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In a post-catastrophe world, medical treatment will most likely be absent. No drugstores, maybe no available doctors, your survival is in your hands. There will be injuries, illness and the usual medical needs without the usual solutions.

What do you do?

Nature is full of remedies, cures, and treatments. The Native Peoples of America lived within a bountiful nature. They knew the medicinal value of herbs, plants and the many uses for each. Modern pharma has taken over this realm of solutions with high priced medicines and aggressive marketing techniques for synthetic formulas that usually treat symptoms instead of causes. As a responsible survivor, your duty is to plan ahead for an indefinite, long-term and most likely permanent situation.

When stockpiled medicine runs out — then what?

Stockpiled medicines will run out, that’s for sure. But the reality is that better solutions are all around you, you just have to seek and find them.

You will have to become a practitioner of what the modern establishment calls alternative medicine — but at one time in previous centuries what is called alternative today was “normal” for many cultures.

This form of treatment and prevention predates any chemical or synthetic formulas by millennia and until Western explorers and traders entered the Far East and the Americas, it was the most successful form of medicine known to humanity.

Your survival essential library (packed in seal tight bags) should include a Red Cross First Aid Guide, a basic survival book such as the US Army Survival Handbook and a basic edible plant identification guide with illustrations and any material available on the plants such as Wild Edible Plants of Western North America by Donald R. Kirk and natural medicines in the area where you expect to evacuate to for safety and survival.

The most critical issues you will find yourself confront will be the pain, injury from cuts, bruises, and exterior surfaces, and illness from germs or virus.

Similar to Morphine: The Best Natural Painkiller that Grows in Your Backyard

Wild Lettuce is also Known as Opium Lettuce. For a good reason. While it doesn’t contain any opiates, it has similar side effects when used – it acts directly on the central nervous system (CNS) to lessen the feeling of pain, just like morphine. Watch this video and learn a quick recipe (wild lettuce extract) for the best natural painkiller. Over 23 million Patriots have already seen It. Giving you a quick, easy way to make your own life-saving painkiller, ready for when you need it. Click Here To Discover More.

Before the 1920s, when Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin, western medicine had no effective treatment for an infection. Something as simple as a scrape or cut could progress into a blood infection (sepsis), and result in death. Since Fleming’s discovery, and with further advances in antibiotic research, we’ve been able to make drugs that treat different types of bacteria. Lives all over the world have since been spared.

In the process, information about natural remedies has been lost. Now, we are seeing a darker side to synthetic antibiotics. Overuse and improper use of antibiotics have led to bacterial resistance. The antibiotics we have relied on over the past century are becoming less effective against infections or losing their potency altogether. The extent of bacterial resistance is extreme. We now have “superbugs” which have grown resistant to all of our available antibiotics. Infections we have long been able to cure are now again life-threatening.

Science currently has little to offer in establishing plant remedies as effective medicines. The immersion of “superbugs” and our exhaustive use of antibiotics has generated interest in herbal medicine and other “alternative” therapies. Much of the research being done targets the chemical constituents of plants. Less frequently is the whole plant or plant part (leaves, flowers, roots) studied. Likely, it is the whole plant or plants-part, that is most effective, and causes the fewest side effects.

Also read: This Is The Best Of Prepper Food Lists “Survival Stockpiling Of Shelf-Stable Foods”

Natural Medicines and “Survival Home Remedies”

Here is a list of what may be the natural medicines with their main focus and additional uses and values. Remember that there will also be regional plants and herbs as well; which means, if you’re preparing for an uncertain future, that books dealing with your survival location’s edible plants and medicines are an absolute necessity. Actual training and practice should be considered a necessity also for most readers. Imagine, being able to treat yourself or others in the field, following any kind of emergency. Green Beret medics, such as Sam Coffman, a writer who has been published several times in recent years, have shown that even in the U.S. special forces, plant medicine is seen as a real and necessary element of survival on a periodic basis.

If you have crafted a Faraday box (for protection from an EMP or solar flare event that knocks out the power grid) and have your Kindle or smartphone secured inside with batteries and a re-charger, a secondary list can be stored with each of these as well.

Related: Similar to Morphine: The Best Natural Painkiller that Grows in Your Backyard

Medicinal plants and herbs are all around us

Medicinal plants and herbs are literally growing before your eyes. You just have to know what you are looking for. Some of the herbs and plants listed below will be regional. Most have multiple uses as well.

Heart Ailments

Apples – It is likely that someone in the survival group has a heart-related ailment. Realistically, prescriptions will run out. But implementing healthy, heart supporting foods will give that person a chance to continue and even improve their health. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and more so when there is no doctor to be found. Apples seem to be a universal fruit and have multiple food and health uses.

Overall health and spirit

Olive oil – The Bible constantly refers to the olive’s significance in daily life. Oil for cooking, for sacred anointing (David was anointed with oil as King); Jesus often taught and rested on the Mount of Olives. The oil has a type of positive fat content that has made the Mediterranean diet a lifesaver. Planning to plant olives and being able to press oil can lead to many health benefits from this positive fat. Spiritual health can connect with Biblical teaching and anointing to reaffirm faith in times of tribulation as well (while olive oil itself doesn’t affirm faith, Biblical teachings can affirm our faith if we believe and follow).

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Overall health (physical and mental)

Red wine – Research has shown that moderate amounts of wine are beneficial to overall health. Fermenting foods and beverages is relatively easy and is an effective way of storing perishable fruits and vegetables. Red wine is scientifically proven for having valuable nutrients that promote good health, especially in dire and stressful circumstances. In many regions berries of all kinds and flavors grow wild, wild grapes abound in some areas. The wise use of wine is an excellent way to build up the body physically as well as provide a reasonable boost to enjoying life.

Hydration and vitamins

Herbal teas – More than likely coffee and tea will be had to come by in a survival situation, mostly by trade or barter. Teas from herbs such as chamomile, sassafrass, and other medicinal herbs provide multiple benefits as well as the psychological benefits of warmth and familiar comfort. Dandelion tea has multiple benefits. This yellow-flowered weed seems to grow everywhere and lawn keepers work to battle it every spring. But in an emergency evacuation or refuge homestead, it will be a partner in long-term health. Dandelion greens are excellent and tasty salad greens as well. Many herbs and berries have used teas and hot or cold drinks. Most have a good taste as well and will be healthy substitutes for the former soft drinks and beverages of the time before the emergency.

Intestinal problems and many other uses

Garlic – Garlic is legendary in its benefits for health. It can be used raw, chopped in salads, and as a seasoning to add a genuine character to stews and soups. Garlic is a member of the onion and leek family with many health benefits. Who said survival cooking had to be bland?

The garlic bulb that is common in cuisine also has medicinal value. The antibacterial components of garlic are activated when exposed to air. Crushing garlic bulbs works to accomplish this. In the lab, or “in vitro,” garlic has shown to be effective against bacteria that typically respond to penicillin, such as non-MRSA staph infections, the cause of many infections in people. Garlic has not been shown to be effective against “superbugs,” like MRSA, but the research is limited.

Garlic has also been found to be effective in treating Candida species fungal infections, including those infections which are resistant to commonly used antifungal medications. Garlic has been found to be more effective against many Candida infections than other plants – including neem, plants in the borage family, Holy basil, and fenugreek.

Poultices and wraps for Cuts, bruises and skin ailments and general pain

Willow bark – Not only wild herbs and plants but trees are nature’s medicine chest for survival. The willow, which grows just about everywhere, has multiple uses. Cuts, wounds, rashes, and other surface injuries are painful and can lead to serious infection if left untreated. A poultice made from crushed willow bark or leaves is an excellent compound to heal and fight infection. Prescription antibiotics will be rare if available at all; natural medicines such as the willow have a record of success far beyond today’s pharmaceutical. They are also sustainable, available, and ready to use for the trained and knowledgeable survivor.

Coughs, colds and respiratory

American Ginseng – Although its reputation and benefits are usually connected with Chinese traditional medicine, Ginseng is a native American root. Its benefits are too many to list here but with proper precautions such as possible allergic reactions and sensitivity to certain conditions, as in all medicines, it is an essential part of your survival pharmacopeia.

Also read: A Medicinal Herb Garden Is Easy To Grow And You Can Reap Marvelous Benefits From It. Here Are 13 Of The Top Herbs You Should Include In Your Survival Garden.

Nervousness, stomach ailments

Catnip – It’s not just for cats. Catnip is another one of those natural medicines that have been bypassed by “Big Pharma” and will become a necessity when “Big Pharma” has gone. The plant’s calming qualities for cats also translate into benefits for sleeplessness, stomach ailments, and other nervousness issues that lead to even more difficult complications (ulcers and sleep loss weakening of immunity, etc). Commercial uses have stressed its use for cats, but its uses for people are many. Speaking of Catnip …

Liver health and antioxidant gold mine

Milk thistle – Internal organs often suffer the most from stress and poor diet. Unfortunately, by then the damage is at its worst it’s multiplied and spread to other areas. Preventative maintenance in a survival situation is essential. Milk thistle grows wild and should be harvested and taken to fend off any issues that can build up and affect the liver and other unseen organs so as to keep healthy and stay alive.

Colds, respiratory ailments wounds and more

Yarrow – Although not native to North America, this European plant is found here. Its use dates back over 3,000 years for multi-purposes and has historic successes to its credit. It is amazing to compare how “Big Pharma” today markets synthetic chemical formulas that address very specific symptoms and usually have drastic side effects that often outweigh their benefits. Natural plants such as Yarrow and the other resources such as we have listed here usually have multiple benefits and when properly prepared and applied have multiple health benefits and are also free and sustainable.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis)

Goldenseal is a plant that is native to North America. Over-harvesting of the plant in the United States has reduced the availability of goldenseal. Attempts to replenish the bounty of goldenseal are being made in areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Goldenseal has traditionally been used to treat skin infections resulting from injuries such as cuts and scrapes. The most effective form is the extract of the leaf of the plant. The extract is applied topically to the injured skin. Not only does the leaf extract help with skin and other soft tissue infections, but it has also been demonstrated to be effective against some “superbugs.” Bacterial infections (such as MRSA – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that we can no longer cure with antibiotics are showing responsiveness to goldenseal leaf extract.

Taking goldenseal by mouth has not demonstrated anti-infection properties, but there is early research being done into use for non-infection conditions, including cancer.

Similar to Morphine: Wild Lettuce

The Best Natural Painkiller that Grows in Your Backyard

By 1898, Lactuca virosa was listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia and in 1911, in the British Pharmaceutical Codex. Wild lettuce lost favor among the medical community in the US in the 1940s, but by the 1970s, it regained popularity among the “hippies” as a legal psychotropic, sometimes mixed with catnip or damiana.

Today, there are still a number of legal alternate hallucinogenic products that contain “lettuce opium” or a lettuce derivative. They are typically smoked or heated in small bowls, so the user can inhale the vapors.

Currently, Lactuca Virosa is listed as an unscheduled drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means you can legally grow, purchase, and own it without a prescription or license.

Despite wild lettuce’s powerful opiate and painkilling properties, it is also well-known for a variety of other healing benefits.

Wild Lettuce is also Known as Opium Lettuce. For a good reason. While it doesn’t contain any opiates, it has similar side effects when used – it acts directly on the central nervous system (CNS) to lessen the feeling of pain, just like morphine. Watch this video and learn a quick recipe (wild lettuce extract) for the best natural painkiller. Over 23 million Patriots have already seen It. Giving you a quick, easy way to make your own life-saving painkiller, ready for when you need it. Click Here To Discover More.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger has historically been used to treat coughs and asthma. Both the fresh juice of the ginger root and ginger root extract is used. Ginger has been used effectively to treat fungal, bacterial, and viral infections. Scientific research shows that ginger has the potential for use against “superbugs.”

Use boiled ginger root to treat coughs, colds, asthma, and other respiratory infections – including pneumonia. Storing ginger with the peel still on will help it keep longer. By putting it in a plastic bag, removing as much air from the bag as possible and keeping it in a cool place, you with extending its shelf life for several weeks. It can be frozen for longer periods of storage.

Indigo (Baptisia sp.)

Herbs and other remedies with antimicrobial properties – being effective against bacteria, fungi, and viruses – can be used to prevent illness, which is always preferable to having to have to treat illness.

Indigo root extract has been used in areas of the world to treat typhoid fever. We don’t see cases of typhoid fever often in the United States. However, we do see over one million cases of salmonella-related food poisoning each year in the United States. What’s the connection between typhoid fever and salmonella? The bacteria that cause typhoid fever are similar in many ways to the bacteria that cause salmonella. Potentially, indigo root extract could help prevent food poisoning from salmonella when used in the kitchen as part of cleaning solutions.

Baptisia species can be found along the East Coast of the United States from Maine to Louisiana.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Licorice root has been found to have anti-inflammatory effects. It works especially well in the respiratory system. Licorice is particularly helpful in treating allergic and asthmatic conditions that cause irritation in the airway.

Inflammation is part of the body’s normal response to most infections. While licorice may or may not have used as an antibiotic, it can be used in combination with antibiotic remedies to ease symptoms and otherwise promote recovery from respiratory illnesses.

Pregnant women should avoid licorice, as it can be dangerous in pregnancy. Excessive use of licorice can raise blood pressure. Consuming large amounts of licorice can drop the body’s levels of potassium, which can cause abnormal heart rhythms.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

The cinnamon bark can be extracted with alcohol. We have the best information for its effectiveness for use in the treatment of mouth and gum conditions. The cinnamon extract can be used in toothpaste and mouthwashes to treat gingivitis, tongue inflammation, irritation and infections of the mouth, and oral ulcers.

Cinnamon oil is very concentrated. Unlike cinnamon bark extracted with alcohol, it is too strong to be used without being diluted. It should be diluted to a concentration of 2% before being used. This is equal to approximately one teaspoon of cinnamon oil per cup of water. This formulation will make an effective, non-alcoholic mouthwash.

Being an antimicrobial, cinnamon can be used in foods as a preservative. Preventing the growth of bacteria, it can extend the shelf life of foods.

Also read: The Smart-And-Simple Way The Pioneers Cooked

Honey (produced by bees of the genus Apis)

Honey is a magical, versatile remedy with antibacterial properties. When used directly on skin wounds, raw honey will help to prevent infection and promote healing. Honey is especially useful for any type of burn. Not only will it protect the burn from infection, but the enzymes in honey will help to remove dead skin cells (“debridement”) and speed burn recovery.

Most store-bought honey has been pasteurized, which destroys the antibacterial and enzymatic properties of honey. Raw honey must be used for medicinal purposes. Raw honey may contain botulism spores, which can cause botulism infection in children under the age of one.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Honey works magic on most wounds, but some wounds heal more slowly. Diabetic wounds and pressure ulcers are skin wounds that are difficult to treat and if untreated, can lead to gangrene and systemic infection (sepsis).

Turmeric has been found to be effective in treating this type of persistent wound. Turmeric is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and has chemical constituents that promote healing and reduce scarring.

To be most effective, turmeric should be used in an ointment.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra and its subspecies)

During times of exhaustion or stress, our bodies are less efficient at resisting and recovering from an infection. This leaves us more susceptible to infection. Elderberry, whether or not it has antibiotic properties, helps to stabilize overall health and strengthen the immune system. The healthier we are, the better we are able to fight infection.

Elderberry has been studied to prevent respiratory infections that are common among airplane travelers. When used for the 10 days prior to travel, elderberry was found to reduce the cold duration by approximately two days, and also to reduce the severity of cold symptoms.

Less research has been done on the prophylactic use of elderberry to reduce the symptom severity and the duration of the common cold, but it is certainly plausible.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpura)

Preparations of Echinacea purpura have been found to be at least as effective as pharmacological anti-viral drugs that are used to treat the flu. Caused by a virus, influenza (the flu) causes millions of people to get sick in the United States every year. Hundreds of thousands of people end up in the hospital for care, and thousands of people die every year from the flu.

The use of Echinacea purpura to treat the flu is associated with fewer complications and fewer adverse effects than anti-viral medications used to treat the flu.

Like elderberry, we believe it is potential for Echinacea purpura to be used as a preventative for respiratory infections and possibly more.

The beautiful purple coneflower can be found in the central to southeastern parts of the United States. There are many species of Echinacea and they can look almost indistinguishable from one another. The only species with potential for medicinal use are E. purpura, E. augustifolia, and E. pallida. Other species or subspecies of Echinacea may or may not have medicinal value.

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Cumin (Cuminum cyminum)

Cumin is a spice commonly used in Middle Eastern and East Indian cuisines. In addition to its culinary uses, it exhibits antimicrobial activity against the bacteria in the mouth that can cause tooth decay. It will often work when pharmacological preparations will not. It, therefore, has the potential to be effective in fighting “superbugs.”

Cranberry

Cranberry fruit is used for the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs). It works for this purpose because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Also, it prevents bacteria from sticking to the wall of the bladder. This makes it more likely that bacteria will wash out in urine instead of staying in the bladder.

The above plants grow commonly throughout many parts of the world, are easy to recognize and easy to prepare as medicinal remedies. They hold promise in cases that fail to respond to western antibiotics. The growing body of scientific research may help us recover the information lost when we started using plants less and less and synthetic antibiotics more and more.

We have looked to modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry for our health needs for decades. Yet only in recent years have alternative medicine and a return to natural remedies returned on a large scale. This is all for the good since a Post-Apocalyptic world will see a virtual end to access medical care from doctors and hospitals and a lack of chemical-based synthetic medicines. In general, many of these deal with symptoms and have numerous and often drastic side effects.

Much of today’s pharmaceutical industry is a marketing business and deals with the effects and not prevention of disease. Knowledge of how to find, prepare, and use the most natural and ancient form of curative and preventative plants and herbs will go far to help survivors in a world of future unknowns.

In a post-collapse world, remember to help your neighbor

Stocking up on natural medicines, and even better — learning how to grow natural medicines, and how to find natural medicines in the wild — are useful and time-proven techniques for surviving and treating the sick and or wounded, including your loved ones, in an off-grid environment. On numerous occasions in a post-collapse world, we can expect to encounter people who need medical treatment at some point along the way.

Having that kind of knowledge, skillset, and supplies on hand can make you a very valuable and appreciated asset to a community of survivors. It is a skillset and resource you can use to barter with as well; if your community is ever overrun by a violent criminal gang, and there’s just not enough personnel to defend yourselves, that skill could possibly be bartered with as well to keep you and your family, and possibly neighbors, alive and safe.

Also read: Canning Entails Placing Fresh Or Cooked Produce In Jars And Heating Them To A Temperature That Microorganisms Are Unable To Survive In.

The Skills, Tactics, and Ability To Survive A Widespread Prolonged Disaster While Remaining In A Densely Populated Urban Environment (Even If It’s Just For A Few Days).

Hopefully, we never see that day. But in the current age we live, and all the upheaval and mass killings in the world, it may only take one nuclear strike on a major city, or an EMP or other catastrophic event to set off a whole chain of catastrophic events in the modern-day that brings our current age to an end and catapults the world’s survivors into the post-apocalyptic landscape of tomorrow.

Survival calls for being prepared. Getting our lives right with God isn’t a bad idea either — while there’s still time.

Living without power, cars, electronics or running water may seem like a nightmare scenario but to pioneers, it was just the way life was. Having the skills to survive without modern conveniences is not only smart in case SHTF, but it’s also great for the environment. Keep in mind that the key to a successful homestead does not only lie on being able to grow your own food but on other skills as well. LEARNING THESE SKILLS WILL take time, patience, and perseverance, and not all of these skills are applicable to certain situations. Hopefully, though, you managed to pick up some great ideas that will inspire you and get you started! Just like our forefathers used to do, The Lost Ways Book teaches you how you can survive in the worst-case scenario with the minimum resources available. It comes as a STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE ACCOMPANIED BY PICTURES AND TEACHES YOU HOW TO USE BASIC INGREDIENTS TO MAKE SUPER-FOOD FOR YOUR LOVED ONES.