Warmer weather has arrived! Soon we’ll be working in our gardens, foraging for herbs, and finding every excuse possible to be outside. And with all that time spent outdoors sunburns, cuts, scrapes, poison ivy and sore muscles are sure to follow.

Be prepared for those ailments this year by keeping a first aid kit on hand. Of course, you could just go out and buy a first aid kit, but why do that when you can make your very own! An added bonus is that your kit will be all-natural!

The following is a list of herbs and supplies I keep in my personal “First Aid Kit” Some of the remedies I have used often while others I hope I never have the opportunity to try! This list is for informational use and is not intended to be used as a replacement when professional medical attention is warranted. Now, with that being said, let’s get started making our first aid kits!

Activated Charcoal: For acute use in food poisoning, intestinal illness, vomiting, diarrhea, ingestion of toxins, etc. I keep a couple charcoal-filled glycerin capsules in my kit. Keep the local poison control number in your first aid kit too. I usually purchase activated charcoal online or you can also purchase in capsule form at most health food stores.

Arnica: Topically used for muscle pain or injury, bruises or any type of trauma. We’ve found that it greatly reduced healing time or bruises and sore muscles when used topically right after injury. Not for internal use or use on open cuts. Arnica flowers can be grown or purchase the dried herb online. (Arnica Salve recipe included at bottom of this post)

Black Salve : For drawing out foreign objects like splinters. Also good for boils and ingrown hairs. (Black Salve recipe included at bottom of this post)

Cayenne Powder: Used topically, cayenne powder helps stop bleeding rapidly. Keep a couple cayenne capsules in your kit. I’ve read cases of it being taken internally during heart attacks to increase blood flow and help clear blockage. It is also a useful remedy to take internally during illness as it increases blood flow and speeds recovery. Buchheit Stores have beautiful cayenne pepper plants available, all you have to do is grow them, harvest them, dry them and then ground into powder.

Chamomile: Make a relaxing tincture that helps calm kids if they are ill or just have trouble sleeping. Also works wonders on teething gums. The dried flowers can also be made into a poultice with some gauze and placed on an eye for 15 minutes every hour to reverse pinkeye rapidly. Brewed as a tea, chamomile is a relaxing drink at night and the tea can be cooled and rubbed on the stomach of colicky infants to help sooth them. Add brewed chamomile tea to the kid’s bath as it is great for the skin and promotes relaxation. Chamomile seeds and plants are available at Buchheit Stores. (Relaxing tincture instructions included at bottom of this post)

Comfrey: An external herb that promotes healing from injuries and broken bones. A comfrey poultice applied to the skin near an injury is thought to speed healing and reverse infection. To make a comfrey poultice, crush or mash about two tablespoons of comfrey leaves in very hot water. Place the mashed ball of hot comfrey leaves inside a piece of cheese cloth or cloth and tie the ends together with a rubber band to make a little packet. Place it against the wound. Use it for ten minutes on, wait an hour before applying it again. Don’t use it for more than ten days in a row, try to avoid using comfrey preparations several times in one year. This herb can be grown, however, I usually purchase the dried herb online.

oilsEucalyptus Essential Oil:  Keep on hand for respiratory type problems. We use eucalyptus herb in a face steam for congestion or sinus troubles. The essential oil can be diluted with coconut oil or olive oil and be applied externally to the feet and chest to help open nasal passageways. Grandma Bea’s Natural Products eucalyptus oil is available at Buchheit Stores.

Echinacea: A poultice of Echinacea, comfrey, and plantain is beneficial in treatment of brown recluse bites. Buchheit Stores has the seeds and the plants to grow and harvest your own Echinacea.

lderberry Syrup: Preventive care against colds/flu. Effective treatment for flu, colds, allergies, strep and more. Elderberries can be harvested in our area in late July or you can purchase the dried elderberries online. (Elderberry syrup recipe is included at the bottom of this post)

Garlic:  Garlic infused oil for earaches. Buchheit Stores has the seeds to grow your own. (instructions at bottom of this post)

Ginger Capsules: Ginger is great for nausea, reflux, stomach trouble and morning sickness. I also keep some in the car for motion sickness. It helps sooth the stomach after a digestive illness or food poisoning. Just fill a couple glycerin capsules with ground ginger root.

Peppermint Herb and Essential Oil:  For upset stomach or digestive illness, the herb is made into a tea. The essential oil applied behind the ears and on the feet helps alleviate headache or nausea and a weak tea made from the herb and rubbed on the skin can help sooth a colicky baby. Grandma Bea’s peppermint essential oil is available at Buchheit Stores. They also have beautiful peppermint plants and seed available.

Plantain: Grows in most places in the summer. Natural remedy for poison ivy, cuts, scrapes and bites. Keep the dried herb on hand at all times to make into a poultice for bites, stings, cuts and infection. A poultice of plantain, Echinacea and comfrey is known to help heal brown recluse bites.  Plantain grows plentifully in our area in the wild. (Anti-itch salve recipe included at bottom of post)

Slippery Elm:   Can be used in tinctures or teas for sore throat relief. Make lozenges for sore throats and coughs. This herb can be found and harvested in our area or purchased online.  (Lozenge recipe included at bottom of post)

Other Supplies:

  • Butterfly Bandages
  • Gauze
  • Strips of sterilized muslin cloth in plastic bags for wrapping wounds.
  • Cut off wool sleeves from old sweaters to cover bandages and hold ice packs
  • Rice Bag
  • Assorted bandages and gauze
  • Homemade ice pack (freeze liquid dish soap or rubbing alcohol in ziplock bag and use as an ice pack.
  • Tweezers & Small scissors
  • Protection Spray (available at Buchheit Stores)
  • Bottle of water

Arnica Salve
3/4 cup oil infused with arnica
1.5 oz Beeswax
A few drops of Wintergreen Essential Oil (available at Buchheit Stores)
Directions: Warm oil in double boiler. Add beeswax and stir until melted. Add Wintergreen Oil in desired amount (warning-wintergreen is very strong!). Pour into desired storage container (we use small tins or little jam jars). Let cool. Can be used on bruises, sprains, strains, head bumps, etc.

 

Black Salve Recipe
3 Tablespoons comfrey, calendula and plantain infused olive oil (see instructions below)
2 teaspoons shea butter
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons Beeswax
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
2 Tablespoons Activated Charcoal Powder
2 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay
1 Tablespoon honey (available at Buchheit Stores)
20 drops Lavender Essential Oil (available at Buchheit Stores)

Directions: Before making salve, it is important to infuse olive oil with comfrey, calendula and plantain. You will need 1 tablespoon of each of the herbs, finely powdered in a food processor or blender, and ½ cup olive oil. It can be infused in one of these two ways:

  • Powder the herbs and place in a small jar. Pour oil over herbs. Leave in jar for 3-4 weeks, shaking daily, and then strain through a cheesecloth for use.
  • Or heat the herbs and olive oil in a double boiler. Leave on low/medium heat for about an hour until oil gets strong smelling and darker. Strain through cheesecloth for use.
  1. Combine infused olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E oil and honey in glass jar in small pan of water.
  2. Heat water to simmer and carefully stir mixture in the jar until all ingredients are melted.
  3. Remove from heat and add activated charcoal, kaolin clay, and lavender essential oil and mix well.
  4. Quickly pour into small jars or tins and let sit until hardened (several hours).
  5. Store in airtight container and use as needed on cuts, splinters, etc.

How to Use Black Salve: Make sure area has been cleaned well. Put a generous amount of black salve on the wound or splinter and cover with gauze or a large band-aid

 

Relaxing Tincture
1/2 to 1 cup of dried Chamomile flowers
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups vodka or rum
Quart size glass jar with airtight lid

  1. Put fresh or dried Chamomile flowers in clean quart glass jar
  2. Pour boiling water over flowers to just cover them
  3. Fill the rest of the jar with vodka or rum (do not use rubbing alcohol or non-consumable alcohol!) and tightly cover with airtight lid.
  4. Store in cool, dark place and shake daily for 4-6 weeks. This will make a strong tincture!
  5. After 4-6 weeks, remove from cabinet, and pour through a cheesecloth or strainer. Store in a jar or in tincture vials for easy use.

 

Elderberry Syrup
2/3 cup elderberries
3 1/2 cups water
2 TBSP ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1 cup raw honey

  1. Pour water, elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and clove into sauce pan.
  2. Bring water to boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes.
  3. Pour through strainer into glass jar or bowl. Discard elderberries, let liquid cool until just warm.
  4. Add honey, stir well.
  5. Store in glass jar in refrigerator.

Adults: 1 Tbsp daily to prevent illness. 1-2 Tbsp every 2-3 hours during illness.
Children: 1 tsp daily to prevent illness. 1 tsp every 3 hours during illness.

 

Garlic Infused Oil
1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of high quality olive oil

  1. Heat olive oil in small pan or double boiler.
  2. Add minced garlic.
  3. Keep on very low heat for about 20 minutes, strain garlic and remove.
  4. Let cool to skin temperature and place about two drops in the ear.

Make new batch of mixture every 24 hours if needed rather than keeping the remaining oil, since bacteria can potentially grow from the garlic.

 

Plantain Anti-itch Salve
75% Plantain infused oil
25 % beeswax

  1. Heat in double broiler.
  2. When melted, let cool a bit and add a few drops of peppermint essential oil.

 

Plantain Infused Oil

  1. Fill glass jar 1/3 with plantain herb.
  2. Pour olive oil over herbs to fill jar. Close tightly.
  3. Let set for 4-6 weeks shaking jar once daily.
  4. Or put jar in crockpot and fill to almost top of jar, cook on low for 8 hours.
  5. Place cheesecloth or nylon stocking (clean!) over jar opening and pour oil into another glass jar.

 

Slippery Elm Lozenges
-1/4 Cup Slippery Elm Bark Powder
-1/8 Cup Honey (raw is best)
-1/4 tsp. Natural Flavoring Extract (such as lemon, vanilla, mint or strawberry)
-1/4 tsp. cinnamon

  1. Mix together slippery elm powder, honey and flavoring in a bowl to form a dough. When combined, turn out onto cutting board.
  2. Roll into a ball and knead together to fully mix. Form small balls and roll out into “logs” about 1cm thick. Use extra slippery elm to “flour” surface.
  3. Slice each “log” into smaller pieces and form “marble” sized balls.
  4. Place onto cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees F for about 1 hour.
  5. Store in cool dry place in an airtight container.

 Directions: Adults and children 3 and older.  Allow the lozenge to dissolve slowly in mouth. You can also dissolve in hot water and drink it as a tea.  Take one lozenge every 2 hours as needed.