Medical and Health Self-Sufficiency by Learning Herbalism
More and more people are becoming aware in these current times. They’re realizing that our medical system is tenuous at best and results in serious fails at worst. Sometimes you can’t even get what you need at the drugstore. For many people the cost of drugs, even over-the-counter meds, is incredibly prohibitive. For those (like us) without insurance, accessibility to medical care just isn’t even possible without potential financial ruination. But I’ve got a solution…..
In the past several months, I’ve been hearing from popular homesteaders and preparedness experts on YouTube discussing the best way to prepare for your medical needs in case of emergency, grid down, pandemics, lock-downs, and other possibilities. The problem is….ALL of them talk about “stocking up” on supplies.
Well, I’m here to tell you…there’s a better way to go about preparing for your health needs.
That would be herbal medicine, also known as herbalism, or sometimes herbology.
The problems with “stocking up” on meds are many, and I’ll go through some of these below. But if you know how to use the medicinal herbs you have in your yard by making tinctures, decoctions, oxymels, and many other preparations; or perhaps distilling your own essential oils or hydrosols….you now have CHOICES.
When you know herbalism, you’re no longer handcuffed by Big Pharma. Wouldn’t that be a relief?
As things continue to change in the world, it’s become critical for everyone to learn ways to empower their health choices and to ultimately become medically self-sufficient. Now, I’m not talking about high-level medical doctor skills like heart surgery, or even setting a broken bone. I’m talking about our day-to-day health, like what to do if you have a fever or an infection, how to deal with various symptoms of ailments, how to perhaps even manage some of your other health concerns that might require medications.
You’ve probably already wondered, “Is it possible to convert to natural methods and herbs instead?”
The answer is YES. It was for me and also for many of my students. I can’t and don’t make promises for everyone, as we’re all different and also have various levels of risk tolerance, but I CAN absolutely say that I’ve seen over and over again with my own experience and students that herbalism is a viable choice.
Click here to enroll in my valuable yet FREE Five Day Herbal Foundations Course. Thousands of people have started their herbal journeys right here!
“With current changes in the world, it’s become critical for people to learn herbalism and to ultimately become medically self-sufficient.”
I created a video recently about what an herbalist is and what they do, because I get asked ALL the time for clarification on what an herbalist is. The misconception most common among people in the mainstream is that I (as an herbalist) work with recreational marijuana, and the first time I heard this I laughed out loud—-literally.
Herbalism is so much more than this….it’s skill using a wide variety of medicinal plants and essential oils to support individual people’s bodies in regaining a state of balance. Holistic herbalists tend to view the entire person, and not just the set of presented symptoms, as a medical doctor will. We investigate the client’s health in all areas: spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental/intellectual. All of these matter to a person’s overall health, state of balance, and well-being.
So, when I was listening to these various preppers and homesteaders talking about simply stocking up on over-the-counter and prescription meds, I felt I should address this….
Now. If you have a medical condition that requires a prescription, yes, please do stock up if you can. But the best thing is to try to figure out how to reduce or get off the medication (if possible) safely with your doctor’s supervision and help. As far as over-the-counter medications go, literally, you can make all of them pretty easily right at home with knowledge of medicinal plants. You’ll also save a TON of money.
And guess what?
It’s likely you have these plants growing around you or are easy to grow yourself. And if not….medicinal herbs are now easy to find and purchase from good herb stores.
Here are some points around what I’m saying here, and I hope you consider these. As I get ready to open up my course, Ditch the Drugstore, for the ninth student enrollment round, I can tell you from firsthand experience with my hundreds of students, that you CAN significantly increase your health self-reliance with knowledge of medicinal plants.
As I’ve watched student after student emerge with family herbalism skills from my course, I’m thrilled and proud to say that they’re now able to help their families with this traditional knowledge.
Click here to take my FREE 5-Day Herbal Foundations email course. Short yet jam-packed lessons each day for five days along with remedies and recipes will get you started!
Problems with the Typical Advice to “Stock Up” on Your Meds
When you hear the typical advice to “stock up on your meds” PLEASE keep these things in mind. Wouldn’t it be better to be able to quickly and easily make your own home remedies that are safe, effective, and best of all, WORK? Let’s dive into some of the issues on stocking up on OTC meds, especially.
1) Shelf-Life (Or…Lack of One)
The first problem is that there’s a shelf life on over-the-counter medications. Yes, they can and do deteriorate over time. So once you buy them and especially open them…it’s all downhill from there.
On the other hand, some herbal preparations, like tinctures, can last indefinitely…even decades! This makes tinctures and glycerites not only wonderful for your medicine storage, but also for potential bartering down the road for longer term emergencies too.
Even essential oils have a longer shelf life than many OTC drugs. Some essential oils actually get better with age, such as patchouli. Loose herbs like herbal tea blends can be regrown and harvested fresh each year for some exceptional medicinal quality—-much better than the dried up and oxidized teas from most stores.
Other preparations, such as oxymels, glycerites, and herbal candies also have beautifully long shelf lives too!
2) Many over-the-counter medications contain dangerous toxins.
Take the common “DM” (dextromethorphan), the active ingredient found in cough syrups….It’s a semi-narcotic and relatively addictive chemical. Additionally, children under the age of six shouldn’t even use it, according to the American Pediatric Association, and yet—-we see it in OTC medications for children as young as two.
Alternatively, a simple onion and honey cough syrup lasts a nice amount of time, and honey has been clinically proven to work better than good old, toxic and dangerous ‘DM’ found in over-the-counter cough syrups.
Another example is the common acetaminophen found in literally hundreds of over the counter drugs. Did you know that it is the number one killer of people with liver disease? It’s NOT alcohol, which most of us assume is killing people from liver disease. Nope, it’s acetaminophen, and many people start giving this to their babies from infancy. Sad but true.
On the flip side….herbs for pain management can work in various ways to soothe and relieve aches and pains from migraines to sore muscles and joints, wounds, and many more.
Herbal medicine is generally quite safe for most people, and rather than cause additional problems….herbal medicines tend to support the body in the natural healing process.
3) Storage…..
Storage is another issue when “stocking up” on medications.
Most people have limited storage space. To stock up on enough over-the-counter medication, you would need shelves and shelves.
With herbal medicine, a few simpled tinctures can be used to create a variety of different blends to support all kinds of different health needs. Some herbs, such as yarrow and chamomile, have a broad range of uses, so one tincture used correctly, can serve many needs.
Besides this, if you have the opportunity to grow your own plants, they’re always right at your fingertips, and you can harvest fresh each year.
Amazing!
Ditch the Drugstore and Join in the Exploding Herbalism Trend!
Now, more than ever, it’s time to start learning important self-reliance skills. Learning herbalism should be at the top of your list so that you can be sure to have the most control as possible over your family’s health needs going forward.
We all know that Big Pharma wants us sick….just not dead….so that we can be hooked on allopathic medicine forever. But truly, I say, and I say this from years of experience….you can take charge of your health. You can make ALL your over-the-counter medications, and maybe even replace some of your prescription meds, too.
It’s time to become a family herbalist! It’s time to know what to do when you can’t get what you need from the stores.
I hope you’ll choose to learn herbalism from my school, the School of Botanical Arts and Sciences…but if I’m not your flavor as a teacher, I hope you’ll start with a someone you trust. Start now, I implore you. The time is shortening, censorship is real and worsening, and the time to learn is NOW.
You may also enjoy these related articles:
20+ Necessities I Never Buy at the Store Anymore
Common Mistakes Beginning Herbalists Make
Pain Relieving Salve Recipe for Adults
The Ultimate Guide to Growing Herbs Indoors All Year Long
And please do explore my website at Healing Harvest Homestead for hundreds of articles…and don’t forget my YouTube channel! I hope you’ll subscribe!
Hugs, Health, and Self-Reliance,
Heidi
P,S. Ready to start learning? Take my FREE 5-Day Herbal Foundations email course. Short, sweet lessons jam-packed with information to help you get started now!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and no information on my website, in my school, or on my YouTube channel or in my newsletters are meant to be medical advice or to treat, cure, or prescribe. Herbalism is unregulated in the United States as an alternative health practice at this time, and the FDA has not evaluated any statement.