Herbalism Oil extracts are used mainly or topical applications, and as the base or salves or ointments. Oil extracts can be taken internally, but they are readily absorbed through the skin, and can be as much as 70 times more eective at delivering oil-soluble phyto-chemicals into the bloodstream than when the same herbs are ingested. Most benecial plant constituents, including alkaloids, are at least partially soluble in oil. Oil extracts all into two general categories, cold inusions and those prepared with heat. Generally speaking, dried herbs are most easily extracted in oil by cold inusion, while resh herbs are most readily extracted with heat. Delicate herbs and owers, and those with high concentrations o volatile oils, should always be prepared by cold inusion whether they are resh or dried. Cold inusions may take two weeks or more to nish, while hot extracts can oten be made in a matter o hours. Most good quality, cold-pressed, vegetable oils – the only kind that should be used – are highly susceptible to oxidation. Tey will quickly turn rancid i storage conditions are less than ideal. Natural preservatives can be used to extend the shel lie o oil products, but they must also be protected rom heat, light, and air i they are to maintain good quality. Rerigerating oil extracts, and gently
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warming them when needed, will dramatically increase their shel lie. Most coldpressed, unrened vegetable oils should NEVER be subjected to the high heat o cooking, even to make herbal extracts. Te two vegetable oils that are the most naturally resistant to oxidation are Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Grapeseed Oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil holds up well under higher temperatures. It is the preerred oil or making hot extracts. Grapeseed Oil is very high in protective antioxidant compounds, and is an excellent choice or cold oil inusions.
Cold Infusion Materials Required: • 1 cup o nely chopped resh or ground dried herb (minced resh Garlic is an excellent choice). • 10-12 oz. cold-pressed Grapeseed Oil • 1 Quart Mason jar with lid
Method: 1. Place the herb and oil in the jar and seal. Te oil should cover the herb by at least an inch. 2. Set the jar in a warm place, preerably in direct sunlight. 3. Shake at least twice daily or two weeks. 4. Strain o the oil. Fill into dark glass bottles, and seal tightly. 5. Store in the rerigerator, or, i a natural preservative has been used, in a cook, dark cabinet.
Hot Oil Extract Material Required: • A large heat resistant saucepan. Use un-chipped enamel ware, Pyrex, or stainless steel with a laminated bottom. NEVER use aluminum. • 3-4 cups o chopped resh herb • Extra Virgin Olive Oil www.morethanalive.com | 1-800-516-5911
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Method: 1. Leave the pan uncovered. On an electric range eye, or in the oven, very slowly raise the temperature o the oil until the mixture just starts to bubble. Back o the temperature slightly – no more than 200 degrees F in the oven - until the bubbling is very slow but steady. 2. Simmer slowly this way and stir requently until the herb material is completely crisp. Tis may take anywhere rom 4-5 hours to a ull day or more, depending upon the quantity and moisture content o the herb. 3. Strain, bottle and store as or Cold Inusions.
Preserving Oil Extracts: Tere are several natural preservatives that can help extend the lie o oil extracts. Tey may be used separately or in combination. • Vitamin E Oil – blends perectly with other oils, and acts as an eective antioxidant. Use approximately 1/4 tsp per ounce o oil extract. • incture o Benzoin – extract o a tree resin with preservative properties. Use 1-2 drops per ounce o oil extract. • Essential Oils – have varying levels o anti-microbial activity, and will help extend shel lie as well as add ragrance and therapeutic value. • Myrrh – this Biblical resin may be tinctured, or simply crushed to a powder and added to oils as they are bottled. Use 4-5 drops o tincture or 1/4 tsp. o powdered resin per ounce o oil. • Sage and Rosemary – adding some o either or both o these herbs (preerably resh) to your mixture when preparing oil extracts will lend their antioxidant properties to the nished product. Wait until hot oil extracts are nearly nished beore adding the Sage or Rosemary, and cover the pan to retain their volatile oils. • Graperuit Seed Extract – a little difcult to nd, but highly eective as a preservative. Varies in strength, so ollow the manuacturer’s recommendations.
Excerpt from Te How to Herb Book Herbs extracted in oil. Pound dried or resh herb. Add 1 pint olive oil to 2 oz. o herb and let it sit in a warm place or 4 days or put mixture in a double boiler and gently heat oil or 1 or 2 hours. Press oil rom herb. Some vitamin E may be added to help preserve it. Store in bottle in rerigerator.
Excerpt from Herbal Antibiotics Oil inusions are exceptionally useul or burns, sunburn, chapped and dry skin, skin inections, and ear drops and or use on wounds as salves. Te medici-
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nal properties o the plant are transerred to an oil base. For a salve, the oil is made thick and moderately hard by added beeswax.
Using Dried Herbs o make an oil inusion o dried herbs, take the herbs you wish to use and grind them into as ne a powder as possible. Place the herbs in a glass baking dish and cover with oil. Olive oil is a good choice because it is the one oil that will not go rancid; it is strongly antimicrobial. Stir the herbs to make sure they are well saturated with oil, then add just enough oil to cover them by 1/2 to 1/4 inch (13 to 6 1/4 mm). You may leave them in the sun or 2 weeks or bake them in the oven on the lowest heat your oven allows or 8 hours or overnight. Some herbalists preer to simmer the herbs and oil or as many as 10 days at 100 degrees F (38 degrees C) in a slow cooker. When the preparation is ready, strain the oil out o the herbs by pressing in a strong cloth with a tight weave.
Using Fresh Herbs o make an oil inusion rom resh herbs, place the herbs in a Mason jar and cover them with just enough oil to leave no part o the plant exposed to air. Let sit in the sun or 2 weeks, or cook in a Crock-Pot or 5 days at low setting. Ten press the herbs through a cloth. Let the decanted oil sit. Ater a day, the water naturally present in the herbs will settle to the bottom. Pour o the oil and discard the water. Some herbalists preer to start the oil inusion by letting the herb sit in just a bit o alcohol that has been poured over the leaves or 24 hours. Tis breaks down the cell walls o the plant and helps begin the extraction process. Ater this, add the oil and proceed as above.
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Salves /Ointments Excerpt from Practical Herbalism Sometimes, as with burns, cuts, or localized injuries, it is desirable to keep an oil extract in close, prolonged contact with a small area o the skin. An ointment or salve (the terms are interchangeable) is designed to do just that. Essentially, an ointment is a mixture o at soluble chemicals, extracted rom herbs, that has been made so that it will hold together in a mass. It gradually melts at or near body temperature, and slowly releases its healing properties to the area o application. raditionally, ointments have been made by cooking herbs in mutton at, bee tallow, lard, lanolin, or even petroleum jelly. Te herbs are strained out, and the atty material allowed to cool and re-harden, occasionally being thickened with a little parafn. Not only are these ats (and the resulting products) pretty disagreeable, they can actually clog the skin’s pored, and create as many problems as they might otherwise help resolve. Keeping a healing oil in contact with the skin, and controlling its rate o absorption can be very useul. Fortunately, it isn’t necessary to use noxious ingredients to accomplish this. Any oil extract, made according to the directions in the previous section, can be thickened with a little pure beeswax to make a wonderul healing ointment.
Making a Basic Ointment
Materials Required: • 4 oz. o herbal oil extract • 1/2 oz. o pure beeswax – shaved or beads • A natural preservative – See the previous section or suggestions. For a general healing salve, good choice would be incture o Benzoin (also healing or epithelial tissue), Myrrh (has antibiotic properties), and Vitamin E oil (protects new skin cells).
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• Essential oils – For ragrance and therapeutic value, a skin salve might include several drops o Patchouli, Lavender, Frankincense, or Spruce. • Several small wide-mouth jars or tins.
Method: 1. Slowly heat the oil in a small Pyrex or stainless steel saucepan. (DO NO use aluminum.) I you have a gas range, this is best done in the oven. 2. Pay close attention to the process. Over-heated oils can be a serious re hazard. 3. As the oil warms, stir in the beeswax slivers or beads. Stir requently, and continue to heat just until the beeswax is melted and incorporated. 4. Remove the oil mixture rom the heat, and stir in your preservative and essential oils. 5. Careully pour the mixture into your containers, and allow to stand undisturbed until cool and rmly set. Cap securely, and store in a cool, dark cabinet until needed.
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Children’s Composition Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal Te Children’s Composition ormula we discovered has essentially the same uses, (or colds, u, congestion, stomach problems, evers and diarrhea) but is milder and more pleasant tasting. It contains yarrow, elder ower and peppermint. While gathering wild herbs one summer, I ound these three herbs and decided they would make a good ever remedy. Mixing them in equal parts I extracted them using the sealed simmer method. We were so pleased with the results, that I made a special trip to the mountains each summer to gather these herbs and make another batch. Te great herbalist, Edward Shook, says the ollowing about the combination o elder owers and peppermint in his Advanced reatise in Herbology. “For the treatment o colds, inuenza, and evers o all kinds, there is no remedy known to man that is so sae, sure and speedy as elder owers, an all-around alterative, blood purier, and general systemic cleanser. Tey are without a superior. Because elder owers are emetic and somewhat nauseating to some people, the ideal synergist to blend with them in the treatment o colds, evers, and so ort is peppermint. Peppermint is a stimulant, nervine, calmative, and antiemetic, and the combination is world-amed as the greatest ever remedy ever known to man.” Considering that right ater the last World War, upwards o six million people died o inuenza and that millions have died since, is it not a very great privilege and blessing to be in possession o the knowledge o such a remedy? Herbalist, Henry Box o Plymouth, England, says, “For colds, inuenza, evers, inammation o the brain, pneumonia (inammation o the lungs), stomach, bowels or any part, this is a certain cure, I have never known it to ail, even when given up and at the point o death. It will not only save at the eleventh hour, but at the last minute o that hour. It is so harmless that you cannot use it amiss, and so eectual that you cannot give it in vain.” In the Utah Mountains, yarrow blooms about the same time as the elder owers. Yarrow was the rst medicinal herb I learned to identiy and use. It also has been used to help evers and colds. Te plant contains a volatile oil, similar in composition to chamomile oil, which has been medically documented to be very eective, anti-inammatory agent. By itsel, yarrow tastes bitter, but the addition o peppermint masks this disagreeable avor. Most o the time, when our children are sick, we give them some o this ormula. It helps promote perspiration, open the bowels, reduce inammation, settle the stomach and calm the child. Our usual dose is about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoonul, although I will let them have more i they want it. I the ormula tastes good to them it is a sign that the body wants more. We give them the ormula at least two 18
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times a day, but oten we have given the child some at hourly intervals during an acute situation. We have even given this (and other ormulas) as oten as every 15 minutes until the illness begins to subside. When our children have been congested I’ve added a little elderberry glycerites to the ormula. Both elder owers and elderberries contain substances with ease inammation and pain. Elderberries soothe the intestines and have been used or all inammatory bowel diseases. Tey have a very gentle laxative action, which may explain their decongestant properties. Tey also have a mild tonic action to help arrest diarrhea. Many other herbalists besides mysel have observed a strong connection between bowel problems and respiratory congestion. Tere also appears to be a strong connection between bowel obstructions and evers in children. So, the addition o the elderberries makes the ormula even better. Last year, I discovered the “my” avorite children’s ormula was an old-time pioneer remedy. A lady cam into our herb shop and told me that her great-greatgrandather had been an herbalist who had helped attend to Brigham Young’s amily. She said that his journal records one o Brigham Young’s avorite herbal ormulas or treating his children. Guess what! It was composed o yarrow, elder and peppermint. Considering that Brigham Young once stated that he had not had the necessity o calling upon a doctor more than a couple time in over twenty years, the remedy must have worked well or him. Furthermore, while I was researching to write this book, I ound an article in the June 1990 issue o Vegetarian Times about the elder. It gave a recipe or a ever-reducing tea: equal parts elder owers, yarrow, and peppermint. Te author, Kathi Keville, calls this “a classic herbal remedy to reduce ever.” She says the Iroquois Indians also used elderberries or evers because they increased sweating and acted as a gentle laxative. And I thought I’d made a great discovery! I guess I only made a REdiscovery o a wonderul traditional remedy.
Sinuses Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal Many parents get worried about the slightest snife in their children. Commonly, parents run their children to the doctor or colds, coughs and other respiratory ailments or antibiotics. However, antibiotics kill bacteria and since colds are believed to be a viral condition, antibiotics don’t help colds at all. Many other people use antihistamines. Tese drugs dry up the sinuses and provide temporary relie. But in the long run, they can make sinus problems worse. Excessive drainage is caused by inammation o the sinus membranes due to the presence o some irritating substance. When the tissues are damages by irritants they release histamines which dilate the blood capillaries and allow excess uid to enter the tissue spaces. www.morethanalive.com
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Under normal conditions, the lymphatic system picks up excess uid and irritating substances and cleans them up in the lymph notes. Under certain conditions, however, the lymphatic system can be overburdened and the excess uid and waste seeps out o the mucus membranes instead. I this continues or long periods, it can weaken the tissues in that area, causing more severe problems. Also, i we buy the idea that germs eed on waste, then an ideal breeding ground or germs is set up, which could lead to sinus inections or other more serious problems. Most natural healers have concluded that excessive consumption o dairy products, and in some cases other heavy protein oods, put too great a burden on the lymphatic system, congesting it and making a person more prone to sinus problems. We have also observed that sugar and salt tend to aggravate these conditions. Our children tend to get sick during the holidays when well-meaning teacher, riends and amily (including their parents) give them too many “treats.” Hence, when our children are congested, the rst rule is NO dairy (especially milk), salt, sugar or meat. Where the problems are chronic, we nd that the digestive system may be weak and proteins are only partially digested. Undigested proteins can cause allergic reactions. Hence, children may need a digestive aid such as papaya mint tablet, or some activating herbs like chamomile, peppermint, or safowers or their digestive systems. Children with sinus troubles usually have bowel problems as well and need to get their bowels moving properly. Te secret o getting rid o respiratory congestion is to use small, requently repeated doses o herbs which help clear the lymph channels and the bowel. We most requently use our Children’s Composition ormula or this purpose, but we have also developed a stronger ormula or more persistent problems. Tis ormula contains: red root, Echinacea purpurea, yarrow owers, myrrh gum, red clover tops, and Oregon grape root.
Dosages
Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal Tere are two major reasons why people ail to get good results with herbs. Te rst is selecting the wrong type o herb and the second is ailing to give a large enough dose to get the job done. Picking the wrong type o herb simply means that you picked an herb which contracts, when the problem is that the tissue is already too contracted. It is like giving soda crackers to a man dying o thirst. Te crackers are not poisonous, but they don’t address the problem. Learning to choose the right type o remedy merely requires some basic knowledge and experience. Fortunately, many remedies are general enough that they work or almost everything. With these general remedies, even the beginner can get good results. Te second part, giving enough dosage, is easy. Once you know the right remedy and what it is supposed to accomplish, give that remedy in small, requently re20
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peated doses until it works. We oten give our children a dose o herbs and some water every hour until they get well. We’ve even given them a dose o herbs every teen minutes. I you don’t notice any improvements ater a reasonable amount o time, simply switch to another type o herb and try again. We have a very simple method or judging how much o an herbal remedy our children need. We judge the amount to give them the same way we judge the amount o carrots, potatoes or apples they need. We give them some and then ask i they want “seconds.” I they do, we give them more. I they say they’ve had enough, we stop. We believe in letting their bodies decide how much they require to do the job o sel-healing and repair. As mentioned earlier, we do not believe that our remedies are toxic or potentially harmul when used with any degree o prudence or common sense. When our youngest daughter was two, she climbed into the cupboard and drank hal a bottle (one ounce) o one o our glycerin ormulas. Did we panic and call poison control? No, we were amused. Tat’s because we sincerely believe that these herbs are wholesome oods which the body will crave when it needs them, just like any other wholesome ood. So, we give the child whatever amount it takes to help him get well - it’s as simple as that.
Excerpt from Herbal Antibiotics Determining Proper Dosage for Children Children are much smaller than adults and are generally more sensitive to herbs. Dosages should be adjusted when making herbal medicines or children by using one o these three common approaches: Clark’s Rule: Divide the weight in pounds by 150 to give an approximate raction o an adult’s dose. For a 75-pound (34 kg) child the dose would be 75 divided by 150, or 1/2 the adult dose. Cowling’s Rule: Te child’s age at his or her next birthday divided by 24. For a child approaching 8 years, the dose would be 8 divided by 24, or 1/3 the adult dose. Young’s Rule: Te child’s age divided by (12 + age o child). For a 3-year-old, it would be 3 divided by (12+3), or 15, or a dose o 1/5 the adult dose. www.morethanalive.com
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Actions of Herbs Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal Tere are only our basic actions o herbs. Herbs either: (1) stimulate body tissue to restore energy when they are sluggish and cold, (2) contract tissues that are loose, spongy or discharging, (3) relax and open tissues that are tense, blocked or obstructed or (4) soothe tissues that are irritated, sore or inamed. Tese qualities can readily be detected by our sense o taste, smell and touch. Herbs which stimulate have aromatic or spicy qualities. Tey include most o our kitchen spices such as: thyme, peppermint, cayenne pepper, rosemary, cinnamon, horseradish, mustard powder, ginger, cloves, oregano and so orth. Tese spices help to increase the energy o body tissues, improve digestion, expel gas rom the bowel, promote perspiration, clear blocked respiratory passages and ght inection. Adults commonly use aromatics like ginger and cayenne pepper, but children seldom needs herbs this strong. Teir systems respond very well to pleasantly or mild aromatics like: peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon and lemon grass. Herbs which contract tissues have a sour or astringent (drying and tightening) taste. Tink o biting into a lemon and how it puckers your mouth and you will have an excellent idea o what these tightening herbs do. Tey help to arrest bleeding, stop discharges, reduce swelling, arrest diarrhea, counteract bites and stings and restore tone to abby organs. Examples o these kinds o herbs include: oak bark, raspberry leaves, bayberry root bark, yarrow, gumweed, plantain, comrey and uva ursi. Many berries and ruits have a mild toning action and are very suitable or children such as elderberries and elder owers, lemon juice, rose hips, blackberries, and raspberries. Tose herbs which help to open obstructions in the body, relax tissues, clean out the liver, blood and bowels and otherwise detoxiy the system are generally bitter and nasty tasting. Children don’t like to take these herbs in liquid orm (neither do adults) unless their systems really need them. As with other categories o herbs, children generally don’t need the stronger tasting bitters as much as adults. So, children can usually get by with mildly bitter herbs like alala, dandelion, burdock and parsley. When they do need stronger bitters like Oregon grape, goldenseal, myrrh gum, cascara sagrada or barberry, their disagreeable taste can be partially masked by blending them with sweet tasting herbs and preparing them in a glycerine or honey base. Finally, there is a class o herbs which are sweet tasting and/or have a slippery eel to them when moistened in the mouth. Tese mucilaginous herbs soothe irritations, build up weakened and depleted bodies, help tissues to heal aster, pull poisons out o the body through the bowel or skin and sometimes
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act as bulk-orming laxative. Tese herbs are usually easy to use with children because they are not strong tasting or unpleasant. Tey include comrey, slippery elm, aloe vera juice or gel, licorice root, sarsaparilla, cornsilk and marshmallow. When you understand these basic actions o herbs, you can readily substitute one herb or another and still get good results. As you become more amiliar with herbs, you will learn their subtler dierences and more specic applications, but this knowledge is sufcient to get eective results with common amily ailments.
Infection Excerpt from Te ABC Herbal Inection is a major concern or most people, because we have been taught that “germs” (i.e. bacteria and viruses) cause disease. However, our belie is that bacteria and viruses attack weakened and diseased tissue, just as ies are attracted to garbage piles and mosquitoes are attracted to swamps. Te ies do not cause the garbage piles and the mosquitoes do not cause swamps. One can spray these environments with pesticides to kill the insects, but when the pesticides wear o the insects will return. Furthermore, those vermin which survive the poisoning are those which are most resistant to the poisoning. So, we breed stronger and stronger bugs. Te same has been happening with antibiotics. It has been our observation that the sickest children are oten the ones receiving the most medications. Furthermore, the medications do not make them stronger, but actually seem to make them less resistant to disease. Continued use o antibiotics breed stronger and stronger strains o bacteria. It seems that children (and adults) get to the point where their natural resistance is completely gone, so that every time they quit taking antibiotics, within a ew weeks they have another (usually worse) inections. One o the most popular explanations or this problem is that antibiotics kill not only the harmul bacteria, but the riendly bacteria which live in our colon as well. Tese lactobacillus bacteria actually help to protect our body against harmul bacteria and yeast inections. Tis is why children who are constantly using antibiotics oten wind up with thrush (yeast inection). We have only given a child an antibiotic once. We gave it to our oldest daughter when she was just one year old because she got an inection in her gums. Fortunately, even though we didn’t know how to naturally treat the inection, we did know enough to eed her yogurt with live bacteria cultures to restore the riendly bacteria in the colon. Tis probably helped us avoid more serious inections in the uture. oday, you can get lactobacillus and other riendly intestinal ora in both capsule and powdered orm. Tis can be put into some juice or sprinkled on some ood and ed to a child ater he has had antibiotics. www.morethanalive.com
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DISCLAIMER
Tese statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Tese products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Te statements are or inormational purposes only and are not meant to replace the services or recommendations o a physician or qualied health care practitioner. Tose with health problems, pregnancy or who are nursing are specically advised that they should consult their physician beore taking any nutritional supplement. For Further reading
Te era o the penicillin miracle is over. Trough our indiscriminate use o pharmaceutical antibiotics in hospitals and actory arms, humans have created “Superbugs” – tenacious and virulent bacteria that develop resistance to solitary antibiotic compounds at an alarming speed.
In this empowering book, Stephen Buhner oers conclusive evidence that plant medicines, with their complex mix o multiple antibiotic compounds, are remarkably eective against drug-resistant bacteria. You’ll learn how antibiotic herbs such as aloe, garlic, and graperuit seed extract represent our best deense against bacteria such as Staph ylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella – and how their use will ensure that, in the uture, antibiotic drugs will still be there when we really need them. Drawing on nearly two decades o personal experience, obser vation, and research, Dr. Fritchey provides a rereshing and enlightening historical perspective, and a bounty o reassuring, down-to-earth methods or using commonly ound or easily grown medicinal herbs.
Learn how the healing salvation o God-given herbs was dragged rom common knowledge to “quackery,” and how the revival o interest in natural health might have saved thousands o years o herbal wisdom rom eradication. Learn simplied processes or gathering, preserving, and making good medicine rom everyday plants – techniques once amiliar to every sel-sufcient household. Learn why and what an herb does is more important than what it is. Ten ollow along as Dr. Frichey takes you on an in-depth exploration o 46 very common “Ordinary Plants with Extraordinary Powers.” Learn when and how you can use the herbs that can be readily ound in your own neighborhood or easily grown in your own garden just as herbalists and wise-women have done or centuries. 24
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A Simplifed Guide to Natural Health Care or Children.
As a ather and parent himsel, Steven Horne has ocused over twenty years experience as an herbalist to bring you Te ABC Herbal, a “common sense” approach to natural health care or your kids. Addressing a host o common childhood ailments in this easy-toread little book, Steven will share the same “tried and true” herbal home remedies he used with his own children. You will learn simple methods to make and apply your own herbal preparations your amily will enjoy taking. Te ABC Herbal is an invaluable resource or all parents concerned with the health and well being o their children. Te How o Herb Book gives practical, concise inormation in
an easy-reerence orm. Tis book was written as a “how to” o herbs or sel and amily. Te How o Herb Book stresses common, easily available herbs. Te remedies used were chosen or eectiveness, ease o use, and have been time and experience tested.
Includes herbs, vitamins, minerals, diets, juice asts, exercise, pregnancy, babies, and much more. An indispensable book. Designed or quick reading and to give condence and assurance with herbs. Te How o Herb Book will be enjoyed by both experienced herbalists and novices. Have you ever wondered which herbs are good sources o organic Iron, Chromium, Selenium, or Calcium? Well, this book is or you. Mark Pederson’s Nutritional Herbology is a one-o-a-kind resource book giving you a complete and comprehensive summary o what nutrients are in your herbal supplements and how they work! You will nd detailed nutritional analysis or hundreds o herbs, including Chinese constitutional combinations. With each herb’s nutritional prole is an historical summary o the herb’s use, a list o medicinal properties as well as olk remedies. N utritional Herbology is the indispensable reerence or both the modern herbalist and or those interested in natural remedies. Over our years o extensive research and lab work has gone into bringing you this landmark work!
Find these and other informative books at MoreThanAlive.com Selected Photography: Elma Easling
Design: Lynne Hopwood Design
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