In this Book, you will learn how to prepare a simple herbal first aid kit for common emergencies. In addition you will learn how to prepare the herbs that are in ointments, oils and teas and you will learn what they are good for. Herbal medicine is the great-great-grandmother of medicine. It is the body of medical knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation since the early days of humanity. It is the use of simple, whole plants, complete in their natural balance of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and active ingredients. The human body in good working order is a natural balance of all the elements found in the earth and the plants that live on the earth. The common dandelion, for instance, has a composition of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and active ingredients almost identical to the human liver. As a remedy, the dandelion answers the needs of every liver complaint or imbalance you can name. A number of doctors refer their hepatitis patients to me because they have seen the results of dandelion in action. After three weeks of dandelion tincture treatment (ten drops taken four times daily), my hepatitis patients are well enough to go out dancing. It is a truth that stands to reason that the nearer we stay to the whole and natural balance of the earth and its plants, the nearer we are to our own natural balance, which we experience as health. Herbal medicine is accessible and effective. You don't need to be a scientist to know that marigold (calendula) is antiseptic. You simply have to put it on a festering wound and watch the wound heal within twelve hours. It may be simple, but it is as effective as any and more effective than most of the chemical equivalents. You don't have to be a technician to prepare a cup of herbal tea or a poultice. Herbal medicine is the medicine of the people, and despite the sophistication of modern western medicine, it is still the preferred medicine of 90 percent of the world's population. An herbalist today has a much wider choice of remedies than the ancient herbalists thanks to the travellers over the ages who consciously or unconsciously carried with them the seeds of their native foliage. The humble plantain is called Englishman's Foot because it sprouted wherever the English stepped. Such instances have caused ecological disasters within delicate ecosystems, but they do give herb gatherers a wide variety. No medicine chest would be large enough to house a complete herbal pharmacy. This book is a selection of a small number of herbs that most effectively treat the widest possible range of common emergencies and are readily available from health food stores, herbal pharmacies, and natural food stores in the forms described. The purpose of this book is a practical one: to fill in the gaps of information found in most popular herbals. What is the benefit of knowing that chamomile is good for the eyes if you don't know how to prepare it and how to use it?
