Old Time Herbal Remedies

I have always been interested in herbs for medicinal and other uses. I can remember as a kid my grandmother making teas, tinctures and poltuces for anything and everything. I am trying to become more self reliant and not depend so much on prescriptions and/or chemicals. So, I have been talking to a lot of elderly people who were raised during the great depression plus I have also talked to several Mennonite and Amish and I have compiled a big folder filled of recipes for different uses. So, I hope you will enjoy some of the different uses of herbs and please let me know if you like this.

Since we are going into the winter months and it is becoming the time for cold and flu season we will start out with cold, fever, and flu relief. Enjoy!

Cough Suppressant Tea: 4 fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried. In a standard teacup , steep the sage leaves in boiled water for at least 20 minutes. Strain and drink hot or cold. Now, wasn't that easy? Lol.

Cough Suppressant Medicine: 1 large onion, finely diced. 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced. 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely diced. Honey. In a small saucepan, combine onion, garlic, and ginger. Add honey to cover and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Then mash together and let cool. Strain and store in a clean jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator. Take 1 teaspoon every 15 to 30 minutes.

Horehound Cough Drops: 2 ozs. dried or 6 ozs. fresh horehound leaves. 3 1/2 cups dark brown sugar. 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil. 20 drops tea tree essential oil. In a saucepan, pour 3 cups boiling water over the horehound leaves and steep for 30 minutes over low heat. Strain into another saucepan and add the brown sugar until the sugar disolves. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil it until it reaches 275 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Stir in the eucalyptus and esssential tree oils. Let cool a little then roll into small balls, then let the small balls harden on wax paper. Wrap them individually in platic wrap and use as needed.

Spray for sore throat: In an 8 oz spray bottle, combine 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper with just enough water to almost fill the bottle. Shake well and spray or gargle. Do Not get this in your eyes.

A gargle for sore throat: 2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar. 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. 1 quart warm water. In a jar with a tight lid, mix these ingredients together. Shake well each time before use. Gargle up to 1/2 a cup as needed.

Herbal Fever tea: 1 cup dried and crushed Yarrow , 1 cup Linden flowers, 1 cup Chamomile, 1 cup Spearmint, 1 cup Elder flowers and 1 cup boiling water. In a small bowl mix equal amounts of yarrow, linden flowers, chamomile, spearmint and elder flowers. Combine 3 teaspoons of this mix together in a large cup of boiling water. Cover and steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and drink hot. Take the rest of the unused mix and put in a dark bottle and store in a dark cabinet. Good for at least 2 weeks.

Steam Treatment for Congestion: 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme, sage, peppermint, eucalyptus, and/or pine needles. Put all the herbs together in a bowl and add boiling water. Lean over the bowl with a towel draped over your head and bowl and breathe in for about 10 minutes. Repeat as needed.

Decongestant Rag: 1 drop of tea tree, peppermint, or rosemary oil on a hankerchief or rag. Breathe in when needed.

Hope this helps everyone!