First Aid from the garden
It wasn't long ago that we didn't have a Target on every corner and we used herbal remedies right from our garden for minor cuts, scrapes and bites. Check these remedies out! They are oldies but goodies....
FIRST AID FROM THE GARDEN
Mother Nature packs a first aid kit for soothing the most dubious rewards of summer: stings, bites, punctures, cuts, blisters, rashes, and sunburn. In great-grandma's day, these remedies from the garden were the most common solutions for everyday maladies. Today, herbal first aid kits have once again become popular as gardeners rediscover that simple, effective solutions are often within arm's reach. Here are some time-tested remedies from the garden.
For an herbal bath, brew a stong tea: pour 2 C. boiling water over ½ C. fresh herbs or flowers; cover and let steep 10 minutes; then add to a tepid bath. For a poultice, crush a fresh plant (usually the leaf) into a paste and apply it to the affected area.
PROBLEM: Bee or Wasp sting
SOLUTION: First, remove the stinger. Apply lavender essential oil.
PROBLEM: Sunburn
SOLUTION:Apply aloe vera (gel in leaves). Mint and/or lavender in a bath.
PROBLEM: minor cuts
SOLUTION: Apply a poultice of mullein, plantain, or yarrow. Calendula, thyme, and/or rosemary in a bath.
PROBLEM: blisters, scrapes
SOLUTION: Apply a poultice of mullein, plantain, or yarrow. Calendula, thyme, and/or rosemary in a bath.
PROBLEM: heat rash
SOLUTION: Sage, lavender, and/or lemon balm in a bath; followed by dusting powder. Poultice of chickweed.
PROBLEM: poison ivy
SOLUTION: apply poultices of fresh plantain or jewelweed (crush leaves and press on skin).
Avoid poisonous plants. If you tangle with them, wash your body and clothing with soap and water as soon as possible.
PROBLEM: rose thorn puncture
SOLUTION: Soap and water, followed by an herbal salve or a poultice of plantain or comfrey.
Wear heavy-duty leather gloves when working with roses. Dirty rose thorns can cause a tetanus infection; update your tetanus immunization booster every 10 years.
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remedies in the garden, herbal remedies, cuts, scrapes, poison ivy
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