Page 34 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

How to Harvest

the Healing

Power from Plants

Introduction

When compared to the timeline of human history, alternative and many of their products have serious
modern medicine hasn’t been around that long. Medi- side effects. This isn’t to say that modern-day medicine
cine has a much longer history than the modern phar- and herbal medicine can’t coexist. They can. But many
maceutical industry. Humankind has used medicines new medicines can be easily replaced by herbs at a
for thousands of years. But the medicines used before fraction of the cost and risk – to both our wallets and
our modern knowledge of science were natural medi- our bodies.
cines, making use of the medicinal qualities of what na- In a post-apocalyptic world, these herbal medicines
ture provides for us.
may be the only thing available to us. If modern man-
The herbal medicines that have always existed still ufacturing and distribution methods become unavail-
work today, just as they have throughout history. What able, we will have to rely on what can be grown locally.
was once our sole medicine still exists, even though the Many of those who have knowledge of herbal medicine
number of people who have knowledge of these natural are already growing and tending the necessary plants
remedies has dwindled. It is our hope that this book and have learned how to turn those plants into usable
will help you relearn and pass on this lost knowledge. medicines.
Herbal medicine is often scoffed at by the pharmaceu- One of the advantages of growing and using your own
tical industry and yet it is the grandparent of much of herbs, as opposed to buying herbal supplements at the
that same modern medicine. Many of today’s pharma- local health food store, is that you know how fresh they
ceuticals try to replicate what nature provides. Most of are and how they’ve been grown. The sooner you can
what we call “medicines” are artificial creations that prepare and store your herbs for use, often the more
have been slightly chemically altered from nature. This potent they are. At the same time, you will know ex-
is necessary, as patent laws don’t permit filing a patent actly what is in any herbal mixture that you create, giv-
on something that exists naturally. Thus, the large ing you the peace of mind that there are no additives
pharmaceutical labs have to come up with a suitable or fillers, and only the herbs you want and need.

How to Harvest Herbs

All herbal medicines start as living beings. They are the wild. It is a useful skill to learn how to identify
not always what most people traditionally think of as medicine in the wild.
herbs. Medicines come from trees, flowers, roots, When looking at pictures for plant identification, be
mushrooms, lichens, and more. While those who are sure to look at pictures that depict plants in the vari-
interested in herbal medicines tend to grow an herb ous stages of their life cycle. A good plant identifica-
garden, some are harvested from plants that grow in
tion guide for your area is essential.
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