1 -
Chicory – The Painkilling Plant You Should Grow in Your Backyard
This is the wild plant that Native Americans used to look for more
than any other.
They'd harvest and use chicory to make a natural
painkilling extract for a wide range of physical discomforts,
especially stiff and achy joints.
And so can you!
The root is rich
in chicoric acid (CA), a plant compound with potent
anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties but no risk of addiction.
If our pharmacies ever run dry, having even a small patch of chicory
growing in your own backyard will provide relief.
2 -
Yarrow – The Backyard Wound Healer
You always want to have a quick and reliable way to stop a wound
from bleeding and help prevent infection. Yarrow does both, and it
really saved my knuckle.
On day 42 of Alone, I accidentally cut my
hand while gutting a fish.
The wound was very deep and most likely
would have gotten infected since I had no antibiotics with me.
Luckily, I found some yarrow and wrapped it around the wound.
The
bleeding stopped in minutes, and my wound healed so well that now
there's barely a scar left. Since then, I always carry a pouch of
dried yarrow with me, just in case.
A yarrow tincture, when applied
to your skin, acts as a natural and effective way to repel mosquitos
and other insects.
3 -
California Poppy – Better Than Sleeping Pills
California poppy helps support a restorative, deep sleep like we
enjoyed as children, when falling and staying asleep for at least
eight hours each night were both effortless.
Why risk the addiction
of prescription sleeping pills when you can make your own Sleep Tea
from this plant?
I usually drink it before bed and then doze off soon after, while
I'm reading or watching TV.
You could not wake me up easily; my kids
have tried a few times. Now, if your bout of insomnia is of the more
serious nature or you're suffering from PTSD, just turn California
poppy into a more concentrated sleep tincture.
That should do it.
4 -
Marshmallow – The Most Powerful Plant for a Healthy Digestive System
When most people hear marshmallow, they tend to picture the white
fluffy treat commonly roasted over a campfire.
Traditionally these
were made from the root of the marshmallow plant, a powerful
medicinal herb that you'll want to grow yourself at home.
Its leaves
and root are antibacterial, and most importantly, they contain a
sap-like substance called mucilage.
As the marshmallow mucilage goes down through your digestive tract,
it will coat your stomach, intestines, and colon with an additional
protective layer, soothing inflammation it finds along the way.
That's why this tea also helps people with stomach ulcers and
digestive disorders, such as heartburn, indigestion, constipation,
irritable bowel syndrome, or Chron's disease.
5 -
Chamomile – The Natural Antibiotic
My grandmother used to grow chamomile in her garden.
She would pick
the flowers in early autumn, dry them on old newspapers, and store
them in mason jars. She saw this plant as a real "heal-all."
If I'd
get pinkeye, she'd put a warm compress dipped in chamomile tea over
my irritated eyes.
If my stomach hurt, she'd make me drink the tea,
and I'd soon start to feel better.
It's very soothing, and it helps relax your digestive muscles.
You
can also use this plant to make your own chamomile oil, which is
still probably one of the best natural skin remedies out there.
Researchers believe that's because chamomile oil can penetrate even
the deep layers of your skin, where true healing takes place.
6 -
Evening Primrose – A Natural Remedy for Skin and Nerves
This plant is called evening primrose because its flowers open at
sunset.
Each bloom lasts for only one night. Our forefathers would
use it to make a poultice for bruises, wounds, and skin eruptions.
Turns out they were right.
This plant contains two substances our
skin needs but cannot produce on its own (gamma-linolenic acid and
linolenic acid).
They're also very important for the membranes of nerve cells, and
that's probably why more and more people with unresolved nerve pain
are turning to this plant.
Evening primrose can also help to balance
out hormone levels.
If you ever feel like you're constantly
fatigued, you gain weight inexplicably, or you're simply unable to
tolerate hot or cold temperatures like you used to, then you might
be dealing with a hormonal imbalance.
7 -
Lavender – The Perennial Anti-Inflammatory Herb
You're probably familiar with how this aromatic plant can keep moths
from dining on your winter wardrobe.
But if you use it medicinally,
it can offer so much more!
A recent double-blind study concluded
that lavender oil cuts down anxiety to the same extent as taking a
0.5 mg daily dose of Lorazepam, a popular anxiety drug.
A lavender tincture used alongside a regular antidepressant can help
you recover from mild to moderate depression a lot faster and lower
the chance for a relapse.
And if you just rub a few drops of
lavender oil on your scalp every day, it will improve blood flow,
strengthen hair follicles, and even help with lost hair.
That and
the divine scent it has is why I like to mix it with my shampoo.
8 -
Echinacea – The Most Powerful Immunity Plant You Should Grow
When it comes to our health, the immune system is king.
A strong one
might save you even if you're very sick and have no medicines
available. A weak immune system might not, even if you have all the
best medicines and doctors by your side.
There's no better plant for
taking care of your immune system than echinacea.
But don't make the mistake of thinking that supplements bought at
the health store can even compare with the natural medicines you can
make from organic plants you grow yourself.
That's true for all
plants but especially for echinacea, which has fallen prey to its
own popularity. It is one of the most counterfeited natural
supplements out there.
So why risk a bad batch that will do little
more than a placebo?
Better to grow your own patch.
9 -
Calendula – The Herb You Need to Keep Close During Dark Times
Before I ever came across calendula in my natural practice, I had
heard about it from my grandfather.
He was always working around the
house, tinkering on his projects, and one day he accidentally cut
his leg to the bone. Stubborn as he was, he refused to go see a
doctor.
He tied it with a thick cloth and just poured my
grandmother's calendula extract on it each time he would dress the
wound.
Believe it or not, it healed in weeks!
I later found out about other uses for this powerful backyard
helper.
I make a calendula salve to speed up healing and minimize
scarring for wounds, scrapes, cuts, sores, burns, and scalds and to
deal with all manner of rashes or insect bites.
As a tea, calendula
does something really unique and important.
It moves lymphatic fluid
and cleanses your lymphatic system from the mucky remnants of old
infections and the metabolic waste we all accumulate over time.
This
is absolutely vital for continued good health and something no
modern drug does, to the best of my knowledge.
10 -
Feverfew – Nature's Aspirin for Fevers and Migraines
With feverfew in your backyard, you'll always have a way to deal
with a cold, lower a fever, or fight off migraines.
This plant is a
powerful anti-inflammatory, and people have used it to deal with
inflamed and painful joints. Parthenolide seems to be the plant
compound responsible for its medicinal power.
The highest
concentration of parthenolide is found in the flower heads and
leaves, so the easiest way to use this plant is to chew them raw so
they release the parthenolide flowing inside.
But it is not the most effective.
In the brochure, I'll show you exactly how to make the Anti-Migraine
Tincture from your backyard feverfew. A few drops in your coffee or
tea should be enough for some headaches as well.
You'll also see how
an extract from feverfew flowers can prove a potent pain reliever
for articular and neuropathic pain.
