Herbal First Aide
Insect Bites &
Stings
Essential Oils – Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender
Mix any or all with a little Olive or vegetable
oil and apply
Cedar Wood Essential oil – kills houseflies,
mosquitoes, and cockroaches in a concentration of 1 %
Poultice: Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, & Lavender
Essential Oil mixed with clay, add a bit of water to make a paste and put on
the site.
Apple Cider Vinegar – straight on the bite with
cotton ball…(wasps)
Baking Soda – make a paste with water
Put Penny on the bite and hold for a few minutes
Herbs:
Comfrey, Plantain, chickweed, onion, garlic, marigold – mash or chew and
apply
Tinctures – Arnica, Lobelia, Echinacea,
Marigold, Myrrh, St John’s Wort used externally
Echinacea will reduce the allergic reaction
Horsefly bites: St John’s Wort
Repellent
2 oz vegetable oil or vodka
¼ teaspoon each citronella and eucalyptus oil
1/8 teaspoon peppermint, cedar and geranium oil
Take care not to rub near eyes
Bleeding
Herbs – Cayenne, kelp, plantain, yarrow
May be sprinkled or laid on the would
Ingesting cayenne will help reduce bleeding
Compress –
1 teaspoon of any of the above herbs in tincture form
½ cup cold water
Soak the cloth in the liquid, wring out and apply with pressure
Note: if
using dried herbs make tea with warm water and add ice before applying
Essential Oils – Tea Tree, Lavender oil
Bruises
Herbs – Arnica, St John’s Wort, chamomile, witch
hazel,
Compress
1 tbsp of any or all the above herbs
4 drops lavender oil
2 tbsp water
Soak cloth in the liquid, wring out and apply
Arnica Oil – fill jar with 1/3 dried Arnica
Flowers and fill with olive/vegi oil let stand for two weeks and strain. Store
in a cool dark area.
Minor Burns &
Sunburns
·
Essential Oils – Lavender – can be applied
straight
·
Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water – wash or
flood the burn area
·
Herbs – Aloe Vera
1st – Cool the burn with cold water
or ice as much as possible
Burn Spray
4 oz Aloe Vera juice
½ tsp vitamin e oil
1/8 tsp lavender essential oil
Combine ingredients, pour into spray bottle, shake well and spray on the burn.
1 quart/liter boiling water
¼ cup each comfrey leaves, plantain, calendula flowers
3 drops lavender essential oil
1 cup finely ground oatmeal
Pour boiling water over herbs. Steep 20 minutes; Strain; Pour the tea into a bath of cool water; add lavender essential oil and oatmeal. Lay in tub.
Cuts & Scrapes
Essential
Oils: Tea Tree, lavender, lemon, thyme, sage, garlic
Powerful germ fighters
Lavender, lemon, bergamot, thyme, chamomile,
pine, sandalwood
Increase white blood cell production, which
gobbles up infection causing bacteria
Herbs:
Golden Seal, Oregon Grape, Barberry – antiseptic
Plantain, comfrey, aloe vera, lavender,
calendula, St. John’s Wort, rose geranium – promotes healing
Antiseptic Spray
1/8 tsp each lemon and tea tree essential oil
½ oz tincture of golden seal, Oregon grape root or barberry bark
1 ½ oz aloe vera
Combine and shake well twice daily for a week; Place in a spray bottle. Shake well before use.
Fainting &
Dizziness
Essential Oils: Lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus,
tea tree
Herbs: Lavender
Place a hot compress on the back of the neck to
increase blood flow to the brain
Place your head between your knees or lay down;
when you are able have a hot drink
Lavender Compress
5 drops lavender oil 2 cups water Soft Cloth
Combine oil & water in a small bowl. Soak the cloth and wring out; Fold cloth and apply to the back of the neck and forehead
Smelling Salts
½ tsp rock salt or Epsom salt 5 drops essential oils
Place in a non porous container. Add oils to the salt, it will easily absorb the oil. Carry salt in a closed container and sniff as needed.
Frostbite
Herbs: Aloe Vera, cayenne, ginger,
Warm the body inside and out! Drink warm tea or
water and pour warm water
over the area.
Prevention: Sprinkle small amounts of cayenne
pepper and/or ginger into socks and gloves before going outdoors.
Foot Warming Powder
1 tbsp cayenne powder 1 tsp ginger powder
mix together and store in a sealed container. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp into each sock to keep toes warm; for sensitive skin sprinkle into your shoes. Keep away from eyes!
Heat Exhaustion &
Sunstroke
Herbs: Alfalfa, peppermint, licorice root,
ginseng root, Apple Cider vinegar
Replace lost fluids and electrolytes with miso
soup, fruit juice or sports drinks.
A Cool Lavender Compress for dizziness placed on
the forehead.
A tea of
the above herbs helps prevent heat exhaustion
Apple Cider Drink
1 tsp ACV 1 tsp honey 1 cup water
Mix well. Drink warm or cold. May be made in larger quantities and stored in the fridge.
Hay – Time Switchell
Heat just until dissolved
4 cups water 1 cup molasses
¼ cup honey ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Add – 12 cups cool water
Chill and serve
Refreshing, energy boosting, thirst quenching,
replaces electrolytes lost in perspiration and heat exhaustion
Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac
Herbs: Plantain, jewel weed, comfrey, aloe vera,
oatmeal
Essential oils: Peppermint (relieves itching)
Rub with soil from around the plant; wash the
oil from the plant off with soap and water or soapwort, soap root or deer bush
blossoms.
Oatmeal, herbs, and Epsom salt bath.
Paste of Oatmeal or bentonite clay, on the rash.
Shock
Essential Oils: lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree,
rosemary, peppermint
Inhale essential oils to snap a person out of
shock.
Lavender Compress, Rescue Remedy
Sprains & Strains
Herbs: Arnica,
RICE = rest, ice, compression, elevation
Stain & Sprain Compress
1 to 2 tsp tincture of arnica
flowers or
1 Tbsp cold water
Soft cloth
Combine tincture and water in a bowl and apply compress to the injured area.
Strains & Sprains Oil
1/3 of a pint jar of Arnica Flower
or
Fill jar with olive oil
1/8 tsp lavender oil (optional)
8 drops marjoram or thyme oil (optional
2 drops chamomile oil (optional)
Let sit for two weeks on the window sill; Strain and store in a colored bottle. Rub on strains, sprains and bruises.