Home Guide to Herbs - davies


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first aid  
279  
cider vinegar or lemon juice f rst. Then treat with applications of lavender  
and chamomile essential oils for two or three days.  
Nonemergencies  
This is a brief outline of some of the more frequent everyday problems  
you may encounter, with suggestions on how relief may be obtained by  
herbal and other methods.  
blisters  
Apply one drop each of undiluted lavender and chamomile essential oils.  
Apply gently and rub in thoroughly. Or use lavender spray, followed by  
f nely powdered myrrh, and cover with a padded adhesive bandage.  
bruises  
Apply hot and cold packs to increase the circulation. Follow with  
applications of comfrey leaf ointment, to which calendula f ower, hyssop  
leaf, or plantain leaf could be added. These herbs can equally well be  
made into a poultice. Tincture of arnica (Arnica montana) f ower and  
marigold f ower, applied directly to the bruise several times a day, can be  
equally soothing. Do not ingest arnica in any form, as it is poisonous if  
taken internally. St. John’s wort oil would also be a good alternative.  
chilblains  
Chilblains are caused by poor circulation. I have heard many a tale of  
traditional remediesincluding cayenne pepper in the socks and onions  
in the stockingsand they all seem to work. But ultimately you need to  
work on the problem internally, which means investigating the reasons  
for your poor circulation (see “The Circulatory System” in chapter 9).  
diarrhea, stomach ulcers, bowel pain, and other digestive  
disorders  
Mix slippery elm inner bark or arrowroot with cold water into a drinkable  
gruel. This is excellent as a convalescence food too.  
infection of a deep cut or wound  
Use echinacea root, because when each dose it is ingested, the white  
blood cell count will increase dramatically. The best course of treatment  
is to take it for ten days, have four days off, and then, if necessary,  
continue with another ten-day course. In the f rst few days you can take  
half-hourly doses of ten drops of tincture, and this dosage can be reduced  


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287 288 289 290 291

Quick Jump
1 79 159 238 317