Hands on Herbs

Be Ready!

Quick, easy, and straightforward. That’s what you want when you need an herbal remedy. However, very few of my herbs are actually ready to use at a moment’s notice. Having to research & create the remedy when the need arises makes using natural treatments more inconvenient than just grabbing the conventional alternatives such as the Pepto Bismo or Benadryl. Not what we want. We want using herbs to be streamlined and as convenient as possible.

This requires thinking through what herbs you might need, planning ahead, and making remedies ahead of time. It’s so frustrating to identify the problem, find a solution, then not have the remedies to actually treat someone because it would take too long to make.

Have an Herb Prep Day

Considering this, I decided to pull out ALL my bins of herbs & see how many herbs I could process into useful tinctures, infusions, etc. before my husband got home from work the other day. Because we’re crazy homeschoolers, I waited until my 3 year old & 18 month old were up from their naps so they could “help” me & learn more about herbs themselves instead of just whipping through it on my own.

And guess what? We had a BLAST! When we talked about our favorite parts of the day at supper, “making yummy purple herbs” (aka elderberry syrup) was definitely the winner. Elsie, my 3 year old, helped me decide which remedies to make, measured & counted ingredients, reminded me to stir things on the stove, and spent a large amount of time talking about why we use each ingredient as she drew out the recipes so we remember them later. (Watching her copy me by recording recipes & teaching them to her siblings was SO sweet!)

We didn’t even have any major disasters, just a few hiccups & lots of sweet memories! A few things got spilled as Sadie my 18 month old tried to scoop the lemon balm into the mason jars. We decided Fennel and Echinacea did not taste yummy dry. They were disappointed to find that marshmallow looked less like little white artificial puffballs & more like mouse bedding. Our supper almost burned in the oven because I forgot about it (surprise) but all things considered, it went GREAT!

What We Made:

We ended up making . . . Echinacea Tincture, Lemon balm tincture, an Allergy tincture I put together, Valarian tincture, a weak cold/clammy fever vinegar tincture, a hot/dry fever vinegar tincture, a Lavender infusion, Nettle infusion, Lemon Balm & Chamomile infusion for my mom, a Gripe Water infusion for our “little buddy” who is 10 weeks old now, an Elderberry syrup, Sore throat syrup, and Mullein oil.

You can check out the basics including how to make a tincture, infusion, and syrup here, read about which remedies we use to stop sickness here, and check back soon as I share more posts about the other allergy, fever, cold, and tummy trouble remedies in the coming weeks.

What I Learned:

I want to use this little project of ours to encourage you in a few different ways,

1. Don’t make excuses! It’s totally possible to make time to be healthy when you have young kids. People tell me to wait to do certain things because it will be easier without toddlers & babies, but that season might not be here for years in reality we will always be busy. Make sure you have your priorities straight and embrace your current season of life as you structure your priorities & interests to fit in. Which leads me to my next thought . . .
2. Include your kids in your projects! Yes they are young. Yes it takes at least twice as long with little helpers. But you are not just building up a natural apothecary. You are building the next generation of healthy, independent, naturally minded people when you include your kids. You are building a strong family and sweet memories.
3. Be prepared. Hope you don’t need your remedies because your family won’t be sick & stock up like you are outfitting a pharmacy. If you do end up needing to take some Elderberry syrup preventatively, intercept the start of a tickly throat, stop a diaper rash at the first bit of redness, or share a remedy with a sick friend, you will be so glad that you can just grab something right when you need it. Remember too, the faster you can build up your body to fight a health issue, the less severe the symptoms will be.
4. Make everything a learning experience. As homeschoolers, we try to blend life experiences, work, and school with the goal of growing & learning every day. For example, my kids learned firsthand about what different herbs smell like, the difference between an infusion & a tincture, and how to make a recipe. I took a few minutes out and learned about how fevers can present differently & need to be treated differently. This was some info that will undoubtedly benefit my family in the future.
5. Record your memories. Life flies by & memories dim. Record the things you’ve learned & your families adventures through pictures & notes! Whether you maintain a blog so you don’t forget what you learn (like I do here) take pictures, or jot down fun happenings in a planner/ calendar, document your lives together & be thankful for all the little daily blessings.