Herbal Remedies Three

My herb collection just keeps growing, yes. A man does need a hobby after all. My tinctures are done as well, so I can testify towards the effectiveness of some of these herbs in that form. The others I've only used externally so I can give them a thumbs up in that respect(as can over a thousand years of herbal lore).

Pokeroot - This is probably the most dangerous herb I'll mention, so take note of that. You are to take a single drop of the tincture per day to help overcome colds, chest infections, etc.. as it works as cleanser of the lymphatic system among other things. Do not use for more than two weeks and dear lord, do not overdose(I've heard stories of people becoming lightheaded and ill from 2-3 drops a day). From my experience it's quite effective though.

Pleurisy Root - It is an herb for the affliction within it's very name, "Pleurisy"(known to me as "The Royal Clusterf*ck", but that's another discussion). Pleurisy is when the pleura, a membrane between your lungs and chest wall become inflamed to a viral or fungal infection(rarely the latter). It's insufferably painful, causes severe, unexplainable weight loss, and basically makes you meaner than a rabid wolverine on cocaine. So basically, anything that can help with it's pain is a godsend(the hospital just gives you tylenol or vicodin and tells you to duke it out). It's an expectorant, a diuretic, a cathartic, and an anti-spasmodic. As well as helping with the inflammation a bit. The only thing to worry about is the diuretic part, as it could cause a potassium or calcium deficiency if used in the long term.

Devil's Claw Root - This is probably one of the more popular up-and-coming herbs used today. It's an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer used for chronic issues such as arthritis and cancer(I've heard first hand about it being a supplement for cancer patients from doctors). It's also sometimes used as a digestive aid, though that is up in the air. This is easily found in Europe in Standardized extracts, especially in Germany(Germany has a regulated medicinal market of herbs, unlike the US). It needs to be used continuously to be most effective, but it has been shown to be effective.

Yarrow - This is a perennial herb of ancient renown. It was known as herbal militaris because the fresh or re-hydrated leaves can be applied to wounds to help staunch the blood flow and as an antiseptic. It is also used internally for the treatment of severe bruises and inflammation, both useful after battles. Yarrow is also said to help induce sweating, lower fever, help digestion, and aid in menstruation. It's a must have in the cabinet of just about anyone.

Myrrh - Yes, Myrrh. As in "Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold" kind of Myrrh. This tree resin, likely originating in what is present day Somalia/Yemen Region, used to be worth it's weight in gold to the people of the biblical times. This is because it's a potent anti-septic, often used today to ensure oral sanitation and hygiene. Myrrh is also a component in some perfumes/incense and liqueurs. I use it to make a toothpaste along with a few other things.

Compounding Medicine

Corn, the insidious beast it is, not only invades our food supply but also our medicine supply. I recently got a script for Amoxicillin(the common penicillin antibiotic) from the University doctors and went over to the CVS to get it filled only to have my suspicions fulfilled: they have corn in both the tablets and liquid solution; this was on top of the fact that purely corn-free antihistamine does not exist for some reason, so you'll actually need to get that compounded as well. However, since people working at CVS only have Bachelor's degrees and are what Nurses are to Doctors in a hospital, competent but not the one you want committing surgery upon you, you can't get your medicine there because they have no idea how. You have to go to a compounding pharmacist(which apparently used to be called a formulary, according to my parents), where the head Pharmacist has a doctorate degree. Not only that, you have to get your doctor to write the script specifically for it being compounded and being corn-free(do call the pharmacist to find out exactly what they want though, I'm sure it varies). The little tidbit of advice I have is to sort this all out as soon you can, preferably before you're coughing up half a lung like I was during this process because it's quite likely that your doctor has never written a script for a compounding pharmacist and that unless you happen to be lucky, the pharmacy is probably somewhat far from you. A nice introduction to this issue can be found at: Corn-Free Compounding
So by all means, good luck and take care of this early. Also, curse the corn-production industry on your way to the pharmacy.