Nikki's Home Medicine Progress-ish

Other than collecting a few seeds here and there, I have no background in this type of practice. Let's see where it goes!

These are the plants that I collected this morning.
I've been told this is the best time to collect because it's when the plants pull their nutrients in.
I've also been told that the sun pulls out some of their nutrients which is why you want to gather them before the sun beams onto them.
I'm not certain, but here's a link that may (or may not) intrigue in regards to riboflavin:  http://www.brianjford.com/soulsa.htm

After I rinsed the plants, I gathered them in small bunches. I hope hanging them like this lets them dry alright.

I don't like okra (yet), but I'm hoping to get a similar demulcent effect (and yes I know drying them is kind of the opposite) from the leaves and stems...we shall see!

I saw something weird growing so I googled it and tada! ---> Rabbit Tobacco!
It has lots of awesome medicinal properties, but ...
"The primary healing chemicals found in Rabbit Tobacco are called Tepenes and have demonstrated an ability to positively affect cancer (cytotoxic) and viral infections (viricides) such as the common cold and influenza. There are also chemicals known as sterols and saponins which demonstrate healing effects upon the human body." -Darryl Patton: The Southern Herbalist
Here's my source for that: http://thesouthernherbalist.com/articles/rabbit_tobacco.html

Hollyhock is another case taht I had to figure out what it was. I didn't think I had anything in the mallow family for medicines, but ouala! I did! It was too late to get anything but the what you see there so hopefully it will suffice. Here's a link for it's uses too: https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/five-uses-for-hollyhocks/

I had no idea hollyhock was useful beyond being pretty. Thanks!

Two different types of sunflower seeds.

Here are uses for dog fennel:
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/uses-for-dog-fennel/

Comfrey:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/comfrey-medicinal-uses-zmaz92jjzshe.aspx

Dandelion:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/dandelion
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/d/dandel08.html

Hibiscus:
http://www.gaiaherbs.com/articles/detail/42/The-Surprising-Health-Benefits-of-Hibiscus
http://www.healthline.com/health/all-you-need-to-know-hibiscus#3
Here's how to make the tea:

I boiled water for a few minutes, poured it into the jar, then I stirred it!

The water turned dark, I let it sit for a minute or so and took the flowers out. Then I covered it and am currently letting it cool until I get home!

Here's a link to our Homesteading thread:

https://permies.com/t/57360/homestead/Brandon-Nikki-Homestead

Vera Stewart wrote:I had no idea hollyhock was useful beyond being pretty. Thanks!

Sure thing, Vera!

Awesome bounty! Thanks for sharing! Now you gotta follow up with what you're gonna do with all these beauties when they're dry

Shaz Jameson wrote:Awesome bounty! Thanks for sharing! Now you gotta follow up with what you're gonna do with all these beauties when they're dry

Thanks, Shaz! Keep watching the thread...I definitely plan on putting updates on here as I go.

Update on the Hibiscus Tea!

It's gone!

Haha...because I drank it!

I didn't add anything to it; I just drank it straight off the counter at room temp. It's different, but that's it.

The variety that I have is not a true hibiscus, but it is in the family. The tea was weak, but I did feel the effects pretty quickly. Think of a muscle relaxer. Now reduce the effects by a LOT and that's what it felt like. So really, not much at all, but I did feel what it was trying to do.

Next time, I'll either add more flowers or use less water.

Finally got around to posting. It was fun cutting them and putting them into the jars, more than I expected anyways. I enjoy organization too, so I made sure to label them as best as I could. I guess we'll see how things go from here.

Let your herbs steep longer. 5-10 minutes, at least! If you're going for the medicinal properties, 15 minutes with a lid. I've heard that using distilled water pulls about 30% more benefits from your herbs.

Look up malva neglecta, read about it in Susun Weed's newsletter. Turns out everything in the hibiscus family is edible. I just love discovering all the uses for a plant, especially 'weeds'.

Liz Hoxie wrote:Let your herbs steep longer. 5-10 minutes, at least! If you're going for the medicinal properties, 15 minutes with a lid.

Hey Liz!

I let the hibiscus steep for hours actually. I put a paper towel over it, but not a lid; maybe I could give that a try!
I'll have to check that article out; thanks! Oh and I LOVE learning all about the totally awesome uses for different "weeds" too! AH-mazing!

Uh-Oh! I got a RASH from poison ivy.

I wiped it with ACV (with The Mother of course), let it dry, put raw honey on it for about 30 minutes, wiped it off again with ACV.
And BAM! It was gone before it got started! Wahoo! Win!

Here's another kool thing:

With the crazy weather, I felt a sickness coming on pretty hard so this is what I did. I simmered Bone Broth, broccoli, garlic, turmeric, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and onion powder. I did this for two days and didn't get sick. YAY! I count this as a win too! I had a couple of friends who said they had caught the flu. I did something similar, but more concentrated because I knew they'd only give it one try. They said they felt a lot better just as soon as they consumed it and the next day it was gone! Whether it worked or was by happenstance, I'm glad I tried it. I love turmeric and GARLIC!!!

Another couple of my friends said they had afever blister, a boil, and skin peeling due to a rash so I asked them if I could mix them something to try. I mixed coconut oil and tea tree. The friend with the rash didn't want to try it so I let it go, but the other friend did. He said the next day it was gone! How kool is that?! I love it!

Here is an update on the Goldenrod Tincture:

Goldenrod Tincture Progress

I put it into jars, poured the Everclear into the jars, and then they were ready to sit.

I let them sit for 7 weeks and shook them regularly. It was neat watching the liquid go from clear to light green and dark green...reminded me of Absinthe lol.

This is the strained and bottled liquid (tincture).

This is what was left of the Goldenrod after being strained.

It got composted.

Here are the labels. I've made better ones on the computer since then.

My brother complained about his sniffles (allergies and other respiratory issues) when he came to visit so I told him I had a tincture he could try, but he'd be a guinea pig. He was game so I gave it to him. He said it was the worst he'd ever had! Buahahaha! He took it right before he went to visit someone who smokes a lot and in their house. He said normally he gets worse and worse and eventually can't breathe over there, but with the tincture, he didn't get worse and was able to breathe. I call that a partial win, but a win is a win! YAY!

The next morning we knew we were going to be in an area that probably had mold which would cause sniffles and other issues, so he asked for some more tincture. He asked if I could mix it with something. I got out the honey to try it as a cough syrup-type thing. He said he didn't believe it could get any worse, but it did! lmbo! He said the honey made the nastiness coat his entire mouth, whereas the shot was straight down and gone. Goodness gracious lol! Trial and Error---> the rest of us took it straight haha! My brother said it did him really well, but he could feel it wearing off after several hours, but he was certain that if he had taken another dose, he would have been golden! (like goldenrod, aaaaahahahaha!) I knew the dosage amount but not the frequency. I've looked it up since then. He was right...about 3x/day. I call that a partial win too.

Have you thought of growing rhubarb its tastes great in jam plus is good for constipation -originally used in Chinese medicine .

One of our ducks looked rough and was going at a much slower pace than normal. I thought he'd get better on his own free ranging so I made sure he got extra uninterrupted time. He was also going through a molt so that made him look even worse. He was very sluggish, he is the boss, but he quit caring, his meat went from bright red to light pink, his feathers were dull and scraggly, his eyes went from a bright and glassy blue to a faded and light blue, his feet went from shiny orange, to a peeling light yellow, and he didn't want to bathe.

To me this was indicative of parasitic worms. I separated him from the rest and gave him fresh pumpkin, chopped up garlic in his water, and diatomaceous earth in his feed.

I had also been watching another duck. The next day I saw similar signs in her, so she went to quarantine with the boss too.

Same diet for about a week and they were good! YAY GARLIC!!!

Ducky Meds

ALL Better!!!

Maypops I picked and dried in a brown paper sack. They're labelled and awaiting usage now! These are my favorite! And now that I know they can be consumed, I can't wait to get my stock up next year! KOOL BEANS!!!

Nikki
Some friends were helping me clean, so I gave them some goldenrod tincture. They like it best chased with 7-Up/Sprite. You can try other chasers,they did, but the lemon-lime combo worked for them.

Susun Weed says that using fresh herbs has more energy, so I only dry them for winter use in teas. Tincturing fresh herbs saves a step. What do you make with passion flower?

Liz Hoxie wrote:Nikki
Some friends were helping me clean, so I gave them some goldenrod tincture. They like it best chased with 7-Up/Sprite. You can try other chasers,they did, but the lemon-lime combo worked for them.

That's awesome! I don't like the carbonation in Sprite so I doubt I'd keep it around, but I'd like to give it a try at least. You did make me think about making a mixture with fresh lemon or taking it like you would a lime after a shot of tequila though! Great idea, Liz!!!

Liz Hoxie wrote:Susun Weed says that using fresh herbs has more energy, so I only dry them for winter use in teas. Tincturing fresh herbs saves a step. What do you make with passion flower?

I agree with using it fresh if you can. I plan to make a concentrated tea with it at some point.

There are different articles on it, but this one is more scientific. Click HERE to check it out!

It's similar to the hibiscus. Anxiety, Sleep Aid, etc.

I use it in tincture form. It's too bitter for me to drink it as a tea. Works good for those BAD cramps.

Liz Hoxie wrote:I use it in tincture form. It's too bitter for me to drink it as a tea. Works good for those BAD cramps.

Tincturing is a little expensive for me, especially just starting out, but as I practice, I'm sure I'll get better and more resourceful. The teas aren't so bad to me. Bitter? Yes. It may sound weird, but I like to taste it's purity. If it were too strong, I'd add honey though. I'm glad you mentioned the latter...I'll definitely have to keep it in mind lol.

David Livingston wrote:Have you thought of growing rhubarb its tastes great in jam plus is good for constipation -originally used in Chinese medicine .

Hey David!

Sorry to just now get to you. I didn't even realize you had posted until right now as I was scrolling through...SORRY!!! To be honest as soon as I saw the word, "rhubarb" I cringed! haha! I'm still working on my veggie consumption. I didn't even know what it was until I threw it into Google. It's definitely pretty, but it reminds me of a colorful lettuce...or a red celery (I still find it difficult to eat celery at all). I'm not used to seeing it or hearing about it, but I'm sure if I were, I'd be more accepting of it. I also saw that the leaves contain oxalic acid amounts that are poisonous to humans to consume so that's discouraging. I did see that the plant is high in vitamin K and fiber so that's good! I wonder how I'd consume it or prepare it for consumption? Raw, jellied, jammed, ...? I'm not sure, but if there are plenty of people who eat it jammed, maybe that's a start. I do wonder though, if I could put the leaves in compost or as mulch without it being harmful to other plants. I know it is to humans, but I'm not sure about plants. If the other plants did absorb it's chemicals and were not affected poorly by it, I wonder if it would affect us by being in the other plants when we consumed them? Hmmmm, you've sure got me thinking about it now, David. If I do decide to grow it...or even try it, I'll have to let you know how it goes! Thanks for the thoughts! Click here for the picture! ---> Rhubarb