Twenty-Two Healing Herbs: Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet Part I

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Gently simmer one tablespoon of dried and minced ashwagandha root in one cup of water for eight to ten minutes. Strain and sip once or twice a day as a rejuvenating pick-me-up, anti-inflammatory, anxiety reducer, and immunity tonic.

Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)

Make a tincture or use the flower essence method in this book and take twenty to forty drops three times a day to relieve menstrual cramps and arthritic pain. Black cohosh can also help perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Boil one cup of water and pour over two teaspoons of calendula petals. Steep this for eight to ten minutes and strain. Once it has cooled enough, you can drink it as a tea, use it as a mouthwash, or gargle with it to reduce any swelling of the mouth or throat. If you make an ointment with calendula, apply it to your skin three times during the day and it will calm irritation.  

This commonly used herbal aid is popular for relief of gastrointestinal issues including oral and throat inflammation. It can also be made into a salve to heal the skin and soothe rashes, itching, irritation, and wounds. Remember that any herb can be made into a salve following the Calming Balm: Bay Leaf recipe in Chapter Four. Your family will probably request the comfort of the calendula salve often, so keep it handy.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Dry a palmful of catnip leaves and allow them to steep in a cup of boiling water for five minutes, then strain as you would any loose tea. Honey helps even more, and a cup or two of catnip tea per day will have you in fine fettle, relaxed, and ready. This herb is not just for kitties! We humans can also benefit from it as a remedy for upset tummies as well as a way to diminish worry, anxiety, and nervous tension.

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

How many times did your mom tell you to drink your (usually unsweetened) cranberry juice? Turns out she was right on both counts as straight cranberry juice is very good for bladder health and benefits men’s prostates; two half cups a day, mom’s orders!

Echinacea (Echinacea spp.)

Every herb store or organic grocer will have dried echinacea root for fighting colds and negating respiratory infections. Just mince by the teaspoon and simmer low covered in two cups of boiling water. Sweeten to taste and drink at least a couple of cups a day, echinacea also makes an excellent tincture you can make by following the how-tos herein. It is an amazing immune booster, too!

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra, S. canadensis)

This time-tested medicinal has long been used for guarding against colds and flu. Elderberry flowers have been valued as a tonic for fever for centuries; such fruit extracts have been proven to be noteworthy antivirals, especially to support immunity. Two teaspoons of dried flowers and a cup of boiling water three times a day does the trick. Sweeten with local honey to taste. Or consider cultivating elderberry and making a syrup.

Lavandula Tranquility Tincture

This cure-all should be kept on hand at all times for soothing the skin, the stomach, and anything in need of comfort. I have even seen it used to stanch bleeding in small cuts. You need:

• dried lavender
• dried calendula
• clear quart jar with lid
• cheesecloth
• dark glass jar for storage
• 2 cups distilled water
• 1 cup clear alcohol such as vodka or Everclear

Fill your clear quart jar to the halfway point with the dried lavender and calendula. Pour in the alcohol, also to the halfway point. Add in the two cups of water, seal the lid securely, and shake for a few minutes until it seems well mixed. Store in a dark cupboard for one month, shaking once a day. After thirty days, strain through cheesecloth into the dark glass storage jar and screw the lid on tightly. The lavender leavings will make lovely compost, and the liquid tincture will soon prove itself indispensable in your household.

Make Your Own Topical Ointment

• one stainless steel saucepan, bowl, whisk, and cooking thermometer
• small clean jars or cans to store your ointment in
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) beeswax
• 5 tablespoons (80 milliliters) organic vegetable oil (sunflower oil is effective and affordable; jojoba oil and avocado oil are nice, but pricey)
• Arnica tincture; add 30 drops of arnica tincture to make an arnica cream. OR Calendula tincture; add 30 drops of calendula tincture and 10 drops of lavender oil to make calendula cream

(Note that arnica, calendula, and lavender can all be harmoniously combined in whatever proportions you prefer.)

Melt the beeswax and vegetable oil in a double boiler (or in a bowl over a saucepan in a pinch). When the beeswax is fully melted, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the ointment until it has cooled to around 100 degrees, then stir in the tincture you are using.

Label and store in clean, sealable, lidded jars or cans. Your homemade creams will last longest if you keep them refrigerated, especially when the weather is warm.

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet: Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Boil one cup of water and pour over two teaspoons of calendula petals. Steep this for eight to ten minutes and strain. Once it has cooled enough, you can drink it as a tea, use it as a mouthwash, or gargle with it to reduce any swelling of the mouth or throat. If you make an ointment with calendula, apply it to your skin three times during the day and it will calm irritation.

This commonly used herbal aid is popular for relief of gastrointestinal issues including oral and throat inflammation. It can also be made into a salve to heal the skin and soothe rashes, itching, irritation, and wounds. Remember that any herb can be made into a salve following the Calming Balm: Bay Leaf recipe. Your family will probably request the comfort of the calendula salve often, so keep it handy.