Prunella vulgaris/ Heal All/ Self Heal

August's Featured Alternative- HARVESTING!
Prunella Vulgarius - Heal All

This beautiful flowering herb is not called heal all for no reason. It's mouth shaped flowers, rough-like little hairs and long tops is something that every home should have.To buy such a thing would cost you more than $60 on Amazon.


So why waste your money when (from my experience) grows from Ohio all the way across through to the panhandle in northern Idaho.

They are ready for picking as soon as a flower has bloomed on it. Here are some pictures of my harvesting last month. 

Prunella Vulgaris, grown in sunny, wet, dry, and shady conditions. Along trails, besides rivers, etc. this can be found everywhere. Grows to about 1-2ft tall. Purple Flowers. This particular site where I harvested in along side trail to the scenic Kootenai river, in North Western Montana.

Scenic Kootenai River, Montana
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I harvested about a pound Prunella Vulgaris. I must admit, I was very surprised to see such large tops! Some larger than the size of my pinky finger. I have never seen them so big. It must be the Montana air or something because in Ohio they were small.
The largest one I picked was almost the size of my index finger!
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What is Prunella Vulgaris used for? Stay tuned for more! Until next time. Thanks for reading!

Featured Alternative

The Featured Alternative page has been updated. August's Featured Alternative Harvesting! Can't wait to share it with you all!

Been Very Busy

Greetings fellow herbalists. I've been very busy lately. There should be more posting on here soon. :)

Featured Alternative: Weeds #2 - Cattail

Cattail (Typha latifolia) - the pollen can be used to enrich flour. The unripe flower spikes can be cooked as a vegetable and the young shoots and inner stems are eaten raw or cooked. It is even known to use them as torches when dipped into oil or animal fat. You can even make beautiful baskets out of the leaves.

Made into a poultice is good for cuts wounds, stings and bruises. Ash from the burned leaves can be used as an antiseptic or styptic for wounds.

The 'fluff' from the tops can be used as pillow stuffing and insulation for clothing. 
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Featured Alternative: Weeds #1 - Burdock

 Burdock (Arctium lappa) - cultivated as a vegetable in Japan where it is known as gobo. The stalks are scraped and cooked like celery. The roots are sweet and can be eaten raw in salads or added to stir fries.
Traditionally, burdock has been used as a remedy for measles, arthritis, tonsillitis, viruses like colds, throat pain, and as a diuretic.
   Mostly thought to be a weed because it's good for sticking to you and your furry pets. Keep in mind, once its burrs have opened, tiny hair-like needles 'thorn' themselves into your skin. Don't worry, the itching will go away and a rash may appear, but it will be gone in about a day or so.

Featured Alternative: Weeds

Looking throughout your lawn, garden, side of the road and even the woods, keep in mind that those 'weeds' you have been brainwashed into hating could very well help you or even, save your life! Don't pull em or even through them out! If they are somewhere you don't want them simply dig them up and replant them in their own bed!

This month we will show the various different types of weeds, a brief example of what they are good for and many pictures!

June's Featured Alternative: Baths

Yuck! You stink, you need a bath! While many think of a bath to simply be a way to cleanse the skin it has many other purposes as well. It is called hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term Water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 1800s.

Since it is such a large alternative method, this month’s ‘Featured Alternative' will be the ‘bath’ part of hydrotherapy. There are many different therapeutic baths.


Throughout the month of April AltHealing101 will post the different baths, their benefits and directions for each. Subscribe so you won’t miss out on this amazing method!

Featured Alternative Hydrotheropy: Contrast Baths

Partial Baths #1

1. Contrast Baths: The immersion of the hand, arm and hand, foot, leg and foot into a basin or tub of water. It is both simple and effective. Also known as a Alternate Hot and Cold is an alternating plunge of the body into hot water, then into cold and back again. This results in a powerful alternate contraction, the dilatation of the blood vessels, and a general improvement of body circulation. For the particular body area being treated, it removed waste products and greatly improves rapidity of blood flow. Not to mention, the quality of fresh oxygen, nutrients, and white and red blood cells is also increased.
   
   Contrast baths to the hands, feet, arms, or legs are very helpful for fractures, arthritis (both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis), congestive headaches, edema, sprains, strains, trauma (after 24 hours), infections, lymphangitis (2-3 times a day), impaired venous circulation, and indolent ulcers.

What You Will Need: 

For a Contrast Bath, you will need two containers, large enough for the water in them to come up over the extremities to be treated. If necessary, thoroughly cleaned buckets can be used. Medical personnel recommend that an antiseptic be placed in the water if there are open wounds. You will also need a bath thermometer and a bath towel. You will also need a pitcher, to add more hot water from time to time, and ice cubes for the cold water bucket. Sometimes a cold compress (hand towel wrung from cold water) or ice bag is used.

How to Apply It:

1. Place the limb in hot water (105-110F) for 305 minutes. Then put it into the cold (cold tap water or ice water) for one-half to one minute.
2. Begin with the hot water and end with the cold. Change from one temperature to the other 6-8 times (3-4 complete cycles). Time spans are generally 3-4 minutes in the hot and, then, one-half to one minute in the cold. Begin hot immersion at lower temperature as you continue on through the treatment. Add hot water by pouring it over your own hand; add it while the limb is in the cold water. A cold compress (hand towel wrung out of cold water) or ice bag may be needed on the head or back of neck, if a large part of the body is being treated and always if he feels faint. Place an ice bag to the heart if his pulse is over 8- beats per minute. (In serious cases, it is best to check his pulse every 5 minutes during treatment.
3.  End by drying the limb thoroughly. Have him rest afterward for a half hour.

Additional Points:

1.  Do not normally use hot water temperatures above 110F
2. In blood vessel diseases of the legs and feet, do not go over 105F. 
3. Extremes of hot and cold water should not be used in diabetes or in peripheral vascular disease. 
4. When working with rheumatoid arthritis, end with the hot instead of the cold.

...to be continued 

Source: 

Natural Remedies Encyclopedia 5th edition.
The editor of this blog highly recommends the use of this book in every home in America. It can be a  life saver and while it's cost may be a little high it is worth the money!

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If you have any questions concerning the Contrast Baths please leave a comment.

It's you health... Do it right!