Herbal healing may sound like a New Age fad, but in truth it's a time-honored practice. Herbal healing can be an easy at-home alternative to relieve many minor ills.
Try studying herbal medicine, and it’s likely an array of odd-sounding plants and strange diseases will offer confusion rather than enlightenment. Some herbal remedies are so old they’re almost useless, and some herbs so obscure they’re more trouble than time-savers. But there are many everyday, fairly common herbs which offer some medicinal properties that create easy, at-home remedies.
Tips for Healing with Herbs
Look in the backyard. Believe it or not, the common plants found in many backyards might actually be a treasure trove of at-home remedies. Dandelions, for example, help rid the kidneys and urinary tract of infection when the greens and leaves are made into a tea.
Look it up. Want to know what a particular plant does? Look it up in a reference volume or check Web sites online. If the name of the plant isn’t known, surf around for sites which offer pictures and definitions of botanicals. Chances are, the mystery will be solved fairly quickly. Never, ever use a plant if there is some question about what it does. Healing herbs are highly common, but poisonous plants are as well.
Use fresh materials. Many types of healing herbs can be purchased in dry form at local supermarkets, but it’s not a good idea to use dried plants in at-home remedies. Dried plants lose their potency and can be very hard to work with when making teas and other herbal treatments.
Tricks for Using Common Herbs
It’s very, very common to turn herbs into teas to create medicinal cures. But, no one wants to drink a beverage filled with plant matter. That’s why it’s a good idea to always strain herbal teas with a very fine piece of cloth to ensure a smoother drink. Some herbs are used for spice and flavor, but not all herbs are tempting to the palate. If the herbal remedy isn’t going down very smoothly, add a little peppermint. This common herb is delicious to the taste and yet mild enough even for small children and pregnant mothers.
Mash up whatever parts of the plant are being put to use gently - there’s no need to turn everything into a pulp before working with it. To keep fresh herbs handy, store them (clearly labeled, of course) in the fridge. When properly sealed, fresh herbs can last for several weeks and still keep most of their potency.
A Single At-Home Remedy
Want to keep a single at-home natural remedy on hand at all times? Choose garlic, an herb that’s often used in cooking so it’s easy to keep close by (and easy to find in stores). Mixed with water, raw garlic juice works well to clean minor wounds when applied to the skin, making it perfect to have in the kitchen where many small cuts occur.
