by Denise Dixon
When my husband and I were introduced to the use of herbs for healing, we were so glad to find a healthy way to solve our small son’s immunity problems! The expense was very minor to us, for seeing our 2-yr.-old getting better was such a blessing and was well worth the cost. We avidly began to learn more about herbs and how they could benefit all of us.
We learned that our bodies know how to handle natural substances like herbs, in moderation. If it is something that the body cannot use, it is simply ‘flushed’ out of our system, not stored in our bodies, as synthetic substances often are, with the potential to build up to harmful levels. We learned, too, that just as the ailment or problem we have takes time to actually manifest itself in us with unwanted symptoms and/or discomfort, the herbal benefits take time to allow our bodies to heal that ailment or problem. Instead of a “quick fix” to rid ourselves of symptoms with a drug, the herbs our Heavenly Father has given us allow our bodies to heal and rebuild.
I found that, when pregnant, I felt better by taking kelp and red raspberry capsules daily. Kelp is known to be an excellent source of sea minerals and vital trace elements, and is valued for its diuretic properties for excess fluid build-up. Red Raspberry leaves are rich in iron and are traditionally used to build a strong uterus, prevent hemorrhaging, help with afterbirth pains, and enrich mother’s milk.
When a member of our family was suddenly very ill with liver trouble, the liver bile backed up in his system, and he suffered weakness, weight loss, swelling, and difficulty and great pain in just walking. He was advised to start expensive, painful, and potentially harmful leukemia treatments, starting with bone marrow samples and a blood transfusion. Instead, he chose to drink fresh beet, carrot, and celery juice, and use an herbal combination for his liver. As he began to improve, people in the medical profession admitted to him that they didn’t know why he was getting better! In a month he was able to return to his work, and within a few months he was back to enjoying his original good health.
As the years went by and our family kept growing, purchasing herbs for a large family became more and more expensive. We needed more of everything, so cutting corners when we could became necessary. When no one was ‘sick’, we stopped using herbs, until a need arose, at which time we’d purchase the herbs we needed. But nagging at my conscience was the knowledge that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and that a regular amount of vitamin- and mineral-rich herbs would be best for the whole family. But how to afford it, when we needed so much of it for all of us?
The answer came when we began to search for a bulk method of buying herbs, and we discovered, too, that we could purchase empty capsules and make our own herb and herb combination capsules at a fraction of the cost we were paying for the pre-made capsules from the health food store. We then learned about the use of alcohol, or apple-cider vinegar to make an herbal extract or tincture. We found that we could use about a cup of liquid (about 6 oz. of food-grade alcohol or apple cider vinegar plus 2 oz. of distilled water) as a base for a tincture and add about a 1/4 cup of dried leaf herb (or about 3 tbsp. of powdered herb) (or, if we had the herb fresh, we’d use about a 1/3 cup). {Shake the mixture in a glass jar, (canning jars are great for the job) and store it in a cool, dark place.} We’d try to shake it a couple of times a day, and after 10-14 days, we could strain the tincture and use it. It keeps indefinitely in a cool, dark place. We found that we could afford to use those wonderful herbs to take care of ourselves!
We could even afford to take care of our farm animals herbally, too. Did you know that one way to worm your animals is to simply put black walnuts, freshly dropped from the tree, and let the water make a black tea from the walnut hull that your animals won’t hesitate to drink? We’ve had much success, too, with calvings and kiddings, by supplying our animals with red raspberry and kelp during their pregnancies. When one of our newly acquired cows calved and suffered a fully prolapsed uterus, our veterinarian came out and doctored her. We found out later that the vet had expected the cow would die. We mixed up a combination of herbs that are traditionally used for female problems and added herbs that are traditionally used for infection, and gave them daily to her. Within a few days we could see that she was improving, and she fully recovered.
With some prayerful searching, we’ve found that from household cleaners to skin care to pet and farm animal care, there are healthier and affordable ways to take care of ourselves- naturally.
Denise is a retired school teacher that makes her home in rural Missouri on a farm with her husband and 12 children.
