Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders: Farmed and Foraged Remedies and Recipes

The Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders: Farmed and Foraged Herbal Remedies and Recipes

My hope in writing this book is that you will learn how to partner with herbs to develop your own herbal apothecary. Maybe you'll create a first aid kit with all kinds of helpful remedies, such as tinctures, poultices, and bug sprays. Or perhaps you'll dive deeper into infusions, oils, and salves, learning both what nourishes you and what herbs you enjoy the most. Some of you may take your newfound favorites to the garden, planting and tending so you can restock your apothecary. No matter what calls to you, you will feel empowered to support your health and the health of others.

I often welcome people to my home with a cup of mint tea or, in the summer months, a mint cooler. For those new to herbs, mints are a great place to start. The mints have many fans, as they're easy to grow. Watch them, though-they spread! Mints are also mild, so they are generally safe for just about everyone, including kids. (Those with a mint allergy aside, of course.) If you're more familiar with herbs, the mints can be a nice reminder to simplify.

Immunity can be a tough concept to grasp. It's safe to say nobody has it completely figured out, even the best scientists. Herbalism is also difficult to comprehend fully, as it's a holistic science-meaning it's about the whole being more than any individual part, or even the sum of the parts. Perhaps this is why it's so tough for an herbalist when someone tells us they have a cough and asks what to take. In herbalism, we look at the whole person, the whole picture: what is going on in each part of the body, and outside the body as well.

Skin is our largest and most sensitive organ; it's what we face the world with every day. Skin is both your armor and the cause of much frustration. A tiny itch can monopolize your thoughts, distract you from your work, cause hot spots on your animals, and keep you up at night. Thankfully, there are herbs to help. Some are common 'weeds' that surround us in the lawn and on the farm, while others are easily cultivated. And because herbs are multifaceted, they can be supportive in cases of strains, sprains, burns, bruises, and more.

Allergies and pain are frustrating ailments most of us deal with at some point. Unfortunately, either can also be a chronic condition. While at first it may seem like the only thing allergies and pain have in common is the misery they bring, there is another important link. In fact, they are grouped together in this chapter because they are both caused by inflammation. In this chapter, you'll find insider secrets on the deeper causes of allergies and pain and natural strategies to avoid them.

Hippocrates once said, "If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health." Now, how do we go about the nourishment? In the most delicious way possible, of course! If you look back through history at the diets of people around the globe, they naturally ate what was growing around them during each season. Coincidentally or not, those foods were often perfectly suited to relieve symptoms experienced during those times of the year.

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