Herbal First Aid Kit - What should you have on hand?

Hello Herb Lovers,

A little while ago I was in a discussion with two Herbology fans about a Herbal First Aid Kit - what it should contain and what it should be able to treat. It went something like
this…

Shiny: What does everyone recommend (and please include recipes etc) for a herbal first aid kit? I’d imagine you’d need stuff to tend to the following:

Burns,
Scratches cuts,
Indigestion,
Headaches,
Sprains and bumps.

AnkeB: Cool question - I really do think that there is a place to have a herbal first aid kid at home to treat the daily aches and pains the family suffers.

I would add to your list of things to treat….

Bites, Stings and Splinters
Bleeding
Bruises
Sunburn

There are quite a few remedies that may be used to treat more than one problem.

I would start off with some basic herbs and herbal products for relatively minor problems. Then when you get the hang of reaching for herbs as your first port of call and you are comfortable with what they are used for, I would then start extending the kit. Also, dont forget to add bandages, tweezers and other usual first aid things. Oh and do remember that you may be making poultices and compresses, hence you may need extra muslin and a small mixing bowl as well.

I am writing off the top of my head so I may need to add stuff later….but to first aid essentials I most often see mentioned are:

Lavender Essential Oil - great for a multitude of sins. Mix with vegetable oil for stings/bites - it reduces itching and swelling
Tea Tree Oil - antiseptic - dilute to clean wounds
Arnica Tincture - sprains and bruises
Herbal Healing Salve - used for so much, scratches, minor burns, bruises, eczema, grazes, etc
Aloe Gel - mostly for burns and sunburns

These are just some of the uses of what I would put into my basic first aid kit.
Echinacea root tincture has been known to help when there is a allergic reaction so you may wish to add that too

According to Kathi Keville, author of Herbs for Health & Healing this is what you should have in your Herbal Home Medicine Cabinet:

Aloe Burn Spray
Arnica Tincture
Herbal Healing Salve
Herbal Ice
Herbal Liniment
ALoe Vera Gel
Lavender Essential Oil
Lemon and Tea Tree Antiseptic Spray
St John’s Wort Sprain Oil
Yarrow Tincture

A lovely account of an Herbal First Aid experience can be found here on the UK Herb Society site (oh how I wish they were in Australia).

To be continued…

4 Responses to “ Herbal First Aid Kit - What should you have on hand? ”

Comments:

Hamida says:
December 28th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

First it depends on who it is for. What is the make up of the family that will use it. Then, what are the issues that affect those people (or animals). Next, consider where it will be kept: home, camper, boat, car. Each environment has its particular issues. If you take it camping for example, you need items for sunburn, bug bites, exhaustion - whereas if you have it in the home, other things might be more likely to happen. As for shelf life. Things that have a high alcohol content, such as tinctures, and things with lots of essential oils in them, will last a long time if kept away from heat and light. Tinctures, properly stored and sealed can last decades as long as the alcohol percentage is high enough (at least 30%).

anke says:
December 29th, 2008 at 4:15 pm

Hi Hamida,
You are absolutely right, the contents of your herbal first aid kit depends on the lifestyle of the people using it. I believe the original question was asked by a mum of small children in regards to some first aid type remedies to have on hand in the home. Of course I did not spell that out in my reply nor did I specify other activities where herbal remedies may come in handy. Thanks for expanding on the post….that’s what it’s all about - people interested in herbs teaching and sharing knowledge. Brilliant!
AnkeB

first aid courses says:
February 11th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

You are absolutely right, the contents of your herbal first aid courses depends on the lifestyle of the people using it.