Dried herbs to keep in your home cure medicine chest

Saturday, March 12, 2011 by: Fleur Hupston
Tags: herbs, emergency medicine, health news

(NewsTarget) Acquire dried herbs to keep at home for minor cuts, bruises, headaches, colds and flu. Assemble a stock of home medicines and keep them with the usual selection of dressings, plasters and cotton balls to use for first aid in treating minor ailments. The more you use simple herbal cures, the easier it will become to treat minor sicknesses at home. Certain herbs taken in excess can be toxic so ensure dosage is correct.

Herbs for various ailments

Keep either dried herbs or their tinctures. Dried herbs should be kept for a year, at the longest, before being replaced. Keep them in clean, screw top glass jars and be sure to label them with the date and contents. Store tinctures in a dark glass bottle for up to three years. Tablets can be substituted and are useful when traveling.

Herbs useful for coughs, fever, sore throats and headaches

Angelica, echinacea, garlic, ginger and lavender are excellent herbs to keep on hand for fever, sore throats and cold symptoms. Echinacea is especially useful as an immune booster. Limeflowers and rosemary are useful herbs for tension headaches. Store dried mint, parsley and thyme to help alleviate coughs.

Herbs for rheumatic pain

Angelica, bay and parsley can be taken regularly to get relief from rheumatic pain. Lemon grass is helpful in treating arthritic conditions and rheumatism as it possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties. Oil obtained from lemon grass can be used directly on painful joints.

Herbs for insect bites, skin rashes, cuts, bruises, blisters and other skin complaints

Keep basil and parsley for insect bites and stings. Skin rashes and diaper rash respond to herbs such as bay and elder. Comfrey soothes bites and sores. Calendula provides an excellent home-cure for cuts, grazes, minor skin complaints, bruises, blisters, diaper rash and other ailments such as athlete`s foot. Bay helps with skin rashes and bruises.

Herbs to store for digestive complaints, diarrhea and stomach aches

Marjoram is useful for diarrhea; both marjoram and thyme help with flatulence. Keep meadowsweet and ginger for acid indigestion. Stock up on mint for abdominal aches and pains. Sage is an excellent herb to use for gastritis and diarrhea.

Herbs to counter insomnia and fatigue

Valerian, mint, limeflower and lavender are herbs to keep for insomnia. Chamomile helps with fatigue. Kava is an herb that serves to calm and soothe people who suffer from the anxiety that can keep them awake at night.

Herbs for nausea and morning sickness

Ginger helps with travel sickness and morning sickness. Keep fennel and peppermint for bouts of nausea.

Try to develop a general awareness of health. By preventing minor illnesses from developing into major ones, you will likely be able to avoid visits to your practitioner.

Sources:

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies, C. Normal Shealy, MD, PhD, pages 464 - 467, Published by Harper Collins, 2002 edition

http://www.gardensablaze.com

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_meadows...

About the author

Fleur Hupston is a professional freelance writer. She is passionate about natural, healthy living and is currently studying to be a naturopath. She divides her time between writing for Natural News and various other sites, home schooling her children and studying part time.