Wound Healing Herbal Pocket Poultice

For those of you who enjoy camping, hiking, walking in the woods or just the great outdoors in general, you know that sometimes accidents happen.  I always like to carry along a few first aid items whenever I am “off the grid”.

An application that is often used in first aid situations is called a Poultice.  A Poultice or Cataplasm as it is also referred to is basically a moistened mass of plant or food materials that is applied to various areas of the body in order to impart it’s medicinal benefits and to provide relief.  There are various ways to create a poultice using either fresh or dried herbs.

One of my favorite items to carry along in my first aid pouch is what I like to call the, “Herbal Wound Healing Pocket Poultice”.  If something like this exists on the market, I am not aware of it and so therefore I created my own.  This is great if you are in an area where you are not familiar with the local plants.

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Aromatic Carminative Drops to Ease Digestion

When suffering with accumulated gas, bloating or griping of the bowels we should think of the wonderful array of aromatic herbs which are often found in our kitchen cabinets.  Aromatic herbs can help dispel or prevent gas, relax the area and help to ease colic and griping of the bowels; in herbal terms this action is referred to as Carminative.

With any condition we should look to determine the root cause.  The formation of gas is natural although in excess it should be a signal to look at improving digestion.  There are a number of conditions that may be associated with excess gas formation.  For example, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) occurs when the number of “bad” bacteria in the gut outweighs the number of “good bacteria”.  Because “good” bacteria are essential for proper digestion, SIBO prevents foods from being properly digested.  Undigested foods begin to ferment and the process of fermentation leads to the formation of gas.

Certain foods may contribute to gas formation especially if digestion is poor.  The buildup of gas formation can be reduced by eliminating suspected foods.  Herbs can be wonderful adjuncts while looking for the underlying cause of excess gas.

Some examples of Carminative herbs include Anise, Black Pepper, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Ginger, Nutmeg and Peppermint.

Here is a wonderful recipe I created which was inspired by a formula called “Confection of Pepper”, that I came across in an old herbal I was reading.  The ingredients in my formula include Black Pepper, Caraway seeds, Fennel seeds and Honey.  Aromatic Carminative drops are designed to be taken as an aid to digestion after a large meal or when there is gas, bloating, colic or griping of the bowels.  This formula may be effective as a palliative remedy for those who suffer with Irritable bowel.

Aromatic Carminative Drops

Ingredients:

½ tsp Caraway seeds (powdered)

½ tsp Black pepper (ground)

2 tsp Fennel seeds (powdered)

Honey

Combine the herbs in a small bowl and add enough honey to make a paste.  The paste can be rolled into small balls about the size of a pea and then dusted in licorice root or anise seed powder.  You can also leave this as a honey paste and just take a about 1/8 – ¼ tsp as needed.

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Re-Engaging Our Senses: Taste

As herbalists we can learn a lot about an herb just by tasting them.  Our sense of taste allows us to detect not only the flavor of food/plants and distinguish one flavor from another, but taste also initiates responses within the body.  Along with taste we utilize other senses which define texture, sensation and temperature.  As a mechanism for survival our sense of taste perceives the presence of minerals and poisons.   As herbalists we can use our sense of taste to help us match herbs to patterns of imbalance in the body.

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Re-engaging our Senses: Tissue States

In using our senses to better hone our skills as herbalists we must also consider what we observe.  Observation is an essential tool which allows us to better understand the terrain of the individual we are working with.  We as herbalists don’t diagnose, but rather use our senses to detect subtleties or deviations from the norm.  We are looking for patterns to help define the imbalance.  For example; what type of cough does someone have; is it dry or moist, does it present with fever or chills, etc.

Another skill which is essential to our success is our ability not only to listen to our clients, but also to “hear” what they are saying.  Many times we listen to someone explaining their health concerns and it’s almost as though we get tunnel vision focusing only on one symptom or another.  However, if we are truly “hearing” what they are saying, they may intuitively give us clues as to what their bodies need.

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Re-engaging our Senses and Energetics

Energetics is basically a tool which assists the practitioner or the lay herbalist in gaining a better understanding of the actions of plants and how they can best be applied to the patterns of imbalance which manifest within people.

Energetics can be applied to both plants as well as humans. Plant Energetics is about using our senses to understand what sort of influence or “action” a plant will have within the body or how the body will respond to a particular plant. Human energetics relates to observable patterns which manifest within the body or are visible on the surface. By observing the various patterns the herbalist is able to gain insight into the state of balance or imbalance within the body.

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