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You can. There are many effective medicinal plants. Some are also dangerous, of course, just like synthetic medicines can be. I wont discuss those here. This is a quick guide to a few safe plant medicines. Plants For Pain Relief Fill the bottom of a cup with shredded willow bark, and make a cup of tea with it. Let it steep for a few minutes before you drink it. The active ingredient is salicin, closely related to salacylic acid, which is used to make aspirin. You can also try chewing on a few balsam poplar buds. Antiseptic Plants Sap from blisters on balsam firs is a strong antiseptic. Pop the blisters on the trunks of young trees, and the sap will ooze out. You can spread it over cuts and small wounds to prevent infection. It is very sticky, however, and it will be difficult to wash off (at least it smells nice). The crushed leaves of Saint Johns Wort can be used as an antiseptic dressing as well. I once put a wad of the mashed leaves on a nasty gash in my foot, replacing it occasionally, and the cut healed faster than Ive ever seen a cut heal. St. Johnswort has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. Medicinal Plants For Diarrhea You can drink tea made from the roots of blackberries and their relatives to stop diarrhea. Just fill the bottom of the cup with the cleaned and shredded roots and pour boiling water over them. Let the mix steep for five minutes before drinking. Oak bark and other barks containing tannin are also effective. I have also used the twigs to stop diarrhea when I was backpacking in Mexico. Make tea with a spoonful of the bark or chopped-up twigs. Tannins can be hard on the kidneys, so drink just one cup of tea, or use oak only if you dont have other options. Skin Medications You can relieve the itch from insect bites, sunburn, or plant poisoning rashes by applying a poultice of jewelweed (Impatiens biflora). I have seen a poison ivy rash cleared up overnight using the juice from jewelweed. It is also said to work on sunburn as well as aloe vera. Make a tea of witch hazel leaves (Hamamelis virginiana), and you can use it for relief from insect bites, and sunburn. Witch Hazel used to be a common astringent that women used as a tightening face wash. There are hundreds of wild medicinal plants that could be useful to hikers and backpackers. You dont need to become an expert to benefit from them. Just learn to identify and use a few of the most widespread and safest ones. |
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