Introductory Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Use medicinal herbs under direction from your own doctor and with your own discretion. Always do your research before taking any medication, herbal or otherwise.
Does the world as it sits right now have you feeling overwhelmed and more than a little nervous about the future? Maybe you’re prepping like crazy, putting back food and water. Maybe you’re rearranging your investments and starting some of the projects you’ve been wanting to do for years.
In all of your preparation, have you made considerations for what you will do if modern medicine takes a nosedive? If cold and flu season ends up being much more problematic than it has ever been? What if you can’t find painkillers or cold medicine at the stores anymore? What if the pharmacy doesn’t exist in a future world?
Enter the medicinal herb garden. Often talked about as an alternative to modern prescription drugs, this is not a new topic to today’s prepper. Maybe when you think about medicinal herbs you conjure whimsical images of cottage gardens with neatly labeled herbs, shrubs, and trees. Or do you picture a romp through the woods gathering the herbs you need for your newest brew?
While there is nothing wrong with an apothecary-esque garden or a foraging expedition, the goal of this article is to place medicinal herbs in the spotlight as specimen plantings and feature plants of your front yard. The herbs, plants, and trees I suggest here will be powerful medicine for you and your family and are beautiful enough to sneak into even the most limited of spaces.
A Word of Encouragement for the Beginner
When I first heard about medicinal herbs, the first emotion I felt was fear. I’m not joking. My brain had a physical reaction to that combination of words because over the span of my lifetime there were subtle warnings. “DANGER!” “NOT APPROVED BY THE FDA.” “ALWAYS SEEK APPROVAL FROM YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING ANY HERBAL SUPPLEMENT.”
There is even a disclaimer at the top of this article, but I’m telling you right now, that is there because it has to be there, on the advice of attorneys. I don’t want any one of the people reading this to go out and drink 2 gallons of elderberry syrup, proceed to throw up, and sue the pants off me. I believe the general population is smarter than that.
The collection of warnings from bureaucrats made me feel like I needed a Ph.D. in pharmacology to even think about tinkering around with herbs for medicine. But, I’m here to encourage you. Don’t be afraid! While it is always smart to use caution when trying something new, it is insanely unlikely that taking herbs will harm you to the extent that you are made to believe.
Many beginners are afraid that you will take these herbal medicines and immediately drop dead from a heart attack. Or poison yourself unknowingly. Or start singing “Kumbaya” with the spirits of your…