Home Remedies (Shaila)

 

Photo Credit: Kitchen and Other Stories

Home Remedies: Recap of Class By Mrs. Jenny H

            Prevention is the best type of cure. You will be much more prepared and at ease if you start studying and making home remedies before you start a family. Find good mentors and good information to give you some guidance before starting home remedies. Some simple things you can start out with before jumping into more complicated remedies are getting sleep, sunshine, and most importantly reading God’s Word. Even just fifteen minutes of reading Scripture every morning has been scientifically proven to have mental health benefits.

         If you struggle with muscle cramps or staying hydrated, electrolytes are a great cure. With a few simple ingredients (see recipe below) you can make your own homemade electrolytes, without the additives store-bought electrolytes have.

        Free radicals are unstable molecules, and they will try to steal molecules from other cells which causes the immune system to become unstable. One way you can prevent these free radicals is through antioxidants. Antioxidants help stop or slow down damage to these cells and safely give an electron to a free radical. You can find antioxidants in brightly colored fruits and vegetables.

        When mixing medicine and herbs, you want to be careful that you aren’t mixing the wrong ones. Make sure to study which herbs can be mixed together safely. If people are already taking medication, you should make sure that any natural remedies you make will be safe for them to take with their medicine. For example, if someone was taking blood thinner you would not want to give them a remedy with ginger or cayenne, because those are natural blood thinners.

        When you want to start harvesting different plants and herbs for home remedies, make sure to pick the part of the plant that is strongest in the season you are in. For example, in the summer you would want to pick the leaves, in the spring the flowers, and in the winter the roots. In cold and flu season, you will want to look for some elderberries. These are natural antivirals, which means they will prevent and keep viruses from spreading. It pairs very well with echinacea. Don’t eat them raw, since they can cause nausea, and vomiting.

         If you are past the prevention stage and get sick, you will want to stay hydrated, and drink hot drinks. Peppermint tea and hot lemonade will help with sore throats and coughs. If you have a runny nose, sage is an herb that will help cure it. If you have a stomach ache, ginger will help relieve that. Ear aches can be cured by applying a warm onion poultice to your ear to release the fluid buildup.

        A fever is your body’s way of fighting against bacteria by making your body an environment where bacteria can’t survive. If your fever is at an early stage and not too high (since high fevers can be dangerous and cause damage), you can speed the fever up with an herb called yarrow. It stimulates circulation and causes sweating to help break and cool a fever. Get a blanket and some yarrow tea and your fever should start to go down. Bark is also excellent for fighting fevers.  

        Lastly, honey is an antioxidant and can help soothe sore throats and coughs. When buying honey, the best place to get it is fresh from a beekeeper. You want fresh, not overly-processed honey. If it is overly-processed, that can kill the natural enzymes, and antioxidants in honey. Honey can also be used for fresh cuts. If you spread honey over a fresh cut, it naturally creates hydrogen peroxide, which will help kill bacteria. Honey is not safe for babies under one year old.  

        God calls us to be faithful stewards of our bodies, and home remedies are a wonderful way to use His Creation to start taking better care of ourselves, and the people around us. 

Elderberry Syrup

4 c. cold filtered water

1 c. organic (preferably) dried elderberries

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 in. fresh ginger or 2 tsp. dried root or powder

Combine cold water and herbs in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.   Reduce heat,  simmer for 45 mins - 1hr.  Alliow to cool.  Pour  through a sieve layered with cheesecloth into a clean bowl.  Press herbs to get all the liquid out, then discard herbs. You should have about two cups of liquid.  Add 1 c. raw honey and stir well to combine.   Keep in clean glass covered jar in fridge.  

You can add a variety of herbs to this recipe, such as 2 Tbs. echinacea or astragalus root  for immunity,  1 -2  tsp. cardamom for flavor...Enjoy!

Electrolyte drink

4 c. filtered water

1 c. freshly squeezed citrus juice (orange, lemon, lime)

1/4-1/2 tsp. Real Salt

4 tsp. raw honey

Combine and enjoy!

Reminder: honey is not safe for babies under 1!