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Last Updated on January 11, 2025 by Paul Clayton
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How To Find The Best Natural Medicines
Navigating the world of natural medicine can be challenging. However, with the right knowledge and resources, finding the best natural medication can be a rewarding and beneficial journey.
- Check Scientific Backing: Ensure scientific evidence supports effectiveness.
- Read Consumer Reviews: Gain insights from user experiences online.
- Consider Source Quality: Opt for trusted companies with good practices.
- Understand Side Effects: Be aware of potential adverse reactions.
- Look for Certifications: Seek products with reputable quality certifications.
It’s pretty clear that if humans end up in a survival situation, doctors’ offices and prescription meds might not save the day.
Learning how to create medicine with plants can help keep you healthy, even under extreme circumstances. Keep reading to discover how your garden (and even the wilderness) can be your survival haven.
Why Understand Natural Medicine?
It may seem silly to fret over plant medicine when there are so many man-made resources at our fingertips. However, preparedness is essential, including staying healthy with minimal resources.
Not to mention, learning natural healing techniques now can cut medical costs significantly.
That said, always consult your doctor or take those prescriptions when available. As incredible as natural medicine can be, some plants cause illness, irritation, or even death.
Those looking to survive off plants must have a deep knowledge of wilderness life to stay safe.
Learning to Use Medicinal Plants and Herbs
Some plants are great when eaten fresh or rubbed on the skin, but we’re trying to make medicine here. Most survivalists prefer combining plant material with other ingredients to utilize the plant’s benefits.
There are several ways to turn your plants into medicine with survival equipment, including:
- Salves
- Resin
- Essential oils
- Tinctures
This video has been included to clarify the topic. Credit goes to Blissed Zone
1. Soothing Salves
Creating a salve is one of the easiest and most effective ways of using medicinal plants for survival. It’s a medical ointment used to soothe the surface of the body. Making a DIY salve requires a two-step process.
First, you’ll need to infuse your preferred plant into an oil. The infused oil is mixed with other ingredients to make a salve treatment.
Coconut oil is perfect for this process, as it is proven to help heal wounds naturally and is antiviral, antimicrobial, and antibacterial.
You’ll need about ½ to 2/3 cups of dried medicinal plants when infusing your plants. Add more (about ¾ cup) if you’re using fresh ones. Remember that fresh plants are only favorable for specific extraction methods.
Beeswax and honey are next on the salve ingredient list. They will both help to heal wounds naturally and fight infections. Honey, in particular, can release hydrogen peroxide, which kills bacteria.
The properties of your medicinal plants will dissolve in oil. Therefore, the first step to making a salve is infusing those natural healers. Your method of infusing will depend on the amount of time you have.
Do you have lots of time on your hands? The cold-infusion method involves covering dried plants with oil in a jar, ensuring each piece is coated. Then, cover the jar and allow the plants to seep for at least four weeks.
Keep in mind that only dried plants will work for the cold infusion method. Fresh ones will start going rancid. The last thing you want is to infect yourself with medicine.
Next is the hot oil extraction method: dry plants and oil in a jar. Seal it and transfer to a crockpot with a few inches of water on the lowest setting. Let the jar heat for about four to six hours, watching out so the water doesn’t evaporate.
In the oven extraction method, dried herbs are placed in a non-aluminum oven-safe dish. Cover the dish with coconut oil before baking at a low temperature for three hours. Then, remove it from the oven and let it sit for three more hours.
In a survival situation, medication might be necessary immediately. To extract it quickly, place dried or fresh plants and oil in a jar. Seal the jar, place it in a double boiler, and let it heat at a low temperature for about an hour.
Now that your oil is infused, it’s time to strain. Strain your infusion through a cheesecloth, capturing the oil in a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze out as much plant extract as possible – we want all that healing goodness!
Finally, you’re ready to make the salve. On a very low heat, melt the infused oil, beeswax, and honey, stirring the ingredients together. Once the salve is melted, it will harden.
Getting the consistency right might take trial and error on your first few tries. Pro tip: salve that’s too soft probably needs more beeswax. Once the texture is to your liking, pour it into a clean container and let it cool before using.
So, what can your salve be used for? It’s wonderful for natural wound care because it provides a protective layer over the injury.
That layer keeps the wound moist (and helps reduce scarring), prevents bacteria from entering, and heals the problem area with herbs for survival.
2. Resourcing Resin
Resin might not get as hype as tinctures and oils, but they’re just as effective. They are incredibly helpful in wound care for large areas that must be sealed off.
Considering resin is a tree’s natural way of staying protected from infection, it’s no surprise we can reap the benefits, too.
The resin from spruce, pine, and other coniferous trees is typically mixed with butter or animal fat to make a salve. However, it can also be used on its own. When creating one DIY style, start by blending your medicinal plants.
You only want to blend the plants for a few seconds before cooking. Place your leaves in a large pot, adding enough water to cover the plant. After cooking at a low temperature (below boiling point) for about 30 minutes, the water should turn dark green or brown.
Once it’s cooked, strain your cooked mixture through a large cheesecloth and collect the liquid in a clean pot. You’ll have to begin cooking at a lower temperature again, but the water will evaporate this time.
Doomsday preppers know their resin is ready when the texture feels thick and sticky.
3. Emergency Essential Oils
Survivalists aren’t the only ones hopping onto the essential oil bandwagon. Many love their aroma, stress-relieving qualities, and healing purposes. There are lots of tutorials for creating your own, and they should certainly be included when building a first aid kit for survival.
Infused oils are made by soaking medicinal plants in the oil we just learned. Essential oils, on the other hand, need to be steam-distilled. Making essential oils at home can be challenging, so pick some up if you can (don’t worry—we’ll still show you how to make them).
Essential oil-making starts with filling a crockpot with plant material and water. Turn the lid upside down so any steam can condense and fall back into the pot. Those with missing crockpot lids can use plates instead.
Once your concave lid is set up, turn the crockpot on high to heat the water. When the water gets nice and steamy, please turn it on a low setting for another three or four hours. After all that plant material has cooked down, please turn off the crockpot and allow it to cool.
When your oil finally feels cool, could you place it in the refrigerator overnight? Pull the crockpot out and look for a hard, thin film of oil. Carefully lift that oil off the water (but work fast – it melts quickly).
Finally, pour all that essential goodness into a bottle with a cap and store it in a colored glass container away from light and heat. Whether you’re saving them for survival or using them at home, natural essential oils will be your new favorite healer.
4. Therapeutic Tinctures
While salves and resin might be reserved for outside the body, some plant medicines can be ingested for more significant effects. A tincture is some form of plant material dissolved in ethanol.
To create it at home, you’ll need vodka (or other alcohol at least 80 proof), 190-proof natural cane spirits, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin.
If you’re using fresh plants, chop them in the blender before placing them in a jar. Then, add the solvent of your choice, seal the jar, and shake it well. Ideally, your tincture should steep for at least a week in a dark, dry, cool place.
Depending on your plant, some recommend steeping for six weeks or even longer. On the flip side, some can steep for just three minutes. Let’s use the general rule that more time is always better if you have it.
Strain the alcohol-herb mix through the cheesecloth after steeping for a few weeks (or minutes). Store the liquid in a clear jar, and voila—your tincture! Be sure to keep it safe in a cool, dark location so it stays good.
Treating Stomach Issues Naturally
In a survival scenario where hygiene is poor, and clean water isn’t readily available, you can almost guarantee stomach issues like diarrhea. Healing is essential because if you don’t, these rampant problems can dehydrate and immobilize you.
Now that you know the most common methods of making medicine from plants, let’s review what issues you may face and the plants that will fight them.
Lambs quarters is an edible plant that stomach problem sufferers will adore. It’s considered a weed and can be found all over North America, including in urban environments. You can eat it raw, as it’s delicious and nutritious, but using it in tea would be best for sickness.
Blackberry leaves are another stomach savior. When diarrhea sufferers, steep the leaves in boiling water for about five to ten minutes. Ensure you have over two ounces of leaves per cup of water, and drink immediately in your home with the garden.
Plant Medicine for Skin Issues
Rashes, bug bites, itchiness, and skin irritation are inevitable for those trekking in dirty clothes, enduring wilderness survival. But don’t worry—survival situations don’t have to squash your skincare routine.
This may seem obvious, but a topical treatment works best for skin issues.
Lovely lavender will bless your nostrils and reduce itching and swelling. Crush some leaves and apply them to the infected area. If you have extra time, lavender would also be excellent in a salve.
Burdock is a natural saving grace for acne sufferers. In more extreme cases, it can also help treat eczema and rashes. The ideal way to use it is to make a tincture of the dried root in alcohol.
Then, consume about 15 tincture drops or eat the boiled roots and leaves independently.
Plantain weeds are another strong skin healer (and to be clear, we’re not talking about bananas’ twins). Find their leaves in fields across America, crush them into a paste, and apply them to stings and bug bites.
The plant can neutralize the venom, making it marvelous for bee, wasp, and scorpion-related injuries.
Treating Wounds with Plants
For extreme survival situations, it’s wisest to save the first aid kit for severe wounds. When you acquire minor injuries, try yarrow to disinfect and encourage healing without dipping into the survival gear.
Crush yarrow leaves and flowers and apply it to your minor nicks and scratches. Its antiseptic qualities will help blood clotting and prevent infection. Spot this plant throughout North America from the coast to the alpine zone, as well as in Europe and Asia.
Pain Relieving Plants
Even though CVS might not be open to grabbing some ibuprofen, Mother Nature’s got your back regarding pain relief. Pain is mainly caused by inflammation during survival situations.
So, by reducing inflammation, you can thus lower pain and treat issues like arthritis, headaches, and minor injuries.
Smilax offers a wide variety of pain-relieving qualities for survivalists. There are over 300 different types, including a few species that live in warmer areas of the U.S. You can grow your own with an indoor garden DIY. Chew on these plants to relieve pain quickly.
Survival situations may turn you into a tree hugger. Birch bark contains salicylates, which have strong pain relief qualities. To make tea, scrape the bark from twigs and boil it in hot water for about 10 minutes.
The correct ratio is about ¼ teaspoons of bark per cup of water. Use caution when consuming this plant, as too much can cause stomach issues or nausea. If problems occur, don’t continue using this natural first aid for survival.
Black widow bark is another natural healer. It contains salicin, Earth’s version of aspirin. Shave off some bark and chew on it to lower a fever or relieve pain.
Natural Cold and Flu Meds
We’ve all suffered from colds and flu (while whining in our cozy bed after downing some Dayquil). Imagine doing it while also toughing through an emergency! Luckily, our plant friends are here to heal.
Echinacea is the best plant for colds and flu and is just gorgeous. Grind it into a paste and apply it to the skin for fungal or yeast infections. When healing a cold, dry the roots or leaves and use them for a potent tea.
Mallow, a plant native to Europe and northern Africa, can often be found in America’s wilderness. It’s incredibly effective at clearing up mucus from infections and colds. Not to mention, it will make your survival garden look stunning.
To use mallow, boil the roots and leaves to make tea, like with echinacea. Additionally, you can place the leaves on infected wounds to draw out pus. You’ll kick that cold to the curb with some organic herbal tea.
This video has been included to clarify the topic. Credit goes to SSEHeritageFarm
Final Words
When it comes to finding the best natural medicines, there are several key factors that you should consider. Firstly, check for scientific backing.
Ensure the natural medicine’s effectiveness is supported by credible scientific evidence; it’s not enough to go by word of mouth or anecdotal evidence.
Secondly, read consumer reviews. They provide invaluable insights into user experiences and can help you gauge a product’s real-world effectiveness. The internet is rife with such reviews, and they can be a good starting point in your search.
It’s also crucial to consider the quality of the source. Opt for trusted companies that adhere to good manufacturing and distribution practices.
This can be determined by researching the company’s reputation, track record, and transparency in disclosing information about its products.
Another essential aspect to consider is the understanding of potential side effects. Even natural medicines can have adverse reactions, so it’s critical to be aware of these and consult a healthcare professional if necessary.
Lastly, look for certifications. Products with reputable quality certifications are more likely to be safe and effective.
Certifications can offer an additional layer of assurance as they indicate that the product has been tested and meets specific standards. By following these guidelines, you can make an informed decision on how to find the best natural medicines.
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