Welcome to the AppalachianTrailCafe.net!
Take a moment and register and then join the conversation

the herbal medicine thread

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Muscle Mender Herbal Oil

      I use this herbal infused oil in many different applications including a massage oil and in my Muscle Mender Salve. You can substitute herbs that you have on hand or to tailor it to your own muscle mending needs. This oil is fantastic to help with muscle pains, strains, bruises, arthritis, menstrual cramps, and more!
      INGREDIENTS
      DIRECTIONS
      1. Using one of the oil infusion methods of your choice, infuse arnica, St. John’s wort, ginger, comfrey, peppermint leaf, and cayenne into your carrier oil. My favorite method when we don’t have a lot of sunlight outside, is in a mason jar, in the warmed oven overnight.
      2. Once your oil is infused, using a cheesecloth and wearing gloves, strain the herbs from the oil. Be sure to squeeze out every last bit of oil from the cheesecloth! You do not have to make a salve with this oil if you do not want to. Keep this as a massage oil if you do not have the beeswax on hand. It even works well as a spot treatment, when you put this oil into a roll-on bottle.
      3. Store your Muscle Mender oil in a mason jar, sealed tightly, in a cool dark location, to have on hand to use in all sorts of muscle soothing recipes.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • A simpler one. Cayenne is in most that I've studied.

      Cayenne Salve Today’s recipe is a super simple salve that can be made up very quickly and bring big-time pain relief. For this recipe you’ll need… 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons of cayenne powder (or 15 grams). (Just pick this up at the market if you don’t have any.) 1/2 ounce of beeswax. (Available at Mountain Rose Herbs, along with cayenne) Double boiler (Don’t have one? Try a local thirft store.) Cheesecloth (Available in supermarkets.) Directions: Begin by infusing the cayenne into the olive oil over a double burner. I heat the oil and cayenne until it is warm, turn off the heat and let it sit (warmly) for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat on again. I do this for at least one hour to a couple of hours, you could do it for 24 hours if desired. Once the cayenne and olive oil have been infused, strain off the powder through a cheesecloth. Reserve the infused oil. Heat the beeswax until it is melted. Stir in the infused oil until the beeswax and oil have been thoroughly melted together and combined. Immediately pour this mixture into jars or tins. (Makes roughly 4 ounces). Let it cool and then label it.

      Text from Cayenne Salve is Topical Herbal Pain Relief - LearningHerbs
      Read More at learningherbs.com/remedies-recipes/herbal-pain-relief/
      Copyright © 2016 LearningHerbs.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      marijuana? It's supposedly medicinal and multipurpose. Haha.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      marijuana? It's supposedly medicinal and multipurpose. Haha.
      I hear it's good for making brownies.....so I'm told.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      marijuana? It's supposedly medicinal and multipurpose. Haha.
      I hear it's good for making brownies.....so I'm told.
      And tea I've heard.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • NoAngel wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      marijuana? It's supposedly medicinal and multipurpose. Haha.
      I hear it's good for making brownies.....so I'm told.
      And tea I've heard.
      Haven't heard of marijuana tea. I'll have to ask my kids, they keep me educated. :)
      Lost in the right direction.
    • NoAngel wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      marijuana? It's supposedly medicinal and multipurpose. Haha.
      I hear it's good for making brownies.....so I'm told.
      And tea I've heard.
      You might need a teapot.
    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      NoAngel wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      marijuana? It's supposedly medicinal and multipurpose. Haha.
      I hear it's good for making brownies.....so I'm told.
      And tea I've heard.
      You might need a teapot.
      For pot tea...
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      I see these things for sale in the cooking magazines where by you grow herbs all year long under grow lights, so applying that...it's never to late in the season I guess. My list is short...

      Rosemary and thyme for soup cooking
      Sage for thanksgiving stuffing
      Oregano and Basil for making red sauce
      Chive for bake potatoes
      Tarragon for fish
      My Cilantro hasn't done well 3 years in a row, and I'm not sure why, me wife sez I gotta pinch it more as it gets spindly and goes to seeds.
    • Great ideas, y'all, thanks.

      I don't think anyone has mentioned mint or aloe... those two are definitely on the list. And I've always wanted a flower bed with nothing but lavender but that will have to wait.

      I love mint of different varieties and in the past, have controlled their tendency to take over by planting both the pot and plant into the ground.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Great ideas, y'all, thanks.

      I don't think anyone has mentioned mint or aloe... those two are definitely on the list. And I've always wanted a flower bed with nothing but lavender but that will have to wait.

      I love mint of different varieties and in the past, have controlled their tendency to take over by planting both the pot and plant into the ground.
      one time I used aloe on a bad burn I got from grilling. At the time I was doing a job at an infirmary at a local school, so the nurse there took a look at it and said the best thing I could have done was put that aloe on it right after I did it, every morning when I got to work she would check and change to bandage for me...gratis! The perks of being in the right place at the right time.
    • Visited the herb farm this morning, it was a lot of fun. The advantage of buying late in the season is almost everything was half price.

      Ended up with a lot more than I planned.

      Off the top of my head...

      Spearmint
      Peppermint
      Comfrey
      Aloe
      Thyme
      Parsley
      Sage
      Basil
      Marjoram
      A few more I can't remember

      2 black eyed Susan's
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Visited the herb farm this morning, it was a lot of fun. The advantage of buying late in the season is almost everything was half price.

      Ended up with a lot more than I planned.

      Off the top of my head...

      Spearmint
      Peppermint
      Comfrey
      Aloe
      Thyme
      Parsley
      Sage
      Basil
      Marjoram
      A few more I can't remember

      2 black eyed Susan's
      I like the black eyed Susan's
      Definitely marjoram next year for me, mine didn't come up this year...musta been old seeds.
      On a different note, me sis gave me a belated bday gift about a month ago, and it's taken that long for them to germinate..."bonsai Redwoods" just transplanted the other day.
    • SandyofPA wrote:

      uncle meat wrote:

      Comfrey I gotta look up...never heard of it.
      It can be invasive, but great stuff for organic gardens. Use the leaves as mulch, make tea as plant food, add to the compost pile. The deep roots pull up nutrients from the subsoil.
      Cool, I didn't know that. I thInk it's also used for scrapes and bruises so I was thinking about salves.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • uncle meat wrote:

      Comfrey I gotta look up...never heard of it.
      My grandmother would make tea with it. She administered it to folks with colds and flu.

      Cilantro is great for seasoning salads, chili, and stews. Easy to grow.

      Lavender is useful for flavoring cookies, cakes, and custard. Next time I make flan, I'm trying some lavender oil.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I've been organizing my old pots and half-full bags of hummus/potting soil so I can start some herbs. Its a little late but I'm going to try it anyway. There's an herb farm I plan to visit to buy some plants.

      If you had to list 10 essential herbs, what would they be?

      I would like a combination of cooking and medicinal, preferably multipurpose.

      I have a strawberry jar that I'd like to put herbs in, any suggestions on what to put in it?
      Mint, watch out its invasive (I have, spearmint, peppermint, chocolate mint, ginger mint, pineapple mint, Apple mint (my favorite for tea).
      Catnip, it makes people sleepy
      Oregano, watch out its invasive.
      Yarrow, stops bleeding and is antiseptic.
      Mullein, pick it wild, good expectorant
      Lemon balm
      Willow bark, get it wild, great pain reliever
      Basil
      Elderberry
      bacon can solve most any problem.