Wildflower, Herb and Tree Identification Online

Its that time of year when life is in full bloom and Creation is lush and begging to be recognized!  Our family has been doing nature walks and wildcrafting since the beginning.  We enjoy it very much and we have been blessed to learn about plants' uses and also which ones to stay away from.  It is good to be in touch with Creation - to know what it edible, medicinal, usable otherwise or to be avoided.  We have bookshelves full of nature guides and books on the topics.  (As well as guides to help us identify birds, spiders, insects, and animals.) It is such a wonderful hobby and skill that not only helps us understand and appreciate this amazing ecosystem we live in, but it also is a bounding experience between each of our family members as we learn and grow and share together.  I highly recommend it! 

However, have you ever turned to a guide that lists them by their name (or better yet their Latin names! urg...) ...or maybe the pictures are sketched pencil drawings without color?  For the newbie - this can be VERY discouraging!  When you don't know what you are looking for or looking at - thumbing a hundred options becomes exhausting, doesn't it?

Today, I was reminded about this WONDERFUL online tool for identifying wild flowers and herbs.  You click a multiple-choice questioner for the classic identifying markers you look for in plants that separate them from one another.  (Which is a good exercise to learn in the identification process!) Hit the search button and if gives you a list of flowers (with pictures) to help you see which one it is.  What a wonderfully efficient search engine this is! www.MyWildflowers.com   There are several ways to search.  (To find the search mentioned above, choose "Identify an Unknown Flower" and it will take you right to the questioner.)

Here is a resource for tree identification which similarly, takes you through some questions to identify trees - step by step.  http://www.oplin.org/tree/

Once you know what it is, then you can  look them up in your guides or type in the name of the item in google with the word "properties" after it.  Then you should be able to choose from sites that will teach you about the plant or tree's different uses.

 I hope these tools might help you stop and taste the wood sorrel and that you enjoy it as much as we do!

Treating Diarrhea at Home

OK here is an unpleasant topic, but it is a real part of life..it's gonna happen sometime right?  It is awful when it does, so lets be ready for it when it comes shall we?  This was one of the symptoms of a sickness that swept through our home last week..I am aware of all kinds of tricks..but are other people?  So I thought I would share what I have used and learned and maybe it could help others.

There are many causes for diarrhea and it seems to me the cause would help you choose a remedy best suited to it..But we don;t always know the cause, and frankly I am not sure how to best pair up the remedy options with the cause...but when it happens I like to do as many things as I can to clear it up quickly...and these types of suggestions can be used together in that way too.  These things are safe for all ages.

Here are a list of things that can cause diarrhea:

rich or unusual food

food chemicals, refined foods or preservatives

foreign travel

bacterial infection

viral infection

food poisoning

allergic reactions

drug side effect

coffee

parasites

Diarrhea could be dangerous when it is chronic or acute.  It can deplete the body of much needed hydration and does not allow your body to get nutrients from food.  It is wise to limit activity and increase clear liquids such as herbal teas and water or freshly made juice or smoothy are also good in most cases.  

You can make your own electrolyte solution for hydration:

2 cups water

1/2 orange, juiced (optional)

Juice of half a lemon

Juice of half a lime

1/2 tsp sea salt

OR

1 quart of water

juice of 2-3 lemons 

1/3 c. raw honey 

1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt 

OR

half gallon hot water

2-6T unsulphered blackstrap molasses

1-2T or baking soda and/or sea salt

1C apple cider vinegar

1. Nourishing meat/bone broth and rice are very good things to eat.  Or serve a big bowl of rice with some coconut oil (or butter) and seasoning of choice. Rice helps to bind the stool and is simple to digest.  It also contains a good balance of the nutrient needed to change the stool.
2. Rice tea, which is the water the rice is cooked in is also an age old remedy.  You can flavor it slightly with vanilla, raw honey and cinnamon.   I have also read you can do the same with barley.  I have not tried it.  
3. Charcoal Powder:  In caps or loose washed sown in glass of water.  (We prefer caps.)  We take 4-5 caps - 4- 5 times or so in the day.  It does wonders for all kinds of tummy troubles.  Especially if it related to an infection or something you ingested.
4. Slippery Elm Balls:  Take slipper elm powder and a little raw honey roll into a balls and eat or swallow like pills.  This soothes and heals the raw colon. (Raw honey has more beneficial enzymes the processed and antibacterial properties as well.) 
5. Bananas:  Soothes the digestive tract, nourishes the body and help give the stool some body.
6. We always load up on garlic.  Fresh minced garlic loaded on (homemade wheat) buttered bread and toasted in the oven and served with homemade broth is super-food to my family.  :-)  This is antibacterial and nourishing to a body!  It may not be diarrhea specific, but it always part of momma's healing plan!
7. Carob is said to also help.  Mix carob in with some mashed bananas or in a smoothy with coconut milk.
8. Green tea is said to aid in diarrhea and it has astringent properties as well as antioxidants.
9. Apples and unsweetened applesauce are also old time remedies.  It is said that pectin in them help.  I have also used POWDERED PECTIN (like you make jam with) and found it very helpful!  The powdered pectin can be sprinkled or added to the applesauce or smoothy or other food item. (Like mashed bananas and carob.)  It can also be added to water.  I put some in my rice tea too.  I thought it might thicken up but it didn't.  I use about 1-3 tsp per serving (depending on the size of the person) and give it a few times in the day.  I even chopped some apples, sprinkled them with cinnamon and tossed them in pectin to coat and baked them.  What a soothing and delicious remedy!
10. An herb to help your body fight infection is also helpful, such as echinacea or olive leaf. Both are antiviral  and antibacterial. So you cover both bases.  :-)
11. I have also read that lime juice is an effective remedy..so by having that in an electrolyte mix - you are "killing to birds with one stone".
12. We found Kombucha to be very soothing and healing and hydrating.
13. If you don't have dairy issues Kefir will also replenish good bacteria in the cut.
14. Lacto fermented veggies are also a wise choice during this time!  
15. Psyllium husk powder, is said to be helpful too.  I have never tried them for diarrhea because it get it under control with these handier things that I have on hand.  :-)  But if you got it - use it!  Or you might consider keeping it in your medicine chest for just such an occasion.
16. Keep your diet light and healthy.  Don't drink caffeine, soda or sweets.

Take extra care to wash hands well and often.   Some say those how it should not prepare food for others.  That may not always be practical - but something to consider.  Disinfect the toilet often and it you have more than one rest room, you might designate those who are sick to use one bathroom and those who are not to use the other.  Consider washing soiled clothing or linens separately in hot, with bleach, essential oils or peroxide.   Rest and stay home if you can.  Others don't want what you have.

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How to Make an Herbal Tincture

I received some comments on a previous post asking for instruction on how to make tinctures.  I don't have pictures to share - but it truly is so simple.  I think the instructions will be sufficient.

I use two methods.  One alcohol is based and the other glycerin based.  I will share with you both methods here.  You may use any combination of herbs in either base.  The glycerin is sweet and adds that characteristic to the tincture which is often a very nice feature, especially when making remedies for children or those who can not (or should not) consume alcohol. Glycerin requires added heat to extract the properties from the herbs, while alcohol does not.  Alcohol just needs time and warmth is helpful.

Crock Pot Glycerin Tincture

1. Line the bottom of your crock pot with a hand towel.
2. Fill pint jar(s) half way** with dried herbs (or packed full of fresh).
3. Pour (pure) boiling water over the herb, just enough to cover.  Fill the rest of the jar with vegetable glycerin. Put the lid on and shake well.
4. Put the jar standing up on the towel in the crock pot.  Fill the crock pot with boiling water, about 3/4 way of the side of the jars.
5. Put the lid on the crock and and set it to the lowest setting (warm).  Let it steep for 3 days.
6.  When the time is up.  Take it out, let it cool enough to handle it.  Strain, squeeze and press all the tincture out of wet herbs.  Bottle it in a glass jar (dark glass if possible) and store it in a cool dark place.  (A cupboard is good.)  Be sure to date and label your tincture.

** If using dried roots or barks, only fill jar 1/3 with herbs. They swell significantly and need more space.

Passive Alcohol Tincture

1.  Fill any size jar half full of dried herbs of choice or packed full of fresh herbs.
2.  Pour alcohol of choice over the herb to the top of the jar. (The higher the proof - the greater the pull it will have.  My favorite is grain alcohol it doesn't have the fumy effect of other alcohols.  I like Brandy for Elderberries.  However,  you can use vodka, bourbon, rum etc.)
3.  Cap and shake well.  Put in a dark warm place for 6 WEEKS.   I like to do mine from new moon to full moon (a month and half later) when I can.  Shake as often as you can.  Daily would be best, but I am doing good if I remember weekly.
4.  When the time is up.  Take it out, let it cool enough to handle it.  Strain, squeeze and press all the tincture out of wet herbs.  Bottle it in a glass jar (dark glass if possible) and store it in a cool dark place.  (A cupboard is good.)  Be sure to date and label your tincture.

It's that simple.  The old and natural ways ARE simple.  It is one of the reasons why I love them.



This post was shared at Wild Crafting Wednesday.

Homemade Black Walnut Tincture

It's that time of year to make Black Walnut Haul Tincture!  Why make black walnut tincture?  It is a very strong and effective remedy for parasites (and the problems they cause) especially when mixed with wormwood and clove.  Black Walnut Hull is also very  effective on fungal infections of all kinds.  I have used it to treat athletes foot and impetigo when nothing else worked and it was very effective.  As a farmer, it also good to have on hand for animals! It is also said that Black Walnut Hull has also been used successfully in the treatment of cancer. Here is a link for other uses of Black Walnut Tincture. In addition to the tasty nut, the leaves can also be used for medical purposes.  So it is very good to know and identify these uses and these trees, so that you may utilize this wonderful gift from our Creator!   Here is a little video on what Dr. Hulda Clark P.H.D., N.D. about her research with Black Walnut Hull:



Identifying a Black Walnut Tree:  Here is a link with great information on identifying a black walnut tree.  Once you have found one, they will be very easy for you to spot, thereafter.  Once you have handled the green nuts, you will never forget their distinct smell.  We used to play with them as kids...every time I touch one it takes me back!  :-)  At that time, I had no idea of their strong medicinal properties.  I just new they made great "play food" in our fort and my mom brought it to my attention that they stained clothes.  :-)

Collecting Walnuts:  The walnuts are ready in July/August depending on your region.  These trees are very common and plentiful and their nuts are often seen as "litter" in people's yards..so they are easy to collect or get permission to collect on other's property.  You an also find them in state parks.  It doesn't take many to make a large batch tincture.  It is strong and a little goes long way!  You want to get the walnuts that are all green.  I avoid any browning.  You want a nice bright green  color.  Stay away from the ones that are yellowing or have lots of brown specks or spots, cracks or blemishes. I will even take a stick and knock them out of a the tree if I have too to get them without any brown.  These will be the strongest and healthiest hulls to use.  After you use the hull you can harvest the nut in the center.  However, often the nut isn't ready...so I personally consider the hull and nut harvest as two different stages of getting fruit from the tree.  The nut is better and easier to get to when the hull it starting to deteriorate.

Making the Tincture:   You may use any alcohol to extract the medicinal properties from your walnut hulls.  I prefer a high proof vodka or grain alcohol.  However a rubbing alcohol could be used if you were only going to ONLY use it topically.  A gin could also be used.  I get a jar twice the size of the amount of tincture I plan to use and fill it half way with the alcohol. I also wear gloves because the walnuts stain your hands green or brown if you choose to cut them.  I have read two ways to do it.  You can be total low maintenance, fast and stain free by putting your walnuts in the jar whole and your are done.   However, I like to cut my hulls off instead.  Doing this allows me to put more media in the jar for extraction..and results are a stronger tincture. I simply get a sharp knife and cut all around the pit to take the hunks of skin and flesh away from the pit/nut.  I never get as deep as the nut center because it is a firm hard hull to cut through. I drop each piece immediately into the alcohol because it likes to oxidize quickly.  I fill it up half way with green hull pieces.  I put the lid on and put it in a warm dark place to steep for 6 weeks.  Than I strain it and bottle it in dark glass.  (It is good to keep all tinctures out of the light.  It preserve their properties/strength.)

The tincture will be a deep dark green when it is finished.  Often when it is sold commercially it will be brown..but the dark green is actually a superior quality. Of course your cost is FAR less..you only have the cost of the alcohol.




This post was shared at Wildcrafting Wednesdays

Wild Edibles! (Video)

I spent this Memorial Day, in bed flat on my back, recovering from a back injury incurred the previous Friday.  My family was outside working on the many chores that needed to get done on the farm, such as setting up (much needed) irrigation for the strawberry patch and the turkey run ( for the fodder we are trying to get planted and grown before they are big enough to graze the land).  They also brought in the first couple hundred bales of hay for the spring from our back field.   There is a threat of rain and we have come to understand the importance of "making hay while the sun shines"!   We were late in getting help to cut our hay this year...but we think we found a nice local cattle rancher to partner with.  They cut and bale it and get 65%.  We get the other 35% and just need to bring in our own bales.  It is an arrangement that will work well for us until we get more equipment to to do our own hay and the more animals for the need.  They respect our boundaries not to work on the Sabbath (even they take off Sundays) and they are also respectful and cautious about the reality of their being children here on the farm...so this momma gives them a thumbs up.  :-)  Anyway... back on topic....much of my time in bed was spent reading about wild edibles and foraging.  (I have some wonderful new resources I hope to share with you soon on that too!!)  In the mean time, I wanted to share this series of short videos by Sergei Boutenko, each is a little over 10 minutes long, .  He has done a fine job explaining and showing 24 varieties of wild edibles with a few medicinal mixed in there too.  It worth the watching!  Some day, I hope to host wild food walks here on our farm as well as herbal workshops and sell perennials plants so people can grow their own food and medicine.  Until then, I continue study and experiment...and share things on my blog.  :-)  If this is s topic of interest to you, I highly recommend using many resources.  Doing this reinforces the things you have already learned and you will always come across little tidbits that one teacher covers that another did not...there is always something to learn!! I hope you enjoy it!

Part 1


Part 2
 

Part 3
 

Part 4
 

This post was shared at Wildcrafting Wednesdays

Herbal Treatment for Chicken Pox

Late in the day I suspected that Chazaq (my 2yr old) might have gotten chicken pox. At about 2 a.m., he woke, irritated and complaining and still hot. I confirmed my suspicion when he said his tummy hurt, he was still warm and a couple pox have popped out on his tummy and one on his head...hear we go! So I thought I would gather my thoughts here in a post before I lay my head down to sleep (at 4 am!) knowing that when I wake, I will be 'doctor mom'. So I thought I would share my notes with you and make further notes in the comment section of this post (in case you want to subscribe to the comments) as to what I did and its results.

When I treat things herbally, I like to hit it from every angle possible. The pox were no exception to this rule! My strategies: I wanted internal solutions for calming, soothing and building up the internal health/immunity to speed healing and speed the process (it is a very trying, uncomfortable and stressful experience...every moment seems as if it is an hour sometimes)! Calming and soothing nervine herbs that I like to use are catnip, lemon balm, chamomile, passionflower, linden flower and Valerian. Because it is a virus, I want to focus on herbs that are strong anti virals. Some strong anti virals (that I know I have) are Goldenseal, Echinacea, Olive leaf and St John's Wart. I also wanted external solutions to treat the skin's irritation, itching and healing so no scaring would occur and the outbreak would be more tolerable. Infection is a concern here, if pox get opened. So topically, we want to treat with antibacterial herbs, drawing, healing and soothing, anti itch and skin repairing herbs; sandalwood, calendula, chickweed, plantain, lavender, tea tree and oats are good for that. There MAY be a need to manage fevers if they get too high are cause one not sleep. I am generally one who thinks fevers need to run their course - but it is good to be "at the ready" as I always like to say. Boneset, burdock,elderflower and catnip are good at that. (As are cool baths or clothes behind the knees, neck, feet and bends of the arms. I have a good supply of ingredients on hand and would rotate remedies as needed and repeating ones that were most effective. The following suggestions are the remedies other have has success with, so i thought would list those here as well too.

Internal treatments

Tea: (Chazaq LOVES tea!)
1 part calendula
1 part red clover
2 parts oats (milky tops)
2 parts lemon balm
1 part passionflower

Mix together and store in airtight container. 1tsp of mixed herbs to 1C water. Cover while steeping cool and drink as often as possible.

Tinctures/Syrups:

Tincture for itching and rash
2 parts burdock root
1 part echinacea
1 part valerian

( How to make a tincture.)

Give 1/8 tsp every 2 hours. Since tinctures take time to make, it you don;t have this premade, you can mix the single premade tincture together (store bought or homemade).

Super Immunity Syrup,
2 parts oat
1 part astragulous root
1 part burdock root
1 part echinacea root and tops
( I am assuming you know how to make a syrup. If not - please ask in the comments and I will post it when I can.)

1 tsp every hour at the on slot of the infection. After the first 24 hours, give 4-6 time daily until symptom are gone.

External Treatments
Powders: Powdered Lavendar and Calendula. Slippery Elm.

Disinfectant Powder
1 oz green clay
1T calendula flowers powder
1T comfrey root powder
1/2T golden seal or olive leaf powder

Sprinkle on sores.

Poultices: Chickweed and/plantain poultices. Calendula and Plantain poultice for swelling redness and fever reduction. Chamomile also good for swelling. Slippery Elm mixed with Calendula flowers. Tumeric Paste to draw and dry.

Infusion Baths:
* Fill a thin cloth bag with oats, calendula flowers and baking soda and put that into the bath. The kids would squeeze the oat milk onto their skin and even rub the bags over the irritated areas. These baths did wonders to relieve the itching and calm the children in another family. Also Epsom Salt Baths.

Essential Oils: Lavendar, Tea Tree (Melaleuca) externally on pox or mixed with calamine lotion. (I have had great success with Lavendar, Chamomile, Tea tree for Chiggers, so I would like to see how it does on pox!

This post was shared at Wild Crafting Wednesday .

Poisonous Spider Bites - Treated Naturally at Home - Updated

I was recently bitten (5 times!!) by a Brown Recluse Spider. I have only come to know what these spider even exist in the last couple of years. This is catalog of that awareness, in it I will share the highlights of identifying this dangerous little spider a the natural cure for its poisonous bite should you (or someone you love!) be bitten.

I was first introduced to the Brown Recluse Spider, at a camp ground - when we were camping with some friends over Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Some of the Biblical Feasts of YHVH). When we met a family who made these kits and was starting to sell them. The mother proceeded to tell me about these spiders and how dangerous they were, their experience and how they came to start this small family business. I was intrigued, but we lived in PA at the time and the Brown Recluse are not very prevalent up there, so I chalked it up to "nice to know" and left it at that. I shared what I had learned with my husband and he reminded me that a friend ours from Oklahoma, was said to have been bitten by a brown recluse spider that went untreated and added to further complications which lead to his DEATH in the hospital while being treated! (How could I forget that??!!) Well, about three or four years later, YHVH (God) moved my family to Tennessee. I remembered, these two instances of the Brown Recluse. When we were camping here on the farm for our first 6 months rebuilt the house, we started seeing the Brown Recluse everywhere! I looked up the kits the lady who had developed them was selling several years ago and bought one, so that I might be prepared! It's major components were activated charcoal and a tincture of plantain, lobelia and echinacea tincture in a grain alcohol base. It comes with detailed instructions and there is lots of info on their site. I recommend having one on hand if you live the region of poisonous spider or snakes. I started my research and learned many things about Activated Charcoal. Since then "charcoal" has become a household word 'round here and made it to the top of my list of emergency/poison/sickness/survival remedies to have in stock and has been used for lots of things since then.

Now, back to real time - as I type I have 5 brown recluse bites on my legs right now!

I am not sure when it happened, but I suspect it was when I was on the field (with my children) clearing out our Wild Passion Fruit Patch and trellising them hoping to get fruit from them (i have seen them in our high grasses before) OR it happened in my sleep. I never saw the culprit and can only surmise it from the wound's development - which I had previously studied and "brushed up on" with a live example before my eyes!

Let me introduce you to the Brown Recluse Spider:


As you can see here by this picture, he is a very small spider, his body maybe a 1/4 inch and with legs added - you are looking a little over an inch big.


The best defining mark is the violin shaped marking on the front portion of the spider's body. (This is his back - NOT his belly, like a black widow's identifying hourglass mark.) They are quick and small and are called recluse for a reason; They like to hide and be left alone. They don't usually go looking for trouble - but if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, they will react defensively. I liken them to grumpy little hermits. :-)

My photos turned out pretty crumby, so I am not going to post them. Thankfully I caught my bites in their early stages of development.

All 5 of my bites were on my legs. One on my calf, one at my ankle, one behind my knee and the one on my inner thigh (that was a double bite). The one on my ankle swelled quickly and got a hardened ring around it as it blistered and a purple redness started to spread redness spread. The other two, had the very purple red under layer that started to spread quickly and small bumps on the surface. You could see a very small bite entrance (similar to any bug bit). In a nutshell, the poison from the spider's bite spreads quickly and eats the flesh away from the infected area. The site is very susceptible to infection and is usually treated with amputation and can lead to death in severe cases.

I instinctively started putting Activated Charcoal paste poultice on the bites and covered it with a bandage, even before I realized what they were. All but one, I put bentanite clay on it to start. The ones that I put charcoal on showed healing right away and it took me a day longer to identify the the 4th and 5th bites, because they were behind the knee. My DH saw those (thank you Yah!!). By this time I was confident what they were and was diligent to see their treatment through!! I didn't want to "play" with the bentanite clay any more, so I kept treating using a charcoal poultice. (This is simply taking activated carbon and mixing a little pit of water in it to make a wet paste and applying it to the bite. Then I covered it with a band aid each time.) I have done this a few times a day. Then I pulled out the kit I had bought and started using that. I think that the charcoal alone was doing the trick just fine, but I figured, "better safe than sorry". ;-) The tincture stung because of the alcohol. The instructions suggested diluting it more if that be the case. They also suggested doing it more frequently than I had been doing it, but I was making progress. I didn't fuss about it. I will continue treatment for one day after the symptoms subside to be sure I go all the poison out. I also noticed that when I was off my feet, it's healing progressed faster. I had a big day of canning and it had inflamed and started looking scary. It calmed back down in the night and the next day I decided I best stay off my feet. This also allowed to apply fresh treatment a couple more times and that is when the quickest healing progress too place. So that is definitely important. If it were anyone else, I would have insisted that the wound be elevated and the patient be still. ( And I would do that differently next time, if it were me!)

Although I have not had this personal experience yet - research shows that charcoal can also draws out the toxin of the black widow spider bites and poisonous snake bites too. I have been informed by locals that only SOME of the hospitals in our region have black widow serum, so you need to know which one to go to (even though they are prevalent in our region!). I asked, what if you don't know what it was and they take you to the wrong hospital - and don't figure it out til you get their? The reply was, they try to get send for it, or transfer you there - whatever they find would be the quickest scenario at the time. Can you believe that?? From what I read there is no serum for the brown recluse bites.

If you research Brown Recluse bites - you will see how gruesome and dangerous they become if they go untreated. And I had 5 at once!!! Who gets bit 5 times at once? That is crazy!! However, I am very thankful that I became aware of my bites and that I had the materials and understanding to respond quickly. They are almost completely healed now I am thankful for the experience to know what to look for for the safety of others. Praise Yah!

And to top it all off, do you know what? One day prior to my bites my girlfriend emailed to tell me her son had been bitten by a Brown Recluse! She started treating his with crushed plantain leaves and coconut oil. Than started using the charcoal on it. Her experience was the same. She said she was gonna write it up for me to share on the blog because she thought people should know about this. Who knew that I would get bit (5 times!) the next day and have my own story to tell??? So if you are reading this...apparently Yah wants YOU to know!! :-)

Update: I wanted to include this comment from a reader ( Cindy) who had valuable information to share on the seriousness of this bite if it goes untreated quickly. (You can better see how much I have to thankful for, abd how valuable charcoal is in your emergency kit.):

"The more you move around the more the poison travels.Keep still and keep it elevated.Brown Recluse poison will kill off your kidney.That is how most die.Drink lots of clear fluids and watch your urine..and if you get any fever haul it to the hospital.We have known 4 people of dying from the bites..up to 2 weeks after the bites happened.Red streaks,swelling
chills nausea..go to the DR.
Praise God for the info on the charcoal..I believe you are on a great healing tract...but please be cautious and smart!! Your family needs you. "

I also want to include a link to where you can buy medical grade Charcoal and a book that will teach you all about it from a missionary doctor's experience serving in the third world. It can treat SO MUCH MORE than poison bites, so please get informed and use this affordable natural and very effective element in your emergency/ health care kit! It is one I will teach my children about and not be without in my own.

Also, here is a link to a very informative article on Brown Recluse bite effects from emedicinehealth.com



This post was shared at the Preparedness Challenge

Update:  January 2013

I have had the opportunity to treat several more brown recluse bites since I wrote this post and I have modified my technique.  This fall I helped a lady who's infection had and was continuing to advance very rapidly.  It was eating away the flesh in the center and made it very hard to change the dressings with out taking her deteriorating skin with it.  There were two things I learned that I will do as standard procedure whenever possible from now on - whenever possible.

1.  In addition to the charcoal, I like to add about 1/4th part ground flax seed and then activated by hot hot water mixed and needed into a "dough". This has wonderful healing properties in itself - which I am not going to go into.  But what I found was it's most valuable contribution was how it changed the texture of the dressing. When treating any wound it allows the dressing to come on and off much easier without sticking to the would.  It's consistency is much like silly putty. This was very helpful when dressing the deteriorating skin of the advanced bites.  But it also appreciated on all the skin.  The charcoal can feel gritty when wiped off to change the dressing.  The other very important benefit - is that it keeps the charcoal wetter longer.  When the charcoal dries, it is no longer actively pulling.  This slows the pull rate.  Buy keeping it as moist as possible between the dressing changes, it not only requires less dressing changes, but it also is more effective because it is drawing without rest- that is IDEAL.  It makes dressing changes so much easier, less painful and faster for the you and the victim. Lastly the other nifty thing about this method is that you can make a little batch of it ahead instead of having to prepare a poultice at each dressing change.  This is very NICE!  Especially if you are way from home.  If can be stored in a little glass container - which always my preference.  I know people who have used plastic pill bottles or zip lock bags..but with charcoals drawing power..i just don't trust it in plastic.  But you want to keep it air tight.  Then you can just pull your little hunk off the "dough" and use it.

2.  The other thing I have added is fresh plantain leaves - whenever possible.  I learned that by spreading the poultice onto a plantain leaf and then applying to the wound, it was much more tolerable to the victim.  This eliminates the need to rub it on the wound.  Then you just turn it upside down onto the wound gently.  This can also be done with gauze.  However, if you use the plantain leaf you have the added power of the plantain drawing and healing - even though it on top of the charcoal.  It plentiful, it grows everywhere in the US and can be found in almost every yard!

Impetigo - Diagnosis and Natural Treatment

A couple of weeks ago my (almost) 11 year old son showed me a a rash forming on his chin. It hurt and itched. We had been out working in the garden and yard work, we call got son, we were all dirty. I told him to take a shower and put some chickweed salve on it. I thought he might have gotten into to poison ivy or something of the like. I told him we would watch it. He did the same the next day. That night he was miserable in bed. I inspected it in the morning. It started oozing a yellow puss and was scabbing...I failed to mention his infected spot was on his chin. OH how childhood memories started flooding back to me. I knew exactly what it was. I used to get it when I was a child (about his age) every summer...It was Impetigo! YUCK! I immediately went into research mode. My mom used to use Campho-Phenique on me when I was a girl, as per our doctor's instruction. But it was a long process. She was unaware of herbalism at that time...I want to treat him out of my apothecary. This is what we did:

1. Diagnosis -I was confident I knew what this was from my experience with it. This is always the place one must start. "Name it and claim it" as our charismatic friends like to say. :-)

2. Research it - Since I "had a name" I could research it. My questions were what causes this? I already knew it was very contagious from my personal experience, and if it goes untreated it gets severe. I knew all its symptoms from personal experience too. It is itchy and painful, it pusses and oozes than scabs and pusses and oozes from under the scab. It spreads from scratching and keeping your hands off of it is nearly impossible (especially for kids) because the itch is maddening and even though it hurts to scratch, the pain distracts from the itch for instance. So I was empathetic to that symptoms of intense itching as it heals.

**As an adult treating it - I needed to know - Is this fungal, bacterial or viral? Infections are always one of these three. It is important to know which one you are dealing with so that you can treat it most effectively. When answering these questions one can better choose the herbal/natural remedy to use. So often, there is more than one things that can be used, because there are many herbs with similar properties that treat similar ailments.

In this case, impetigo is Bacterial. Here is a brief analyses of Impetigo for you:

Impetigo is a skin infection, caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, or both, that leads to the formation of scabby, yellow-crusted sores and, sometimes, small blisters filled with yellow fluid. Impetigo is common. It affects mostly children. Impetigo can occur anywhere on the body but most commonly occurs on the face, arms, and legs. The blisters that may form (bullous impetigo) can vary from pea-sized to large rings and can last for days to weeks. Impetigo often affects normal skin but may follow an injury or a condition that causes a break in the skin, such as a fungal infection, sunburn, or an insect bite.

(From my experience, I always used to get it on my chin, in a patch. It always came in the summer. I was an active outdoor child.)

3. Now - for the remedies I chose. I wanted to treat this aggressively, from the inside and outside.
* I was very clear to instruct him to keep his hands off off his chin, and be mindful of anything that touches because it was contagious. I shared with him my understanding which was comforting to him.
* Goldenseal caps right away, 2 - 3x a day.
* Black Walnut Tincture topically throughout the day. (about 3x a day) I had him rinse it clean a few times a day and dab the tincture on it topically with cotton. It was alcohol based, which helped to dry up the oozing.

It cleared it up much faster than I ever remember it taking for me as a child. We had no spreading (on him or others) or scaring and we were pleased with the results. It also relieved the itching during his healing time too. So he was very glad for that. If it started to itch it was just a reminder to reapply the tincture and it would sooth it right away. The black walnut stained his skin a little during the treatment. We teased him and told him it looked like a 5 o'clock shadow (which he thought was funny)...but it only took a day or two after he stopped using it for that to fade back to normal too.



I shared this on the Homestead Barnhop

Chamomile for Swelling

My 13 year old daughter was stung on the eyelid last week while weeding our garden. It swelled like crazing! The swelling not only shut her eye, but went down her face to her chin, over the bridge of her nose and started puffing her other eye!

She is not allergic to bee stings. She has been stung before with no reaction at all. However being stong in the very sensitive eye tissue reacted quite differently for her! (I suppose it would for anyone!)

When she was first stung we chewed up fresh plantain from the yard and put the gloppy spit wad of weeds on her eye and held it there. This relieved the pain of the sting - but the swelling was fast and furious. We tried ice...to little avail. I even resorted to Benedryl (can you believe it??? I can't!) Then I remembered chamomile... (dah! I had JUST prescribed it to someone else for swollen eyes do to allergies a few weeks before. How could I forget??) We'll I put some chamomile in a tea bag (a store bought one or two would work well too), activated it in some hot water for a few minutes, and then took it out to let it cool. I gave her the tea to drink and then had her hold the bag over her eye. We noticed results right away. It soothed her and swelling started to go down. It wanted to swell back up when she layed down at night, it also wanted to swell between compresses. The second night, we had her sleep upright in a recliner chair with a tea bag on her eye. The next day she was back to normal.  It was healed.

I talked with a friend who was stung in the eye by a bee when she was a child. She went into great description of the trauma and said it took a LONG time for her swelling to go down untreated, about a weak. I think we did pretty well with the chamomile, even though we started late - it only took 48 hours for the time of the bite.

So remember chamomile is a soother and good for swelling. Even in sensitive areas like eyes. It is safe for infants too!




p.s. The picture was taken by Hadassah and I had her permission to use it! :-)
Shared at Simple Lives Thursdays

Passion Flower / Vine

I was so very excited this week to discover Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) on our property! (Also known as Passion Vine or May Pop) I literally gasped and ran toward it when I saw it. Ben and I were walking the south field as we were investigating our electric lines and there it was...and another and another! They were all around. What a delightful discovery! It is on my wish list of herbs to grow so imagine my excitement to find that YHVH (God) has already planted them here for me!

Besides being one of the most beautifully complicated and intricate flowers I have ever set my eyes on, Passion Flower is also fragrant and has effective medicinal properties very worth cultivating and harvesting the plant for.

Anti-anxiety:
Passion flower has a tranquilizing effect, including mild sedative and anti-anxiety effects. In studies conducted since the 1930's, its mode of action has been found to be different than that of most sedative drugs (sleeping pills), thus making it a non-addictive herb to promote relaxation.

Insomnia:
The sedative effect of Passion flower has made it popular for treating a variety of ailments, including nervousness and insomnia. Research had indicated that passion flower has a complex activity on the central nervous system (CNS), which is responsible for its overall tranquilizing effects. Also, it apparently has an antispasmodic effect on smooth muscles within the body, including the digestive system, promoting digestion.

Other Uses: Even though contemporary uses may be simplified to anxiety or insomnia Passion flower has been traditionally used in treating many other conditions and there is modern research to support reasons why it it would be effective for these other applications. Some of these conditions include: heart palpitations, blood pressure, epilepsy and as pain reliever. It calms muscle tension and twitching without affecting respiratory rate or mental function the way many pharmaceutical sedatives do. I have also read that it has been used successfully for bronchial asthma, burns, menopausal and menstrual symptoms, concentration, circulation and inflammation too! Two studies have shown that Passion Flower has antibacterial and anti fungal properties and the Native Americans used to use it for wound care.

Safety:
There are no reported side effects for passion flower and the suggested dosages. However, it is not recommended for use in pregnant women or children under the age of two because there is not sufficient data gathered in this area. If someone is already taking a sedative or tranquilizer, consult a health care professional before using passion flower.

Also be aware that passionflower's close relative, blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea), which is ornamental and should not be used. It does not have the same activity and it contains cyanide (poison).

Personal Experience: It is a delicious flower to make teas (infusions) with and very nice to include in other remedies as well. Because of its relaxing calming effects, I find it assists other herbs in the healing process! So it is wonderful in adding to remedies for this and its pleasant flavor.

I have only purchased it dried from others, but am looking forward to growing it this year and cultivating it closer to the house in the future. I am also looking forward to sampling its fruit, Passion Fruit! It is said that it makes a nice jam or cold beverage..so I intend to research that and if I have enough to play with I will surly experiment with it! In my recent research I was tickled to find out it was my State Flower! Being new to Tennessee - I am still learning this nifty local facts too!

When researching how to grow and care for the plants, It seems that there are mixed reviews on how easy it is to start from seed or grow. I am guessing that is based on the conditions. Since it is TN state flower I am hopeful that we might be able to grow it abundantly - hopefully even for sale some day. They seem to like moist soil, warmth, humidity and part sun. They can often be found in these climates. The place where I found mine were in a 50 foot clearing between a long row of trees. I also learned that these vines can grow up to 8 feet tall others said 30 ft long. I would like to trellis the ones that I found - so I am going back to my little Passion Flower patch to determine what would be the best way trellis and care for these little gems. I expect we will have some electric company trucks driving through there soon too - so I am hoping we come to a peaceable agreement regarding my babies! :-) :-( :-)

Harvesting: Passion Flower blooms May- July and leaves are to be harvested during that time and used or saved (dried) for remedies. The fruit can be harvested July-Oct and if they have received enough water they will be sweet and the size of a small hen's egg.

This Post was shared at the Barn Hop

Mullein and Herbal Learning Tips

I was so excited to discover a Mullein plant that had self seeded in one of my pots that had dirt in it, but had not planted in! What is Mullein you might ask? It is a wonderful medicinal herb that has very helpful in healing bronchial issues. (That is how I have always used it.) But it has lots of other uses too. Mullein is a biannual herb, it runs in a two year cycle of growth. Each year, you harvest different parts of the plant.

Whenever, I research an herb, I like to use multiple resources. I found this to be a very valuable principal to follow. In doing so, I get a better rounded understanding of the plant, its uses, its environment, etc. Some resources will mention one thing while others will mention others. Often information is repeated...which tells you that that information is the strongest most dominant information...but so often it is the "extras" that help you see the FULL picture. Sometimes you may even come across things that may seem contradictory...so that is also something that alerts you to research that aspect further to get a better handle on WHY their was a contradiction and how that may apply to your usage and experience. Speaking of pictures...The more you see the herb in its different stages and settings, the better you become at recognizing it in the wild! Your eye becomes keener to the things to watch for. At first, it may look like every other weed...but that changes after you have seen it lots of different pictures of it. Also, by using different resources, the repetitious information seeds itself more strongly in you in a way that does NOT SEEM boring or drab because it is worded differently or in a different format - things like that. It makes the learning process more "interesting" for me. The best teaching is interacting with herb in person, that will soon come when you are able to recognize it! Once you see, taste, touch, and smell that plant it will become as familiar to you as a rose or a dandelion!

Here are some simple examples of that with reasearching the plant Mullein to share with you. While I can't share my home library with you or let most of you come touch my precious little gift that seeded in my pot, I can share with you "internet style". These are not all the places I have explored online, but it will illustrate my point and you will probably learn a thing or two about Mullein, even if it is something you are familiar with...I know I did.

Articles:Mullein at a Glance
Wildman Steven Brill on Mullein
HerbCraft.org


Videos:



Mullein in the fall:


Crazy Cool Survival Uses for Mullein!


This post was shared on the Preparedness Challenge

Slippery Elm Bark for Tummy/Colon/Sore Throats and more

During one of my weekly updates (Family Jots and Tittles), I mentioned that we had a tummy bug and I was treating it with Activated Charcoal and Slippery Elm. A dear friend from Australia, commented asking for more info possible. (Be careful what you ask for Lus!) ;-) So she is the inspiration for this post. I hope you find this information helpful too. I used them alternately - not together. The charcoal was to purify/detox our system, in case we had been exposed to food poisoning or some toxin we were not aware of. We took this in capsule form (I make my own with veggie caps - it is something I always have on hand - it is a MUST for one's natural first aid kit - it has many applications).

Slippery Elm Bark can be powdered and taken in capsules. It can also be made into a "gruel" (which is kind of like a thick tea or thin porridge). It really tastes better than it sounds! It is a sort of a light nutty flavor, that I find quit pleasant. It is very safe for children and infants, so I love to have it on hand, knowing it is safe for all. Slippery Elm Bark is also very nourishing to the whole body, often used as a food when recovering from any number of illnesses. It is very soothing and healing to the whole digestive tract, not just the tummy but especially the colon. As a matter of fact, it is used to sooth sore throats - so really, it helps you from brginning to end!! :-) It is often one of the few things that people can keep down when they are nauseous. It soothes indigestion and is a wonderful remedy for diarrhea or constipation. It is also a key herb to use in healing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It heals that which CAUSES the symptom - not just the symptom!

The following method is a very effective and easy way to take method of preparing and taking this healing powder. My 4 year old has a very sensitive digestive system and she doesn't yet take capsules well. I gave her these Healing Herbal Balls (below) and she popped them like candy. I now keep this powder mix on hand in a jar. (You could do this with Slippery Elm Powder alone too.)

Healing Herbal Balls

Equal parts of Slippery Elm Powder, Licorice Root Powder, Marshmallow Root Powder, and Comfrey Root Powder

When you want to take it, put a little pile on a plate and add several drops of water to the powder and work it together with your fingers to form a little dough similar to soft pie dough. (You could use a spoon too, it's just not as fun!!) Roll into pea size balls. Take three balls (just swallow them down), every 15 minutes to half hour depending on the severity of the case - as needed. You may also store some premade balls in a Ziploc bag in the fridge to keep them moist if you want to make a bunch of them at once. I got this recipe from Rachel Weaver.

Slippery Elm Gruel, Rosemary Gladstar
It is nice to have these powders premixed on hand. You can also make a jar full of gruel and store in the fridge and warm it up as needed. You can do the same thing with plane old Slippery Elm by itself, but this is the "supped up" version. It is safe for infants they may drink as much as they like. If momma is nursing it is also wise for her to drink 3-4C a day to help a colic baby.

1 part marsh mellow root powder
1 part slippery elm powder
1/8 part cinnamon powder
1/8 part fennel seed powder

Water

Use 1 Tablespoon of mixed powders per 1C water. Bring water to boil - turn down heat to low. Mix in powder, cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

You may sweeten with maple syrup to taste, for more mature pallets. You may add this to warm cereal too take it that way too.

Botanical Information for Slippery Elm


More Uses for Slippery Elm

Introduction to Slippery Elm


I want to echo here the fact that Slippery elm does make a wonderfully soothing ande delicious tea, but you want to use the "cut and sifted" version for a clear tea, as shown above in my gallon jar, not the powder. You ALWAYS want to cover your cup, as shown in the video to hold in the volatile oils that can evaporate in the steam! (Do that for ANY medicinal infusion.) I am a BIG fan of herbal teas! They also make LOVELY Popsicles in the hotter months!! My kids LOVE herbal teas!! The more I think about it - this might be the easiest way to encorperate slippery elm into your lives if you ar enew to herbs. You can keep a sippy cup full of cooled teas for the littles or make them by the gallon jar and keep them in the fridge for the whole family on hot summer days in the summer time!! You can make teas with powder, it will just give you a cloudy sediment in your tea. It an be strained with some effort too. (It's just not something I would serve "company" or picky folks.) :-)

The following video looks like a great way to do it too...I'm looking forward to trying this, I've never mixed peppermint in, but have used honey! The honey version is nice if ones needs a little energy pick-me up at the same time.


Here is a quick reading about nutritional value of Slippery Elm


Slippery Elm - in the wild. Don't be turned off by his word "slimy" and describes it as tasting like "pencil shavings". This is not my experience, but it is good to see what others think. :-)


Slippery Elm for animals!


Be Well!

This post was shared at Simple Lives Thursday

Herbs in The Bible

Have you ever researched Herbs in the Bible? I was delighted to find that there are a number of resources out there from other people who have done this and written about it! So I thought it would be fun to make a list and add a few for my own (already extensive) library as the budget permits. So many herbal resources are from folks who give credit to the Creation instead of the Creator. I am looking forward to finding more resources who see the whole picture.

It wasn't long ago, when people only aquainted hippies, witches and other religions with herbs. It saddens me that we (The people of the Bible) turn so quickly to the wisdom of man (the western medical profession) FIRST instead of the wisdom of the Creator in the things He has proivided for us and how to use them. However, it is very exciting to see YHVH's (God's) people learning about His amazing Creation and how to use it to treat illness and keep them healthy. It certainly is easier just to buy what the docter tells us too, but many people in The Body of Messiah are making a different choices and re-learning the Ancient Ways.

Herbs of The Bible
God's Healing Herbs
Healing Oils in the Bible
Herbs Spices and Fruits of the Bible
Duke's Handbook of Medical Plants of the Bible
Medicines from The Bible
Healing Herbs of the Holy Land


In searching for
Gardening Biblical Foods:

Planting a Bible Garden

Your Biblical Garden

Planting a Biblical Garden, A practical guide for the Homeschool

Illustrated Example of Bible Plants

Gardening with Biblical Plants

Flowers of the Bible and How to Grow Them

Herbs of the Bible and How to Grow Them

If you have any other suggestions, or can specifically recommend any of these titles from your own library, please use the comments section of this post! I would love to check them out!

This post was shared on Simple Thursdays.

Momma's Garlic Broth

Garlic broth is one of those "go to" things in our house when colds/flues come a knocking at our door. I have a scratchy throat today and a pot on the stove! Fresh garlic is something I always keep on hand. I discovered this broth when I was a vegetarian living in San Fransisco (another life time ago!) It cooks up surprisingly sweet (like roasted garlic), not spicy like one might think. I realized I never shared this on the blog, so here goes:

Garlic Broth

A generous hand full of garlic cloves, sliced or roughly chopped *(to better clarify - try a handfull of garlic for a 2qrt pot, increase accordingly to the size of the pot.)

A pot full of filtered or purified water (*A stainless steel pot is preferred. I would never use aluminum, or Teflon!)

Put your ingredients in your pot with clean water and bring to a boil.

Turn down to a low simmer and cover (this helps trap you volatile oils and nutrients, always cover you pot!) How long is up to you. The longer the better, as it extract more goodness from the garlic. You can turn the heat off and let is steep covered too, if you can't tend to the stove. I would do this a minimum of 30 minutes, but you could do it several hours if you wanted to really attack a strong cold hard.

That's it! Sip it as often as you can. Best to sip it while warm, as warming liquids are more restorative to the body. (not real hot, just real warm to room temp) If you store your broth for another time you may refrigerate it for about a week or so or freeze it or can it. It is so easy to make though...I find I just make is as needed.

Optional variations in or a combination - but again not necessary:

Splash of Olive Oil

Squeeze of Lemon

Parsley (fresh or dry)

Fresh Ginger

A Bay Leaf

Onions (a well known decongestant!)

Greens (super food!)

salt and pepper to taste

This is a very tasty broth to use as a base for your every day cooking too! So I encourage you to use it in place of any chicken or vegetable broth in a recipe. I think you will be very pleased with it!

* A garlic peeling tip: To get the skin of the garlic clove take a wide knife (like a chef's knife or similar) and lay it on its side and push or pound firmly on the side of the knife blade with your fist side or palm to "smash" the glove. (It doesn't really smash the glove.) It releases that papery skin easier than trying to peal it off. Or you can cut off the bottom tip of the clove where the skin is attached and this makes it much easier to peel too.

La Heim! (To Life!)

Homemade Ginger Beer

My DH has always liked soda. But since He has been at home a lot more and on the road a lot less...he rarely drinks it since it is not something we keep at home. He does prefer to have flavored drinks to good ol' clean water (like the kids and I drink regularly). I would get him treats from the health food store or co-op from time to time of natural sodas, but those are NOT prudent choices when it comes to responsibility in the budget! So I try to come up with healthy alternatives for him. He really appreciates my teas, especially when I out a little honey or agave in them. This is how to make Lactofermented Ginger Beer (its like root beer not alchohol).

This was my latest experiment, the info is from the folks at Learning Herbs.com. You can check them out at their web site or on YouTube. This is video lesson instruction is done in 4 segments; 2 on making the culture and 2 on making the soda. (These were freebies on YouTube.) I was on the Herb Mentor forum when someone mentioned liking these, so I thought I would give it a try this week since I have lots of Ginger in the fridge. (Although I had to go buy sugar) We were very pleased with the results. It was remniscent of Kombucha...but much better tasting in our opinion. It is not sweet at all, I believe the culture eats it up like the kombucha in the fermentation process. It is VERY refreshing in the summer heat. I think this could be something that we could "keep on hand".

Herbal Yogurt Pops

I've made all kinds of herbal tea popcycles and yogurt popcycles...but I never thought to make herbal yogurt popcycles! Not until it was suggested in one of my classes at Learning Herbs - that is. Here is a recipe with Hibiscus which is rich in Vitamin C and a festive red color. It also has Chamomile which is a rich source of nutriants and has a plethora of healing properties. (Two things I always have on hand!)

These pops passed my kids' test, and this recipe made our family recipe book. Give them a try. I will be more bold to experiment along these line too!

1/4 C Dr. Chamomile Flowers
2 T Dr. Hibiscus
2 1/2 C boiling Water
Honey to taste (2/3 - 3/4 Cups)

*Put honey and water in jar and mix to disolve.
* Add herbs, cover and let steep for a minimum 5-10 minutes. (I like to let my infusions stand longer...as long as possible it derives more properties...but also makes it stronger.)
*Strain Herbs (not neccessary if you bag them while ther steep)
* Put in blender and add:

pinch of salt
2 C Yogurt
2T Lemon Juice

Blend and pour into popcycle molds of choice, and freeze.
(Great Premade Shabbat Treats! Nice to have on hand for little visitors too!)

This recipe makes 18 tupperware molds (3 trays). (You could easy cut this recipe in half if thats too many.)

Charcoal Remedies

I am nearing the end of a wonderful book that I want to share with you called Charcoal Remedies.com . Odd name for a book I know. The link will take you to the author's website, which will give you a much better overview of this man's work and his resources. He has served abroad in missionary style health care for many years, is a believer and a Sabbath keeper to boot! (Gotta love that!)


I was inspired to search out charcoal remedies from a post (linked) over at Declared Unto Him (Formerly Learning Pomegranate) about Charcoal Poultices. Researching charcoal seriously has been on my "long list" of things to do for years. Now that we are on the homestead and co-mingling with poisonous spiders regularly...this priority got shifted to the top of the list very fast!

I was researching and looking for some bulk charcoal to fiddle with and came across the above site. When I ordered the charcoal, I grabbed his books and tossed it into my cart as a half hearted "accessory" to my order. I am SO thankful I did! This book is incredibly thorough and filed with uses, history and documentation about charcoal that I had no idea existed. The uses for charcoal go far beyond bug bites, it is a priceless detoxifier that can be used in many many ways for many many things, internally and externally.

If you are taking responsibility for the health and health care of your family via natural means...I HIGHLY recommend adding this book to your resource library (along with some charcoal with it!). It now holds a prestigious place in our home medicine/remedy chest and bookshelf.

Learning Herbs

I have mentioned before, that a few months ago, we started using HerbMentor.com to add to our resources for our herbal studies. It is the site that you get linked to when you become a member at LearningHerbs.com . We have been so pleased with all they have to offer! We are learning so much! It is a very casual atmosphere; A real grass roots effort. Maybe not always the most polished - but always valuable info which takes the intimidation out of learning. It is a wonderful tool for us to use as a whole family.

They offer so much information in so many formats that we can always find things we can learn and DO right away. There are video lessons, audio lessons, written lessons. Their are web conferences, and forums, there is even a monthly mentor conference call where you can talk directly to Herbalists to ask questions and contribute to discussions. There are tons of free book downloads. They team up with lots of other herbalists for these courses and materials so you get a wide variety of teachers. They even have a wonderful herb identifying board game (we have it and play it with the kids). They also offer discounts at Mountain Rose Herbs. Their generosity with information is like none other I have seen! There is a small monthly membership (SO WORTH IT) that can be canceled anytime. I can not edify this resource enough.

This site is for you if you:

• Always "wanted" to try natural herb things, but never got round to it
• Buy all natural remedies, but don't know how to make them yourself
• Want to become more self sustainable and learn how live more naturally
• Want to learn to identify and use wild plants/food/herbs
• Wish you just had some one to show you how to do stuff, because you can't imagine learning this from a book
• Would like just learn how to use the herbs from your own kitchen cabinet or grocery shopping cart as natural remedies
• Wish you could just learn how to make tinctures, infusions and salves with a kit and have someone walk you through it (they have that too!)
• Are like me - already on your way, making your own remedies and have supplies, but are always learning....

You will be able to get A LOT out of LearningHerbs.com if you only use them. Check it out. There are a bunch of freebies you can get before you even become a member!

p.s. Did I mention they also teach anatomy and physiology too?? I know I'm forgetting stuff!

Botany in a Day

Botany in a Day, by Thomas J. Elpel

This has proven to be a wonderfully helpful book for me! I am going to have the (older) kids use it too.

It describes the Patterns Method of identifying plants. I knew I was ignorant in recognizing specific characteristics in plants. I didn't know what to look for, nor did I know of understand the terms used in my plant books. They were speaking another language to me! I knew I needed to overcome that, so that I could get the most of my resources. I copied a couple lists of botanical terms with the intent to memorize them...but in the mean time, I found this book. It is helping me in so many ways. In addition to learning batanical terms as a side effect, I am learning the families of plants. As it turns out, not only traits of the plants that are similar in most families (like same shaped leaves for instance), but their attributes/uses are often simlar too! So...instead of learning about one plant at time (which I still do too) I can learn about groups of plants! How wonderful!! I see so much more now when I wild craft. It is so encouraging to progress at notable speed in my studies. This book has been instrumental in that! His illustrations are monochromatic drawings...which used to drive me crazy because I didn't know what i was looking for, and I thought I needed live color photos...but now I get it! It actually helps me define what to look for in person, better. I don't know maybe its just me....

This book first goes through some evolution blah blah. Than it discusses the benefits of learning plant families, then it jumps right in and teaching you plant families. It tells you how to maximise the book as a resource/field guide, than the majority of the book is a resource guide to identify plant families. It is wonderful tool. I wouldn't say it is a stand alone tool; however, i think it has helped me better use some guides that I had and it certainly helps me see the whole plant Kingdom in a new light! Its sort of holistic approach to learning how to identify plants.

Disclaimer. It has a strong evaluational position - so that is very present in his writings. I just read through that stuff...it doesn't bother me...but thought I would mention it.

Thomas Elpel has also authored a wonderful book for kids too. However, I do NOT want to recommend it. I got a lot out of it...but will not allow it to sit on the shelf for the kids. It is HEAVY in things I disagree with and I will not let that junk soak into my kids heads by allowing them to access the book freely. However, I am considering reading parts of it to my older children (explaining my issues with the parts we are ignoring) as we study botany together. His method of teaching in the children's book was wonderful! It sticks in your brain. The illustrations were vibrant and very effective. It is done in a story format that Living Book Homeschoolers love! Maybe one day I will use it as inspiration to write a Biblically friendly version! (But I've got alot to learn first.) :-)