Preparing DIY Herbal Remedies Safely and Inexpensively (2)

After you have procured your herbs, determining the best way to extract the active components is very important. 

Below are tips to help you determine the best preparation method.

1) Sort by the part of plant. You will have roots, barks, flowers, stems, seeds, leaves, whole plants.

2) Sort by the conditions or states; whether fresh or dry, soft, hard, delicate, volatile, powder

3) Sort by size, thickness or bulkiness.

You will have to consider these points so that you can extract the active ingredients you need properly. Herbs that are soft, delicate or with volatile components should be cooked for a short time e.g scent leaves, basil leaves so that their components are not lost by heat. We now start with the Herbal Preparations.

Infusions

Infusions are preparations like tea and the preferred method for delicate herbs, leaf herbs and fresh tender plants. Infusing an herb is almost exactly like preparing tea.

Preparation Method
Boil water
Pour the water over the herb or herb mixture.
Cover and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes.
Stir the herbs and water every few minutes.
Generally 6-8 oz. of water to 1teaspoon of chopped or powdered herb is used. Increase to 2 teaspoons if the herbs are bulky.

Decoction

A decoction is the preferred method for roots, barks, tough and fibrous plant materials.

Preparation Method
Use the same ratio of water to herb as above, add cold water to herbs in a pot and leave for 30 minutes before cooking.
Bring the mixture to boiling.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat.
Allow the herbal mixture to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

For tougher bark, boiling time can be increased until the wood is soft. You can also boil the mixture can be boiled for a shorter time and leave to soak over night.

Tinctures.

Tinctures are liquid Extracts of herbs prepared by steeping the herbs in an alcoholic drink to create a more concentrated dose of medicine. Vodka, whisky, gin, brandy or rum are the typical choices.

Preparation Method

Place some fresh or dried herbs  placed in a glass jar/bottle with a lid.
Pour in the alcohol until it rises two to three inches above the herbs.

If you are using bulky herbs, roots or barks, be sure to chop them into smaller pieces.
The mixture is stored for a specified period and should be shaken every few days to keep the herbs from settling into a clump at the bottom.

We will continue. Read the next post.

Preparing DIY Herbal Remedies Safely and Inexpensively (1)

People all over the world have always used herbal preparations to provide healing and relief from ailments and diseases. Nowadays their usage has been limited by widespread patronage of mainstream health care system and a justified mistrust of traditional healers and doctors whose cures and formulas are shrouded in secrecy. These and other reasons have made us miss out on the benefits of natural remedies around us through our loss of interest and also to a large extent, these reasons have made us ignore the work of African ethnobotanists. We have not been totally wrong though, because  with all things, you have to be careful with what you use internally and traditional medicine practices  sometimes go with ritual practices

The best way to get the benefits of herbs is to prepare them at home though it is a bit of time and trouble but safer and cheaper.

By doing it yourself, you know what you are using, the condition of your raw materials, develop your formulas to suit your needs and exact measurements. Source for good raw plants or seeds and store unused plants away from direct sunlight.

Use formulas you know or start with low doses, evaluate outcomes and then make adjustments. When giving herbal remedies to children and elderly people, reduce dosages to half those of adults and reduce further by age and weight.

Below are the names of herbal preparation types:

Infusions
Decotions
Tinctures
Poultices
Compresses
Cold Extracts
Macerations
Ointments
Salve
Syrups
Inhalants
Essential oils
Powder

The next post will be describing what they are and their preparation methods.

Boost your skin, hair and body with this wonderful African butter

Shea butter is an organic antioxidant-rich  vegetable fat that is extracted from the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). It has been used by Africans for thousands of years for skin, hair and cooking. It is used to heal, hydrate, nourish, firm, regenerate and moisturize the skin, hair, palm, and feet sole. Shea butter is called Ori, Karite, Kadanya, Okume, Karite in parts of Africa.

Here are 10 important reasons to use shea butter

1) Because of its great healing potential, it helps to heal injuries, wounds, blisters, scrapes and bedsores faster.   
2) It prevents and reduces stretch marks, scars, sunburns, blemishes, discolourations and other skin marks.    
3) It stops premature aging
4) Works to heal skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis, rashes, dermatitis and hair conditions like dandruff.        
5) Moisturizes and deeply hydrates skin, hair, lips, feet and hands.                           6) Contains antioxidants, vitamins A, D and E.
6) Improves skin flexibilit              
7) Fantastic for body massage and provides suppleness to skin.                
8) Soothes aching joints and sore muscles because it is anti-inflammatory and penetrates deeply.                  
9) Good for colds as it helps to decongest.
10) Improves skin flexibilty and stops skin and hair dryness because it seals in moisture.

If you are missing out on its amazing healing properties because of its smell, here is a bit of good news. The smell goes off within five minutes after its application on the skin and hair.

Use naturally pure botanical shea butter instead of synthetic oils like Vaseline and build a relationship with Mother Nature's best oil.                         

Your kitchen drugstore

Spices are natural healers that are present in our kitchens. Spices are awesomely laden with anti-inflammatory, anti oxidant, antiseptic, hypotensive and many more healing properties.
They can be used to treat ailments such as headaches, arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, toothaches, infections to mention just a few.

Here is a list of some that can be found in your Nigerian/West African kitchen.

Cloves, Kanafuru(Hausa,Yoruba)
Garlic, Ayu(Yoruba)
Ginger, Atale(Yoruba)
Turmeric, Atale pupa(Yoruba)
African black pepper, Iyere(Y) Uziza(Igbo) Masoro(Hausa)
Guinea pepper, Eeru(Y) Uda(I) Enge
Alligator pepper, Atare(Y) Ese oji(I)
Basil, Efinrin(Y) Nchanwu(I)
Calabash nutmeg, Ariwo(Y) Ehuru(I)
Hot peppers, Atarodo, tatase, sombo,,atawewe etc
Lemongrass
Curry leaves, Efinrin oso(Y)
Thyme

These are spices that are found easily in markets around us and have always been used to prepare local delicacies like peppersoup, nkwobi, isi ewu, banga. I will be writing about them, their healing properties and other names in future blogs.

Alternative health tips, healthy lifestyle choices: Hi there!

Alternative health tips, healthy lifestyle choices: Hi there!: Hi there! This blog is about using natural ingredients which you can easily get and prepare. The aim is to provide tips, facts and herbal remedies for your healing and wellness.

That cure may be growing in your backyard

From the beginning of time, mankind has turned to Mother Nature for healing. Over time, medicinal plants have been regarded with disdain by mainstream healing culture but are gaining more attention due to their amazing healing properties. There is increasing awareness of the healing powers of natural products as opposed to synthetic ones with devastating side effects.
Plants with medicinal properties grow everywhere around us and can be used to effectively treat common health issues and ailments using easy and simple methods of preparation. So, look around you and take some time to learn about them!

In the beginning........

 In the beginning, God made us, the plants, the trees, the animals and all things. Yes, God made us perfect and gave us all things in their natural form. Man in his smartness started to cook, garnish, preserve, formulate, design, compose, add, remove, medicate, operate and do a lot of other things to improve his lot. With the brain of man, he has done a lot to bring us from the dark ages to the present age where the world is a village. Over time, we have forgotten that even during the dark ages, men basically did the same things we are doing now; eat, communicate, design, formulate, procreate etc., the only difference being that they were probably carried out then in a more primitive manner than now.

Before I go fully into writing about my passion, I want us to remember that God's own pharmacy is natural, perfect, inexpensive and safe when used safely and effectively. Yes, learning and talking about God's own pharmacy is my PASSION.