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| Herbs for the First Aid Kit |
| In an age of painkilling sprays, instant burn relief creams, and antiseptics guaranteed to "kill all known germs," traditional herbal first aid can sometimes seem medievalto say the least. After all, in the modern housewife's larder of shrink-wrapped, precooked convenience meals, how many would easily find a fresh cabbage leaf to use for mastitis or swollen joints? How many could immediately lay their hands on raw onions to make a cough mixture or find fresh plantain growing in the garden to soothe insect bites? |
| Taken literally, the herbal first aid kit could look rather like a produce department's rejects. Fortunately, ready-made herbal alternatives to orthodox potions and liniments are readily accessible, while basic knowledge of the properties of a few common wayside plants usually means that for minor accidents, emergency remedies are close at hand. |
| The list of contents for the family's first aid kit starts with aloe vera, which will happily grow in a pot on the kitchen window sill and is ideal for all those minor burns cooking pots so frequently bestow on us, and ends with yarrow, a common weed and meadow herb that is ideal as an emergency treatment for nosebleeds. |
| Plant availability and space are the key limiting factors. If space is tight, buy the most versatile remedies that can be used for a wide range of ailments. For example, St. John's wort tincture can externally relieve cuts, scrapes, burns, inflammations, and joint stiffness, and internally can help with depression, insomnia, menstrual pains, neuralgia, and immune disorders. If you are susceptible to frequent |
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