Herbal Recipes for Tea and Medicine

Part 2: More Herbs and Their Uses

Part of homesteading in the country or in the city is to become familiar with the land and make it work for you. We grow as much of our own food as we can, and many of us will also (attempt to) grow as many useful plants as possible for various medical and/or income purposes. In the two terraces beneath the grape vines at the top of my garden we grow culinary herbs. The perennials have their beds and spots, the annuals are usually scattered in amongst the vegetables farther down the hill.

But there are other useful plants growing elsewhere on the property. There is blue flag growing at the edge of the driveway and bordering the disc golf fairway (orris root). There are large thickets of wild roses above the cabin and trained to a welded rebar ‘tree’ in the back yard (rose hips). There are small flower beds sporting yucca and yarrow, joe pye and wild sunflower. Our forest is thick with dogwood, tulip poplar and maple, growing in the shade in rich forest loam are ginseng and goldenseal and black cohosh and Mayapple. I can gather purslane and chickweed and cleavers galore, all are great in a muslin bath bag for a hot soak, soothes and moisturizes skin.

Becoming familiar with the useful plants that grow on your property - whether they grow wild or are managed, or you plant and tend them in beds, is a long-term project. You should know how to identify them in all stages of their growth through the year, as well as what parts are most useful when, and for what. For instance, the poplar buds in spring are known as “balm of Gilead” and make a fine ingredient in skin salves for cuts, scrapes or just dry, itchy skin. The winds of March blow them down by the basketful from the tops of 100-foot trees, I gather them as soon as the wind stops blowing. In fall the dogwoods sport bright red berries that are excellent tonic ingredients, rich in vitamins and flavinoids but only available in the fall. The wild rose hips have to freeze before they finally turn red and are ready to harvest, usually in November. Mayapple roots are best gathered in May, they’re pretty much invisible and impossible to find after that, once the above-ground plant has died back to nothing.

Here are recipes for some useful herbal teas that can be made with ingredients a homesteader either grows right near the house or can grow somewhere in the yard. As always, any serious condition should be treated by a doctor (if you’ve got one or can afford one). Until the access situation gets worked out one way or the other, millions of people will have to rely on themselves.

Migraine Headaches

Migraines can be life-crippling, and there just aren’t any “cures” or even treatments that aren’t themselves debilitating for sufferers. Herbal teas for the condition stimulate the sense of smell and help to calm nerves, and are gentle enough to be most useful well before the headache appears. Here is a good ‘breakfast tea’ that stimulates vasodilation (opens vessels and promotes peripheral blood flow)…

6 parts rosemary leaves (needles)
4 parts peppermint leaves
4 parts balm (bee balm) leaves
4 parts sweet violet leaves
3 parts feverfew flowers
1/2 part sweet violet flowers

Some of these ingredients are available for only a few weeks a year, so should be gathered and dried when they are available and kept in a tightly closed jar in a dark cupboard until all ingredients are gathered, then the tea should be well mixed and stored in its own container.

Colds and Flu

I get a good old cold twice a year, spring and fall. My husband seems to avoid colds and can go for years without getting one. But when you’re head is stuffed full of snot and you are coughing and you have a fever and ache all over, a good, soothing herbal tea can make you feel much better than just a couple of aspirin can. The best action of an herb for this purpose is to strengthen your immune system, allowing your healing powers to heal your cold.

For adults:
3 parts elder flowers
3 parts rose hips
2 parts willow bark
2 parts linden flowers
2 parts chamomile flowers
2 parts hawthorn leaves with flowers

For children:
4 parts linden flowers
4 parts mullein
4 parts elder flowers
4 parts rose hips
4 parts thyme

You don’t want to give the willow bark or chamomile flowers to young children, otherwise the ingredients are fairly interchangeable. Sweeten with a little honey and the tea is soothing, will promote sweating, and the hot liquid helps break up head and bronchial congestion. For coughs you’ll want anti-inflammatory herbs and those that will coat and protect inflamed mucous membranes.

For coughs:
8 parts plantain leaves
8 parts coltsfoot flowers
2 parts marshmallow root
2 parts mallow

To make a decongestant you can purchase a half-ounce of camphor crystals from a pharmacist or natural herb shop and mix it in a Pyrex pot with a cup of cottonseed oil (sweet oil, from a pharmacy or hardware store). Heat slowly and stir until the crystals dissolve completely. Remove from heat and put into a glass container with a tight fitting lid and allow to cool. Rub this oil on throat and chest when congestion is present.

Congestion can also be treated with vapor. Put a big handful of fresh-cut peppermint in the stoppered bathroom sink, fill basin with hot water. If your water heater isn’t set to scalding (and it shouldn’t be), fill the sink half way with hot tap water and add a quart or two of water brought just to a simmer on the stove so there is plenty of steam. Drape a towel over the head and lean over the sink catching as much of the rising steam as possible. Breathe deeply through nose and mouth to break up the congestion.

Calming Nerves

Life is stressful in the modern world, so a nice soothing and nerve calming tea at the end of a long day is a delightful luxury. It can help you get a better night’s sleep and that is certainly a useful quality!

6 parts hops
4 parts chamomile flowers
3 parts peppermint leaves
3 parts hibiscus flowers

If there is some general depression present along with the stress, replace the chamomile flowers with St. Johns Wort herb (aerial parts of the flowering plant). Sweeten with raw honey and add lemon if you like.

In the next installment of this series I’ll talk about further uses of common herbs for treating relatively minor health conditions and injuries.

Posts to This Series:

Part 1: Who Needs the Knowledge?
Part 2: More Herbs and Their Uses

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