Frugal Tips

Healing Herbs for Common Conditions

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 Melissa Smallwood (aka Multi-tasking Mama) has worked with seniors and families as a professional organizer for several years and is the owner of Organized Life by Design, LLC. She has an extensive human services background. She is also the mom of three active boys (one of which has special needs). She enjoys helping people get their lives, calendars and homes organized so that they have time to see and enjoy their blessings! Melissa also has a passion for cheap yet chic home décor and has many resources available for decorating your home on a budget. Melissa has written many articles on organizing for various websites and organizations including Online Organizing.com, Show Mom the Money, Ask Baby Kid, Dr. Mommy Says, Sassy Mamas, Pink Lemonade of Life and more.

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The medicines that we have today are a miraculous gift. Healing is a miraculous gift. The medicines we use came from humble beginnings. Their precursors were herbs and medicinal plants that had served civilizations for thousands of years. Many of these herbs are still in use today.

What do we do when we have a cut, scrape, or a headache? We reach for the medicine cabinet. That is all well and good but some medicinal treatments are not all they are cracked up to be. People have turned back to their roots (no pun intended!) and started using herbs to treat common bodily ailments.

One reason for this reawakening is the lack of side effects on our bodies. Many herbs act like medicines and should be taken carefully, but the ingredients are all natural. We don’t have to be worried about getting blood work done every three months for any evidence of harmful side effects on our system. Most herbs are relatively easy to find and don’t cost as much as brand name medicines.

Healing herbs work with the body and not against it. The effects of the cure may not be immediate but the herbs are effective. We see some of the not so great effects of medicines like antibiotics all over the news. Our body’s invaders are becoming resistant to certain antibiotics because we use them so frequently. This is not great news when you are trying to fight an infection.

Healing herbs can be eaten, placed in a poultice, steeped for tea, ground into powder, or made into a cream. Some herbs are used as they are to speed the body’s healing process. Here are just a few of the more popular ones you may or may not have heard of.

· Cinnamon – lowers blood sugar and cholesterol

· Ginger – prevents motion sickness and nausea

· Turmeric – helps with arthritis pain

· St. John’s Wort – creates a stable mood in mildly depressed people

· Garlic – lowers blood pressure and risks of some cancers

· Red yeast rice – lowers cholesterol

Except for the St. John’s Wort and red yeast rice, we have most of these items on our kitchen shelves. Adding a little to your food each day can assist with these conditions without even causing an upheaval in your routine. Other helpful substances include: apple cider vinegar and Aloe Vera.

All natural herbal formulas are a milder alternative to some mainstream medications. Before using any type of herbs for medicinal purposes consult your doctor. The last thing you want is a drug interaction with something you are currently taking. Treat all herbs as medicines and do your research before beginning an herbal supplement routine in order to get the most from them.