# Herbal Medicine Info and How To



## PrairieBelle22 (Nov 17, 2006)

I would like to start a thread where we provide the details of a specific herb, what our experiences with it has been, and as much about itâs medicinal applications that we know. Please share as much information as you can. Itâs ok if your post is long because what we are looking for here is details. Think of beginners when you write out your information.

Please include as much of the following as you have:
Plant identification
Growing and harvesting (donât forget part of plant used)
storage
Medicinal applications
How to prepare your medicine
Dosage information
Your personal experience with this medicine
warnings

And anything else that might help someone looking to learn about this herb. 

Belle


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## PrairieBelle22 (Nov 17, 2006)

Ragweed! The herb I have loved to hate for many years but now, I absolutely love! 

You may have read my testimonial on this forum about how much this herb has helped me. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...my-testimony-treating-seasonal-allergies.html

*Common Ragweed*

Medicinal uses: Hay fever, seasonal allergy relief. (Itâs one of those cases where like treats like) I think it has also helped boost my overall immunities. I have no proof of that, but you can read about that in my testimonial.

Plant identification: Good information from Penn State Extension:
http://extension.psu.edu/pests/weeds/weed-id/common-ragweed

Growing: common ragweed grows wild in rural regions of most of the US. If you donât have any growing on your place, just ask a farmer or rancher and theyâll undoubtedly be happy for you to gather some.

Harvesting: Harvest your ragweed when it is pollinating. Around here pollination peaks around 10th of September, but you should be able to harvest late Aug â early Oct. Just find the plants that are blooming.

Medicinal applications: Ragweed tincture for relief of seasonal allergies

How to prepare ragweed tincture: I use a quart canning jar, but any wide open mouthed jar is fine. WARNING: If you have a ragweed allergy you might want to have someone else do the harvesting for you (I wear a dust mask and then neti pot as soon as I get home and take a shower immediately). Cut your ragweed plant tips and fill your jar with as many as you can fit in there. My cuts are about 6â long. I include the blooming tips and some leaves. Add 100 proof vodka (cheap stuff is just fine) and fill the jar to the very top covering all the ragweed cuttings. Run a butter knife through the mix to dislodge any air bubbles. Cap the jar and set in a cool, dark spot for 6 weeks. Put a label on your jar of what it is and the date you start the processing. After 6 weeks, strain the green medicine through a strainer to remove the larger debris then strain again through several layers of cheese cloth or a coffee filter. Store you medicine in colored jars in a dark cabinet at room temperature. Be sure to label your jar what it is and when you finished it.

Dosing: I use 1 teaspoon mixed with water, orange juice or grape juice. Dose frequency: 1x â 4x per day depending upon severity of symptoms. Ragweed tincture is bitter tasting, but I have gotten used to it.

My experience: has entirely relieved me of the horrible allergies that I have had. I have found that it is especially effective with rest. If I have a scratchy throat starting and I take a dose before I go to bed, my sore throat is better when I get up. It has proven to relieve allergy headaches and sinus pain.

Warnings: Due to the high alcohol content, I wouldnât recommend this ragweed tincture recipe for children. There is probably other processes that could be used for children. 

If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them.

Belle


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## countrygal (Feb 14, 2010)

I don't know how to post photos, but my family harvests wild oregano.

I make a tincture by soaking the chopped herb in vodka.

I also dehydrate to use as tea.

It is a natural antibiotic and is good for colds.

It is sure cheaper than buying the oregano oil in the health food store.


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## somedaysunnyday (Nov 25, 2013)

5 tablespoons of minced garlic in a cup of honey. two tablespoons a day for me and my wife and the children. In a couple of days the garlic will candy. Or use it as a spread on your toast in the morning. We swear by it. 

Garlic is a great immune booster with over 180 chemical compounds.

The honey we get local and unpastuerized, which helps to retain all of its great health beneficial constituents, such as propolis.


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## WV Farm girl (Nov 26, 2011)

Sage. Regular garden sage.

It has antifungal and antiseptic properties. It also containers some estrogen. I make a strong tea with the leaf. To do so I typically place a heaping teaspoon of the dried leaf into a tea cup and pour boiling water over it. I let it steep 5-7 mins. I will remove the sage then. 
My husband had an infected gum that was swollen and hurting. (weekend of course) I had him rinse his mouth with the luke warm tea and hold some of it in his mouth before drinking. 3x a day. By Sunday evening the swelling was gone and so was the pain.

Sage tea is also supposed to be good to sooth coughs and help regulate menstrual cycles but I have not tried it for either.


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## Osiris (Jun 9, 2010)

Red Clover and Goldenseal -equal parts. Make a strong tea, Steep for 10 minutes. Drink 2 cups. Will stop gall bladder attacks within 1 hr. Red Clover is easy to harvest and dry - flowers when red. Goldenseal...not so much, you may have to purchase in bulk. It's a woodland plant that isn't very common. 

Blue Vervain - Whole plant chopped. Strong tea (1-2 TBSP) to pint boiling water - for upper respiratory ailments. Took away borderline pneumonia for me. Nasty bitter stuff tho. You need to add LOTS of honey and mint or other aromatic herbs to disguise the bitterness - unless you don't mind bitter.

Dry cracks on your fingers in the winter, that creams and ointments won't heal? Crazy Glue! One drop on the crack and it's sealed. Blow dry it for a couple minutes and you're good to go for a week! You may need a 'second drop'! OMG! 
I've been using it for 15 years because it's the ONLY thing that works. The crack heals from beneath. Doesn't burn or hurt. It was invented for brain surgery. Just be CAREFUL! ONE DROP! You know why. I even use it on cuts instead of bandaids.

Gotta admit I'm a little surprised at this thread. Normally we shouldn't be advocating things that aren't "officially approved" by the 'rule-makers'. But then the FDA is the same institution that told us GM food, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sacharin and fluoride were just fine to consume.


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## PrairieBelle22 (Nov 17, 2006)

Osiris said:


> Gotta admit I'm a little surprised at this thread. Normally we shouldn't be advocating things that aren't "officially approved" by the 'rule-makers'. But then the FDA is the same institution that told us GM food, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sacharin and fluoride were just fine to consume.


I went back and re-read the rules for this forum and I don't think we are breaking the rules with this thread. This is a positive thread, we are providing information from our experiences and possibly information from other sources that are publicly available. Also we are not promoting any of our own products.

Belle


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## Osiris (Jun 9, 2010)

Oh I agree it's a positive thread and I have no problems with it. 

A friend of my daughter recently had a baby. Pre-mie. She's home and doing fine now, but her lung collapsed in the hospital and they had to put in a stent. To fight any possible infection, they gave her a strong anti-biotic which of course played havoc on her fragile digestive track, resulting in a terrible burn on both cheeks of her little bottom. The mom used a combination of Alovera (I gave her a whole plant), vitamin E oil and a Goldenseal poultice. The burn disappeared in 2 days. She's off the anti-biotics now and nursing - thank heavens!


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

It's a VERY positive thread...please carry on! :clap:


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