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Creating a Natural First Aid Kit

Recipes

There’s a good chance that you’ve purchased herbal teas, extracts or salves for a cold or a minor first aid situation.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to make those same herbal remedies yourself?

As long as there have been people on this Earth, there have been people making herbal remedies. In fact, even in the 21rst century most humans on the planet use herbs for healing.

Helping ourselves heal and stay healthy with herbs is as simple and natural as the plants themselves.

Chamomile  is one of my favorite herbs because of its delicate scent and great taste in teas. It is my absolute favorite herb for kids and I keep a tincture of Chamomile on hand for any childhood aches and ailments.

Switching to a real food diet has eliminated our bouts with ear infections and stuffy noses (though Chamomile helps with those too!) but some things, like teething pain, can’t be fixed with healthy food!

Chamomile is a naturally calming herb that relaxes nerves and reduces pain. It has been known to settle the stomach and reduce gas and colic in infants. I use it to soothe fussy babies, calm down upset toddlers and and on bruises.

Adults can use Chamomile to improve sleep, to ease menstrual cramps, relieve headache and soothe frayed nerves. It is also great for the skin and can even naturally lighten hair.

A homemade Chamomile tincture is incredibly easy to make and is my favorite baby gift for new parents. I take it to the hospital when I have a baby (mainly for me during labor!).

Chamomile Tincture Recipe

Perhaps  you’ve seen Chamomile tincture in stores, but you can make your own for much less than you can buy it. I make a quart for the price I used to pay for a 4-6 ounce bottle.

Making tinctures also helps preserve herbs, which is especially important for Chamomile, since its positive benefits are in its volatile oils which decrease over time unless preserved.

Chamomile Tincture Ingredients

• 1/2 to 1 cup of dried Chamomile flowers
• approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups boiling water
• approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups vodka or rum
• Quart size glass jar with airtight lid

Chamomile Tincture Instructions

1. Put fresh or dried Chamomile flowers in clean quart size glass jar

2. Pour boiling water over flowers to just cover them (may have to stir)
3. Fill the rest of the jar with vodka or rum (do not use rubbing alcohol or non-consumable alcohol!) and tightly cover with airtight lid.
4. Store in a cool, dark place and shake daily for 4-6 weeks. This will make a strong tincture!
5. After 4-6 weeks, remove from cabinet, and pour through a cheesecloth or strainer. Store in a jar or in tincture vials for easy use.

Notes

Normal dose for adults is up to 1 teaspoon 1-3 times a day as needed. For infants, only a few drops are needed, and often it can be rubbed on the gums or stomach for teething or colic pain. For toddlers and older children 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon can be taken 1-3 times a day while needed. It is especially useful for babies and young children who are having difficulty sleeping. A dose right before bedtime can help relax and sooth them for more peaceful sleep.

Any herb can be preserved with this method, and often this is the most cost effective way to use herbs. Another tincture I keep on hand is my homemade  Herbal Digestive Remedy Tincture, which is also very simple to make!

A Healing Salve…

I’m not a fan of Neosporin because its made with petroleum jelly and there are natural options that work just as well.

My homemade healing salve (or “boo-boo lotion”, according to the kids) is helpful on cuts, bruises, stings, poison ivy and skin irritations. It also helps diaper rash and baby skin irritations- just don’t use with cloth diapers or line them first.

It’s easy to make and some of the ingredients even grow in your front yard during the summer… One of the herbs I use is Plantain, which grows in most parts of the country and is great for the skin. Most people just know it as a common garden weed.

This salve is naturally antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and astringent. It also doesn’t contain petroleum! I never goes bad, so I make it in big batches, but you can reduce the size if needed. I always keep this on hand while gardening for skin irritations and bug bites.

All ingredients and tins and lip chap containers to store it in are available here. (Storing in a lip-chap container makes it portable and easy to apply. )

Healing Salve Ingredients

• 2 cups olive oil or almond oil
• 1/4 cup beeswax pastilles
• 1 tsp echinacea root (optional)
• 2 Tbsp dried comfrey leaf
• 2 Tbsp dried plantain leaf (herb-not banana!)
• 1 Tbsp dried calendula flowers (optional)
• 1 tsp dried yarrow flowers (optional)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary leaf (optional)

All herbal ingredients are available here

Healing Salve Instructions

1. Infuse the herbs into the olive oil. There are two ways to do this. You can either combine the herbs and the olive oil in a jar with an airtight lid and leave 3-4 weeks, shaking daily OR heat the herbs and olive oil over low/low heat in a double boiler for 3 hours (low heat!) until the oil is very green.
2. Strain her herbs out of the oil by pouring through a cheesecloth. Let all the oil drip out and then squeeze the herbs to get the remaining oil out.
3. Discard the herbs.
4. Heat the infused oil in a double boiler with the beeswax until melted and mixed.
5. Pour into small tins, glass jars or lip chap tubes and use on bites, stings, cuts, poison ivy, diaper rash or other wounds as needed.

Herbal Digestion Tincture Remedy

This is by far the most used tincture in my First Aide Kit. It is simple to make, but very effective against early pregnancy nausea, motion sickness, and tummy aches that happen when the kids eat unhealthy food when we are not at home.

I’ve used this herbal digestion tincture in transition during labor when nausea hits, to curb morning sickness, and even for stomach bugs to help stop vomiting. It also works great for indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive disturbances.

This digestive remedy can be used externally on babies tummies for colic and gas and externally on the head (adult or child) for headaches.

This digestive tincture remedy, along with my homemade chamomile tincture are two that I always keep on hand, especially with kids.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried peppermint leaves
• 1/4 cup-1/2 cup very finely diced fresh ginger root
• 1/4 cup dried fennel seeds
• Approximately 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• Approximately 1 1/2 cups vodka or rum
• A quart size glass jar with airtight lid

Herbal Ingredients available here

Instructions

1. Put peppermint, ginger and fennel in glass jar and pour boiling water until they are just covered.
2. Fill the rest of the jar with vodka or rum (food grade only! no rubbing alcohol) and put on air tight lid.
3. Keep in a cool dark place for at least two weeks, but up to six, shaking daily.
4. After 2-6 weeks, strain through mesh strainer or cheesecloth and store in vials or small jars.

Notes

Dosage: for adults up to 1 teaspoon can be taken straight or in water as needed. For heartburn indigestion or nausea, one dose is usually sufficient, though sometimes a second dose is needed. In pregnancy, 1/2 teaspoon in the morning often helps with morning sickness, with additional doses if needed throughout the day. For children, 10-20 drops is usually enough, or it can be used externally.

If you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition, you should check with your doctor or midwife before using any herbal remedy or supplement.

How to Make Your Own Natural Vapor Rub

This natural vapor rub is a good remedy to have around.

For babies and small children, treatment options are limited, even though coughing and congestion can really interfere with their ability to get a good nights sleep.

I used to keep regular Vicks Vapor Rub and the baby version on hand for times when the seasonal cold would hit until I realized that it had PETROLEUM in it.. yuck!

In the name of not consuming or slathering my children’s skin with anything that is more beneficial to a car engine, I’ve been making this really easy homemade version ever since.

If you don’t have the necessary ingredients on hand or don’t want to take the time to make this recipe, mixing the essential oils with coconut oil works almost as well. All ingredients for the recipe below are available here.

Also, I recently found a pre made natural vapor rub in case you don’t have the ingredients on hand and there is even a formula specifically for babies and children.

NOTE: If making this for babies or children under age six, make sure to use essential oils that are safe for these ages. This post has an in-depth guide to safe essential oils, and to adjust this recipe, use 4 drops each of Eucalyptus and Fir essential oils and omit the others.

Vapor Rub Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil
• 2 level tablespoons of beeswax pastilles
• 20 drops of Eucalyptus Oil (use only 4 drops for use on babies and young children)
• 20 drops Peppermint Oil (substitute 4 drops fir essential oil for use on babies and small children)
• 10 drops Rosemary Oil (omit for use on babies and small children)
• 10 drops cinnamon or clove oil (optional- omit for use on babies or small children.

Vapor Rub Instructions

1. Melt beeswax with oil of choice in a double boiler until just melted.
2. Add the essential oils (use half the amount for a baby version or dilute with coconut oil before using)
3. Stir until well mixed and pour into some type of container with a lid to store. Small tins work well, as do little jars. I also always make a few in lip chap sticks to keep in my purse or to use on baby feet.
4. Use as needed to help reduce coughing and congestion.

Notes

Many essential oils, including these, are not considered safe for babies or small children. Make sure to dilute for babies and children and use as little as is needed. Always check with a doctor or healthcare provider about using herbs or essential oils on young children.

You can also make this recipe with herbs instead of essential oils by infusing the oil with 1 Tablespoon of each of the herbs in a double boiler over medium heat for 2 hours.

Natural Remedies for Food Poisoning

– At first signs of symptoms, take equal parts water (or juice) and apple cider vinegar (organic, with the mother!)

-In water or some kind of soft food, took 1/2 tsp or more of activated charcoal (or capsules if you can swallow them)

-Repeat until my symptoms stop.

Homemade Neosporin, commonly known as;

1. In a double boiler, combine the coconut oil, olive oil. Allow the coconut oil to melt over low heat. Once melted, add in the dried lavender and calendula. Keeping the heat on low, allow the herbs to infuse for 30 minutes. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a large glass or metal bowl set over a pot of boiling water
2. After 30 minutes, prepare a small bowl with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Pour the mixture through the filter, filtering out the herbs. With the infused oil in the bowl below.
3. Return the infused oil to the double boiler (be sure to clean out any remaining dried herbs). Over low heat, add the beeswax, stirring until melted. Add the honey, stirring for about a minute. Turn off the heat and add the essential oils (tea tree and lavender).
4. Pour the mixture into one large jar or two small jars (2-4oz. jars work well for me). The mixture will begin to solidify. If you're using honey, stir every minute or two. The mixture takes about 5-10 minutes to fully set. Once set, it's ready to use and will keep for 12 months at room temperature.

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