I don’t think that many people would argue against the fact that modern doctors have become sales-people for the giant pharmaceutical companies. They get rewarded with golf trips and cruises when they prescribe a lot of a particular drug. This leads to a major conflict of interest, and the reason that many drugs are known to be “over-prescribed”. More on that here.
If you want to avoid all that, along with the harsh side-effects (you know, the ones they say really fast in the commercials), here are some natural herbs that you can prepare on your own to help whatever ails you.
The earth is our natural medical kit!
What you’ll need:
- Knife or you can use two stones, one as a holder and the other as a cutter
- Zippo, it’s very useful to start a fire and make sure it has lighter fluid
- Light aluminum plate and cup
- Fresh or bottled clean water
Here are some plants you can look for:
Plantain
Description: Plantains have rat tail-like flower spikes and the basal rosette of fleshy, lance-shaped leaves with three to five fibrous ribs. Its flowers have dark rust hues with clear white feathery stamens. This common plant is seen as a bad weed in many gardens and you may recognize it easily.
Parts used: Leaves.
Preparation: Mash the leaves well (or you can chew) until you it turns into a gummy poultice. Apply onto the wound.
Properties: It can treat small cuts and wounds, stops bleeding, softens and soothes inflamed skin surfaces. It reduces muscle spasms relieves coughs, promotes better digestion, helps urine flow, and induces vomiting when needed.
Extra: For deep cuts- Disinfect the wound with cold water, keep a pressure point where the artery is and apply some mashed plantain using a clean tissue and cover wound with a sterilized dressing. Change dressing every 2 days.
Bears Breech
Description: Dark green and pinnate leaves. The flower spikes are white, pale blue with pale purple tube-shaped flowers.
Parts used: Leaves.
Preparation: Crush leaves, soak them in cold water and drink the juice or apply to burns. It’s useful to improve appetite after vomiting.
Properties: Bile stimulant, treatment for mild stomach burns, and used as a mild laxative
Yarrow or Achimille Millefeuille
Description: Long tige with feathery white flowers in clusters. This is one of the most used plants in white magic and in herbal medicine.
Parts used: Leaves and flowers when fully bloomed.
Preparation: Leaves can be used as a tea to treat colds and hay fever. For nosebleed treatment, insert fresh leaves into the nostril. Stomach cramps can be relieved by chewing the leaves and ingesting its juices.
Properties: For treatment of stomach cramps, muscle cramps, and wounds. It reduces inflammation and muscle tension, stops bleeding, helps urine flow, reduces fever, lowers blood pressure, and stops external bleeding.
Note: It is not advisable for pregnant women.
Ramsons
Description: A scented garlic plant with a white cluster, six-petaled and star-like flowers.
Parts used: Whole plant while flowering or leaves after flowering.
Preparation: Disinfects cuts and corns (mash/chew and mix with a little amount of water, then apply to the wound). You can eat it to relieve chest pain but always remember to chew it well.
Properties: Destroys bacteria, fungi, encourages sweating, regulates digestion and lowers blood pressure.
Marshmallow
Description: This is not the junk food you buy at the stores. This is an erect, soft, downy round plant with a large pink flower that blooms in the summer. The plant produces a sweet-tasting, rich, and sugary product.
Parts used: Whole plant, flowers, and leaves after flowering.
Preparation: It’s a natural cough syrup when boiled with a little water to make the syrup.
Properties: Gets rid of body waste to relieve intoxication, helps stop coughing, a stomach pain reliever during intoxication, relieves heartburn, a blood purifier, helps urine flow, and soothes the skin.
Daisy
Description: Low-growing with a basal rosette, oval leaves, white and yellow and often pink petals.
Parts used: Top of the flower during flowering and leaves.
Preparation: Boil the leaves as a tea to relieve stiff necks and other muscle pains. It can also be used as a cough syrup.
Properties: Natural cleanser, skin and muscle pain reliever, and stops bleeding
Shepherd’s Purse
Description: Long branches with tiny white flowers. The plant has a long, green heart-shaped seed.
Parts used: Flowers and bottom part of the plant
Preparation: Brew and drink as tea
Properties: Helps stop bleeding and irregular discharge, circulatory stimulant, helps urine flow
Cornflower
Description: Gray-green leaves and a striking blue flower, it can also be white or purple depending on the season.
Parts used: Flowers.
Preparation: A digestive stimulant for indigestion when taken as a tea.
Properties: Reduces stomach inflammation.
Hawthorn
Description: Small tree or shrub with deeply obovate leaves and pink or white flowers in spring. Dark red oval tree in autumn.
Parts used: Top of the flower and fruit when ripe in autumn.
Preparation: Tea — to relieve diarrhea, high blood pressure, heavy menstrual bleeding, and as a gargle for sore throats
Properties: Normalizes blood pressure, a sedative and stops bleeding
Rose-Bay Willow Herb
Description: A shiny, tall, pink, flowering plant with spikes and long, narrow-toothed leaves.
Parts used: Top of the flower during spring and roots collected in autumn.
Preparation: Tea — Roots and leaves are used for stomach upsets and diarrhea. Should be taken three times a day for better results. The flower is used for throat and mouth ulcers, taken only when urgently needed.
Meadowsweet
Description: Usually found in damp ditches, the plant has pinnate leaves and large fluffy flower head which smells like aspirin.
Parts used: Flower.
Preparation: Crush flower and chew for easing pain and cold fever. Tea –relieves stomach upsets after a meal and is great for indigestion.
Properties: Relieves mild pain, anti-acid, prevents stomach infection, increases sweating and helps urine flow
Cleaver
Description: A scrambling weed with whorls and stem leaves. Tiny green-white flowers with round purple-green fruits.
Parts used: Flower before fruiting.
Preparation: Chew and apply to wound for skin rash. Tea — urinary infection and mild laxative.
Properties: Laxative and cleans the skin.
Herb Roberts or Wild Geranium
Description: Red-tinged stems and divided palmated leaves. Shiny five petal lowers.
Parts used: Whole plant, even roots.
Preparation: Crush leaves and apply to skin for minor cuts and bruises. It is also very effective to repel insects. When taken as a tea, it counters diarrhea.
Wood Avens
Description: Slender long stems and spaced leaves with small yellow flowers. Its purple fruits are covered by hairy bristles. The roots smell like cloves.
Parts used: Flowers and roots.
Preparation: Tea — relieves diarrhea and improves appetite after vomiting. Roots tea — pain reliever for tooth and sore throats, must gargle. Tea can be used for external wounds.
Properties: Prevents infection, reduces inflammation, restores weak stomach and reduces fever.
Toadflax
Description: Slender, thin pointed leaves with yellow and orange flowers.
Parts used: Whole flower.
Preparation: It’s very effective to stimulate digestion. Chewed or mashed leaves treat skin rashes, wounds, and sores.
Properties: laxative stimulant and helps urine flow.
Purple Loosestrife
Description: Long with shiny spiky purple flowers and hard fibrous shiny leaves.
Parts used: Flowers.
Preparation: Tea externally — apply to cleansed wounds.
Properties: Inhibits bacteria, helps urine flow, stops external bleeding and soothes skin.
Butterbur
Description: Long (200 cm) with 90 cm leaves, bell-shaped pink or purple with dense reddish spikes.
Parts used: Roots.
Preparation: Tea — boil with a little water to make cough syrup. It is used as a pain reliever for tension headaches and migraines.
Properties: Helps urine flow, reduces tension and stops bleeding.
Yellow Dock
Description: Purple flower with a robust taproot and long ovate leaves, with black hooked fruits.
Parts used: Roots (don’t eat the fruit)
Preparation: Tea — stimulates the liver, relieves diarrhea and irritated sore throats; apply externally for itching skin.
Properties: Laxative and stimulates gallbladder which aids the digestion of fats.
Chickweed
Description: Low-growing weed with a slender stem and round, small white star-shaped flowers.
Parts used: Flowers.
Preparation: Chewed to make ointments for skin rashes and burns.
Properties: Counters itching and cooling.
Dandelion
Description: Looks like a margarite but without the white middle and a fluffy hairy seed.
Parts used: Roots and leaves.
Preparation: Roots tea — strong laxative and stimulates liver for digestion. Flower tea — eye-bath for eye inflammation.
Fennel
Description: Long stems with multi-separated thin stems with yellow flowers.
Parts used: Seeds.
Preparation: Tea — helps digestion, flatulence reliever, mouthwash and cleans your teeth.
Properties: Helps urine flow and circulatory stimulant.
Chamomile
Description: Another look-alike of margarite with a hint fragrance of apple. Very popular as tea.
Parts used: Flower.
Preparation: Tea — upset stomach, nausea, and insomnia. Mashed– apply to skin wounds, muscle pains, and skin rash.
Properties: Anti-vomiting, reduces tensions and relieves flatulence.
Despite what modern prescription-pushing (and incentive-getting) doctors say, you can cure a lot of ailments on your own – the healthy way. Definitely worth a try.
Wow! It’s like I’ve only heard of these plants in fantasy series dated during the ancient times.
I agree that doctors are a walking ad for pharmaceutical companies. They literally prefer one brand over another just because they’re being compensated by it. Sometimes, it just really makes you want to question if what they’re prescribing is something that you really need.
I haven’t seen these plants ever. It’s actually amazing that these plants exist because I know how back in the days, it was the only medicine that they had and it was as effective as the ones we have now. Probably better, even.
My grandmother has some of these plants. I thought that it was just plain flowers/leaves. Turns out she’s taking care of medicinal plants. She likes natural medicine and it gives her the idea that she’s going to live longer if she’s consuming all natural stuff.?
I saw in your old articles that even vitamin supplements have some sort of coating or ingredients that aren’t even safe for our health. Our medicines (antibiotics, pain relievers, etc.) come in the same form such as capsules and tablets. So, what makes it different? It could also contain harmful ingredients that aren’t beneficial to our health.
What article is that? This is alarming. I want to read it too!
I hope I can buy plants like this just to add to my tea. It might be a good idea to let my kids try natural remedies especially for common cough and colds.
That marshmallow plant is very adorable. So marshmallows come from that?
I remember reading via Google searches that the actual marshmallow, the sugary stuff, can help alleviate cough symptoms. Maybe it’s because it comes from the plant that actually relieves coughing? It’s so cool! ?
Oooh, daisies can be used as facial cleanser?! I’m so stunned with these plants!!
This is amazing. Some of the plants and flowers here can be seen on the side of the road at times! I can literally recognize some of it during our roadtrips.
It’s good to learn natural remedies like this. If by any chance that there we are stricken by calamity, it’s good to know that we shouldn’t rely on just medicines to help us. The cures are around us and we just have to know how to use it.?
True. With all the global warming and environmental destruction that we are experiencing, it’s not far off to be experiencing extreme calamity destruction.
My parents have Meadowsweet at home. My mom suffers from constant acid reflux before so she decided to look for a better alternative to ease her suffering.
Can you imagine how much money we can all save when we just plant these in our backyard and use it when we need it? It’s outrageous!
You’re right. It’s not a joke when we compute the amount of money we spend for medications in a year.
Rose-bay willow herb can be seen almost anywhere. I didn’t know it was medicinal!?
I am loving this article. So much useful information. Thanks for being so very clear on identifying the plants properly as well.
Thanks for the information. Now I am planning to do some plantation.
I’ve done a little research into Plantain apparently, it has healing and antiseptic properties for topical wounds, I suggested this to a friend of mine. He made a poultice from Plantain and applied it to skin wounds. Both on his report of the effects and my personal observation of the wounds, it does appear to be an effective antiseptic and potential healing accelerate.
This is ridiculous you are encouraging the novice to do this without serious observation and training. I took a medical and edible botany class. Many of the native Americans cures were effective but the side effect was often violent.
I just pull some narrow leaf Plantain put it in a jar with some olive oil. I leave it for about a month or so and use it as a salve
I’m so happy to have learned so much about these natural remedies with the help of plants in this short but to the point information. Thank you.
Love the plantain. I have to go foraging for them but when I find them, they are usually the narrow leaf and I pick a big handful and stand them up in a glass in the fridge with an inch of water and I put them in my smoothies each morning. they can last a week for more if a little water.
Thank you for all your time and energy you put into writing these articles. I’m starting to plant and learn how to use different herbs medically. Your articles are very informative.
What a great article!! It is so good to know about all these natural remedies. This you can save money and ensure the best treatment.
Thanks for the information on these plants. I did learn something new, always do here.
Thanks for sharing this useful information I have Plantain everywhere around here. I used to think they are weed and pluck them away.
Yarrow is one of the soldiers used to carry into battle with them because of the styptic and healing abilities. We had it growing all around us when we lived in the mountains and I miss it very much. We had that and mullein in abundance, among many other things.
I have Plantain and Daisy in my yard I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the information.
That was really interesting. I learned a lot.
I always love hearing about the medical benefits of all different kinds of plants. We believe that God gave us all we need, it’s up to us to know what to use and go out and grab it. I love your articles and appreciate all your hard work that goes into writing them.
Marshmallow is amazing if you have asthma it makes your lungs feel happy.
Good information!! It’s always interesting to see how much use there is for random plants and weeds that we overlook every day. Thanks for sharing.