Do you make your own Herbal Medicines?

**brenda67** · 11-28-2010, 12:51 PM

If you do please share some of your experiences with me..what kind of herbs do you grow? Do you grind them into powder? Do you fill your own capsules? Do they work just as good as store bought medicine?..

**HappyMama** · 11-28-2010, 01:10 PM

Hi Brenda,

I make my own tinctures, herbal salves, lotion bars, soaps, herbal remedies, and yes I fill my own capsules. I have the little capsule machine, buy all my herbs ( non irradiated, organic certified or grow many on my own). I changed career directions and went back for a degree towards Naturopathic Medicine.

I fully believe in, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"
— Hippocrates

**shoiji** · 11-29-2010, 03:47 PM

I do not make capsules of medicine. However, when I am feeling run down or that I might be getting a cold I will put two pieces of ginger in a pot of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Then I add some honey. Seems to really help and by the next day I am feeling better.

**many houseapes** · 11-29-2010, 04:53 PM

Nothing seems to grow in our soil other than fruit trees.lol But I do purchase herbs at the local herb store. Goldenseal root, fenugreek,echinacea,palo azul, tea tree oil. We are very pleased with the results...not so much for the taste, so honey is an excellent sweetener

**brenda67** · 11-29-2010, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by many houseapes

Nothing seems to grow in our soil other than fruit trees.lol But I do purchase herbs at the local herb store. Goldenseal root, fenugreek,echinacea,palo azul, tea tree oil. We are very pleased with the results...not so much for the taste, so honey is an excellent sweetener

what do you use those herbs for? that's why I' waiting for the books to come so I can learn..TIA~~

**many houseapes** · 11-30-2010, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by brenda67

what do you use those herbs for? that's why I' waiting for the books to come so I can learn..TIA~~

I also would like to expand my knowledge of herbs. I've been a "student" for about 9 yrs & have only concentrated on my family's different ailments. Goldenseal root( do not use if you're pregnant) is wonderful for anything having to do with the head - abcessed teeth, sinuses, colds. The drops work well w/ the smaller children...the quickest result has to be the Goldenseal root tea. Echinacea is good to boost the immune system & I often combine it w/ goldenseal root. Palo Azul is great for bladder infections -the darker the bark, the stronger the tea. Tea tree oil is good for cold sores,strep throat, abcessed teeth -it actually numbs the gum better than ambesol...also good for ringworm, skin problems, insect bites. For strep throat -swab the back of the throat (try not to swallow it ...a little won't hurt you, but you're really not suppose to ingest it). They have toothpaste w/TTO on the market. Fenugreek is good for lung support & also to increase milk production if you're nursing. 2 tsp of Cumino (Cumin) in a cup of hot hater will stop false labor. Chlorophyll boosts your iron......there are others that we have used & have had great results, but these are just a few that come to mind. I am no expert, I only know from what I have tried.

**Trishagirl** · 11-30-2010, 01:43 PM

I take suppliments that we buy online and at our local health food store. We take olive oil caps for when we start getting a cold it's good to knock it out a good antiviral and antifungal. Also Vit. D 1000 IU daily very important in the winter months for colds and good to prevent depression & breast cancer. Oil of Oregano is another good antiviral and antifungal against colds but warning it is very strong just put a couple drops under your tongue. You get used to it's strong effect works really well! Vit c & a multivitamin and omega 3's for joints and eyes. I take extra enzymes when we eat a heavy meal helps digestion. Acidolophus is great for tummy problems has bacteria you need. Helps control yeast problems and constipation. Hope this helps someone.

**crafty73** · 12-01-2010, 10:50 AM

Yes I do, my mom's side of the family is native canadian (Cree & Anishnabe aka Ojibway) and I've grown up with various herbal medicines etc. We are careful not to mix certian herbal remedies with convential medicines as you could end up with adverse side effects etc.

For instance, someone taking blood thinner meds, shouldn't take garlic capsules every day as garlic also thins the blood. This happened to my mom, she had a stroke and was put on aspirin to thin the blood...then she started taking garlic everyday and didn't tell her doctor because she felt it was none of his business lol

In the end, her blood became waaaaaay too thin, her nose started to bleed for 5 hours straight etc, had to get rushed into emergency and the dr's burned the vessel inside her nose to stop the bleeding. That's when they found out she was taking garlic everyday in addition to the aspirin. So she gave up the garlic...if she does take it, she will take it for 5 days straight and then go off of it for a month or two, then back on. She also takes cinnamon and honey each day (she'll add it to her coffee/tea or on toast) and swears it helps her arthritis, cold prevention etc.

Just be careful about mixing herbal meds with convential meds. My grandmother always said never to mix the two because they don't compliment each other - one is artificial one is natural etc. To each their own. Just do your research first.

Oh yeah, be careful about wildcrafting (harvesting from the wild, as many plants look similar to each other), if you can take a herbalism class or get some good books with full size colour pics of the various plants that would be good.

We make our own tinctures, salves, massage oils, teas, herbal bandages etc. The Elder's say that for every sickness, Mother Earth provides a cure for it...but not everyone knows how/where to look.