English Ivy the Forgotten Wonder

by Herbal MedicineHomesteadingOff GridSurvival

English Ivy the forgotten wonder

Ivy leaf is the leaf of the common ivy plant, also known as English Ivy or Hedera helix. It is a green climbing plant that is often found on the sides of trees, houses and fences, more so trees and that’s bad news for the tree as Ivy can kill it. What you may not know is that ivy leaf is as a herbal medicine. It has been for hundreds of years, in addition to this you may be even more surprised to know that Ivy can be made into a washing detergent.

Traditional herbalists used ivy berries against the plague, and ivy leaves boiled in vinegar for stomach aches and for cleansing ulcers. These methods are of course no longer used – in the present day, although you can find ivy leaf as an ingredient in naturally derived cough medicines at your local pharmacy.

English Ivy Tree

Properties of ivy leaf

  • The saponins in ivy leaf can help relieve cough symptoms by helping to:
  • Thin the consistency of mucus in your airways
  • Loosen the mucus from your chest
  • Clear mucus by making it easier to cough up
  • Calm coughs

Herbal Medicine Uses of Ivy

Ivy is traditionally used for relieving breathing disorders. Preliminary research indicates that ivy may be helpful in relieving symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and disinfecting minor burns and cuts. Ivy is often used on minor skin wounds to prevent infections.

Ivy Washing Detergent

Simple recipe

  1. Collect 20-40 English ivy (hedera helix) leaves, preferably darker (older) leaves, one big handful should be enough. The leaves can only be used fresh, so you have to collect them prior to your laundry.
  2. Tear the leaves apart in little pieces, using your hands. As English ivy can leave skin irritations (if you have sensitive skin), you might want to wear gloves doing it.
  3. Put the leaves in a closed laundry net and put it together with your laundry in the washing machine. Can be disposed and composted after use.

Greek Mythology

Ivy had a great deal of significance in ancient times; it was a symbol of fidelity in Ancient Greece and was associated with the Greek god KOMOS (Comus) of revelry and good times.

KOMOS (Comus) was the god of revelry, merrymaking and festivity. He was the son and cup-bearer of the god Dionysos. Komos was depicted as either a winged youth or a satyriskos (child-satyr) with balding pate and asses’ ears.

Comus God
Comus God

More articles here

Plantain – Ribwort – Narrow Leaf Plantain

by ForagingHerbal MedicineHomesteadingOff GridSurvival

The Learning Homestead

Have you ever heard of Plantain? No, not the banana looking things that are delicious fried with sugar added. There is a plant that grows virtually everywhere called Broad Leaf Plantain. Practically everyone has seen it, and the majority presume it to be a weed. We did too for a long time. It is, in fact, an amazing medicinal plant that is free for the taking. It can be used to treat everything from insect stings and bites to minor cuts and scrapes. Below is a step-by-step guide to making your own Plantain Salve with pictures of each step:

Plantain Salve images

*INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT*

  • Plantain Leaves
  • Carrier oil (fractionated coconut, olive or similar oil)
  • Dehydrator (optional)
  • Blender (optional)
  • Oven or dehydrator
  • Fine mesh strainer and/or cheese cloth
  • Stainless steel saucepan
  • Stovetop
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • Suitable container for salve

***OPTIONAL***

You may also add essential oils to your salve after removing it from the heat and before it begins to solidify. Many essential oils smell good, and have healing properties of their own. Mrs. TLH is a dōTERRA consultant, and we added 30 drops each of lavender, melaleuca (tea tree), and frankincense to our salve.
Beginning with two and a half (2.5) ounces of dehydrated Plantain leaves, two and a half (2.5) cups of fractionated coconut oil, and two and a half (2.5) ounces of beeswax, we wound up with one and a half (1.5) pints or six 1/4 pint jars of salve.
The total time for this project was about 14 hours, but only about 1 working hour.

Method

1. Harvest some Plantain. There’s no magic to it. It grows everywhere and is easily recognizable. Just pick or cut as much as you think you need.
2. Rinse and dry the leaves.
3. Dehydrate the leaves. This can be done as simply as placing them on some old window screening in a well ventilated spot out of direct sunlight. For expediency, we used our 10 tray Excalibur dehydrator.
4. Once the leaves are fully dehydrated (they should crumble just like very dry fall leaves when handled), crush them into very fine pieces. We did this by crumbling them into a blender and then pulsing a few times.
5. Carefully weigh the Plantain leaves in ounces.
6. Add one (1) cup of fixed carrier oil per ounce of dehydrated Plantain leaves. We used a food grade fractionated coconut oil, but olive oil will work okay, too.
7. Once you have stirred in your oil, put it in the oven on the lowest possible setting or, if you’re using a programmable dehydrator, 120° for about 4 hours. This will allow the active ingredients in the Plantain to fully leech into the carrier oil, making an infusion.
8. Strain all leaf particles from the infused oil. We used a fine wire mesh strainer topped with a few layers of cheese cloth.
9. Pour the infusion into a stainless steel pot and heat over medium-low heat on the stove top. Add in one (1) ounce of beeswax for every ounce of dehydrated Plantain leaves. We used organic beeswax pellets, but you could grate some off of a bar. Reserve a small amount of both wax and infusion to one side. We would recommend that you use a “cosmetic grade” and not a “candle grade” beeswax. The cosmetic grade has fewer impurities.
10. After the infusion and wax have emulsified, spoon out a small amount and chill it in your freezer for 2-3 minutes before removing the remaining mixture from the heat. Once your sample has solidified, test the consistency to ensure that you can easily spread it with a finger.
11. If the consistency of the cooled salve is to your liking, simply divide into containers and allow it to cool at room temperature. We packaged ours in Ball 1/4 pint quilted preserve jars.

Article from the Off Grid and Homestead Homeopathy and Healing Facebook Group and written by Shaun O’Neal

 

Acorn A Great Resource from Oak Trees

by ForagingHomesteadingSurvivalTrees

Acorn – Oak

The Oak tree is the most common in Britain, the acorn that has the potential to become a tree have been a source of food and medicine for many cultures around the world throughout the ages.

The trees are a common sight and are all around us; unfortunately, rare are the people who bother with this wonderful resource. The issue with the nuts is not their flavour, but the time and effort involved to make them edible for us humans.

Acorns are packed in tannins; which is a compound that makes them astringent, therefore they must be processed or “leached” to make them palatable.

Medicinal Uses

The oak tree has a long history of medicinal use and it has been valued for its astringent properties. All parts of the oak, including wood, bark, leaves, acorns and galls, have been used for medicinal purposes.

How to Prepare

The Native Indians were experts with Acorn processing or leeching, involving a process of many days hard work to produce an edible flour to make breads, after collecting the nuts they would crack the nut just enough to leave a split in the shell then the nuts were put in fine cloth or nets and put in a running stream for 1 – 2 days.

When the nuts had been leached, the nuts were dried, removed from their shells and crushed into a fine flour.

Natural tannin-leaching can occur in the wild. If you find acorns in the spring under layers of leaves, chances are, the rain water will have leached out some or much of the tannins. In fact, some animals especially squirrels bury their nuts for this very reason!

Food Uses

The nuts are very nutritious and provide a complete vegetable protein, the starch, which is the toughest thing to forage for. Nutty and sweet, they provide an alternative gluten-free version for regular grain flours that contains large amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Nutritional Profile of Acorn

Though the exact nutrient profile depends on the species of acorn, all are packed with essential nutrients.

  • Vitamin A:
  • Vitamin E:
  • Iron:
  • Manganese:
  • Potassium:
  • Vitamin B6:
  • Folate:

Myth and Lore

In Greek mythology, the oak was a sacred tree associated with Zeus, the supreme god. To this day, Zeus’s oracle in Epirus has the sacred oak in the middle of the grove, and priests would try to uncover messages from the gods by interpreting the rustling of the oak’s leaves.

It is no coincidence that oak trees are more prone to lightning strikes than many other trees. This is because of the tree’s high water content and the fact that they are frequently the tallest living things in the landscape. More articles here.

Rosehip – Rosa Canina

by ForagingHerbal MedicineHomesteadingSurvival

Rosehip – Rosa Canina

This climbing shrub is one of the most commonly spotted wild roses in the UK. In the summer months the pretty pink-white flowers pepper hedgerows, providing an important source of nectar for insects. Later in the year the bright red hips provide food for mammals and birds and are also collected by people to make rosehip syrup. Rosehip is the fruit that grows on the blossom of the beautiful wild rose, you can find them in hedgerows, woodland edges and on scrubland. It’s more common in the South of the UK but can be found all over, especially in heavy soils, flowering occurs in May and June with the hip ripening around September and October.

Food Uses

Both the flower petals and rosehip can be used for edible purposes, my favourite is sugared roses which look and taste great, another favourite is homemade rose petal jam and who can forget rose water made from the fragrant petals. Rose hips have a flavour similar to Crab Apples, sweet and tarty. One thing to note with hips is that they have fine hairs inside and around the seeds that can be irritating to the throat and stomach if eaten, so before using the hips be sure to pass them through a coffee filter, Sieve or another equally fine material. Rosehips can be used in cookies, jam and alcoholic beverages.

Here is a link to a recipe for Rosehip Syrup

Medicinal Uses

Rosehips are packed full of vitamin C, E and B as well as other antioxidants and minerals in addition they also contain polyphenols and anthocyanins, which are believed to ease joint inflammation and prevent joint damage. Fresh rosehips have more vitamin C than any citrus fruits and over the last few years, medicinal interest in rose hips has increased as a consequence of recent research that has studied its potential application as a treatment for several diseases including skin disorders, hepatotoxicity, renal disturbances, diarrhoea, inflammatory disorders, arthritis, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, obesity and cancer.

Myth and Lore

If you’re after fertility and wealth, the plump seed-filled rosehip is thought to be a lucky token. Sleeping with rosehips under your pillow is also thought to protect against bad dreams. Archaeological finds have confirmed that, along with blackberries, rose hips were eaten as early as 2,000 BC. Reportedly called the dog rose due to the belief that the roots should be used if bitten by a rabid dog, this rose also goes by many other names. It is often called ‘wild rose’ but can be mixed up with other similar looking species. The prickly nature of the plant has also lent it to be called briar-rose and dog briar. More articles can be found here.

Blackberries

by ForagingHerbal MedicineHomesteadingSurvival

Blackberries

Blackberries are a wonderful resource to keep you healthy and provide us with some really tasty treats, homemade Blackberry jam is delicious and really easy to make but like most things wild and Free it needs time and preparation. Eating Blackberries straight from the bush is a refreshing snack and I often pick them on my travels (Tip: try and pick the fruits from the top of the plant, and they are best after it has just rained) in a survival situation you can even eat the young leaves. In times gone by and today in some craft projects the stems of the Blackberry plant can be used for making baskets by simply stripping the stem of its leaves and because it is very flexible makes it perfect for weaving.

When and how to pick

Picking Blackberries is great fun although they can stain your fingers purple, when my children were young blackberry picking was always on the calendar and it kept them occupied if only for a little while.

  • Blackberry peak season is from early June to late August. When choosing fresh blackberries, let colour be your guide. Only choose those that are deeply coloured. Those that are red or paler purple are not yet ripe. While you can ripen the fruit at room temperature, once the fruit is picked, it will not get any sweeter.
  • Pick only berries that are fully black. Mature berries are plump yet firm, a deep black colour, and pull freely from the plant without a yank. Berries do no ripen after being picked.
  • Once blackberries start to ripen, they must be picked often—every couple of days.
  • When picking, keep the central plug within the fruit (unlike raspberries).
  • Harvest during the cooler parts of the day. Once picked, place berries in the shade and refrigerate as soon as possible.

Here is a link to a recipe for yummy Blackberry Pie Bars

Quick and Easy Blackberry Bramble Basket

Medicinal Uses

As we approach cold and flu season, plenty of us will be looking for ways to boost our immunity through our diet. Notably, blackberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps protect cells against damage, support the immune system and maintain healthy skin and blood vessels.

It is reported that adults need around 40mg of vitamin C per day. As 100g of blackberries typically provides 21mg, adding a generous handful of blackberries to your morning porridge or yogurt will give you a great boost.

Blackberries are full of antioxidants, antioxidant-rich foods are important to include in your diet. This is because they help protect to protect your cells against the oxidative stress caused by free radicals – harmful molecules that are produced by lifestyle factors like drinking alcohol or exposure to pollution and sunlight.

Myth and Lore

Blackberry was considered to be a holy plant as well as one of the earliest foods known to man. In the Highlands it was called it the ~Blessed Bramble.~ Evil spirits could be kept off by a wreath of bramble, rowan and ivy.

Blackberry is a symbol of remorse and is associated with alleviating several illnesses. The ancient Greeks used them as a remedy for gout and in England the leaves are used in as a remedy for burns and scalds.

Raw Living: Picking blackberries, beneath late afternoon sun; a sunset reminiscent of watermelon sangria, as the scent of honeysuckle accosts me and the ducks waddle into the lake. Thanking Mama Nature for her abundance. Loving this candied-sweet southern life. - Author: Brandi L. Bates

Sweet Chestnut

by ForagingSurvivalTrees

Sweet Chestnut

Every October – December, Echo (our dog) and I pay the chestnut trees a visit looking for fallen nuts, but we have to be quick, or the squirrels will have had their fill and left nothing but empty shells. We have five Chestnut trees in our local park (Wythenshawe Park) at least five that I have found there maybe more, but we can regularly get as much as a carrier bag full of nuts. We bring them home and roast them in the oven with sea salt and fresh butter, but it’s just as easy to roast them on an open fire and eat them fresh out of the shell, they taste like a sweet potato and are delicious, crushed up and mixed in with sprouts and chopped up bacon lardons.

 

Where to find them

It’s a safe bet to say you will have Chestnut trees in your local area, especially in parks and woodland, but you can also buy Chestnut trees from your garden centre, as they seem to have gained popularity to plant in large gardens. They are fast growers and all chestnuts are large trees, most topping 20 metres, with some varieties reaching 40 metres.

You can eat and make purée, sweet candies or just no messing straight from the shell,  here are some recipes for Chestnuts that can be found here .

Tip: Before going to collect Chestnuts be sure to take gloves or risk prickly fingers.

Food Uses

Harvest in October – December the nuts are ripe when they drop from the trees as the chestnut burrs (the outer spiny skin) burst, but some nuts will need removing from their skin. Wearing strong gloves, pull open the burrs and remove the nuts. Chestnuts are be kept in the fridge to prevent them from drying out.

Candied Chestnuts Recipe

Health benefits of Chestnuts?

  • Digestive health – chestnuts reduce cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels. They also reduce the risk of constipation and intestinal complications such as diverticulosis.
  • Increased brain function – chestnuts contain fat-soluble B vitamins that promote healthy skin, produce red blood cells and improve brain function.
  • Increased energy levels – chestnuts contain high amounts of carbohydrates, which are needed for short and long term energy. They also help with nervous system function.
  • Stronger bones – chestnuts contain copper, which is a trace mineral that enhances bone strength and boosts the immune system.
  • Decreased risk of developing disease – chestnuts contain manganese, which is a trace mineral that fights off free radicals in the body and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. It also plays a key role in the ageing process and helps prevent blood-clotting.
  • Do not contain gluten – chestnuts are of great benefit to patients with celiac disease, which is a disease that upsets the small intestine.

History

The sweet chestnut was held in high regard in ancient Greece and was a delicacy reserved for the elite. Honey was made of it, while numerous therapeutic properties were attributed to the chestnut. There are many recipes described in ancient literature and the sweet chestnuts are frequently mentioned in works by ancient Greek writers such as Homer, Xenophon and Hippocrates.

 

Middle ages

By the end of the Middle Ages the chestnut had a bad reputation and was associated with indigestion, headache, flatulence and an increased sex drive. Due to the huge increase in population the sweet chestnut became in certain parts of Europe the people’s food number one. Because the chestnut tree is an easy and rapid growing tree, he was planted everywhere where no other crops, such as cereals, wanted to grow. This harmed the quality of the nuts that became vulnerable for diseases. Fortunately, today’s chestnut again has a sound reputation. More articles here.

Moss – Bryophyta

by ForagingHerbal MedicineHomesteadingSurvival

Moss – Bryophyta

The magical Moss can be found everywhere and is a very handy plant in survival situations, it can be eaten as a last resort, but it won’t taste very nice however it’s uses for medical purposes are astonishing. During WWI and WWII Moss was an essential part of a medical kit when bandages or wound packing was in short supply and as you can imagine there were never enough with the amount of wounded soldiers coming from the battlefields and trenches. In fact, Moss has been used for thousands of years on battlefields, but like most things it was forgotten or replaced by something that can be mass-produced for convenience and profit.

Moss is very absorbent, far more than cotton wool, and has remarkable deodorizing power. The remarkable sponge-like quality comes from Sphagnum’s cellular structure, ninety percent of the cells in a sphagnum plant are dead. They’re made to be empty, so they can be filled with water. In this case, medics took advantage of that liquid-absorbing capacity to soak up blood, pus and other bodily fluids. Sphagnum moss also has antiseptic properties that helped avoid infections and amputations. A lot of research is taking place on the medicinal properties of Moss, and it has been found that it has similar attributes as Cannabis.

Moss and water

If you ever find yourself in a survival situation and can find sphagnum moss, you probably won’t die of thirst. Sphagnum moss, due to its spongy consistency, soaks up and holds moisture. Just squeezing it will provide a water source – and due to its acidic nature, bacteria typically aren’t present.

Mosses function like sponges, using their capillary spaces to hang on to water. 

They help to soak up rainfall, maintain moisture in the soil below and keep conditions around them humid. This enables other plants around them thrive, such as in habitats like marshes and woodland. 

Mosses also play a vital role in the development of new ecosystems. They’re among the first plant colonisers of disturbed sites, such as when an area is deforested or affected by forest fires. They stabilise the soil surface and retain water, helping new plants to grow. 

Other uses for Moss

Dried Moss Is Extremely Flammable

If you can find dead moss or have the time to pick some and let it dry, it’s extremely flammable and is great for starting your fire. Since it’s lightweight, you may even want to add some of it to your homemade fire starters or just carry some raw.

Moss Is Waterproof

Moss is damp, isn’t it? Well yes it is but it likes to hold on to its water. You can use a nice layer of moss to cover your shelter and it will keep you dry. One of the best things about this is that, since moss has an interconnected, shallow root system, you can cut it in large chunks that make it easy to transport and cover your shelter quickly.

Within 24 hours, these root systems will grow together and you have an instant, waterproof roof. As a matter of fact, there are many stories of wilderness people who actually use moss to roof their houses.

Myth and Lore

The moss people or moss folk (German: Moosleute, “moss folk”, wilde Leute, “wild folk”), also referred to as the wood people or wood folk (Holzleute, “wood folk”) or forest folk (Waldleute, “forest-folk”), are a class of fairy folk, variously compared to dwarfs, elves, or spirits, described in the folklore of Germany as having an intimate connection to trees and the forest. In German, the words Schrat and Waldschrat are also used for a moss person.

More articles here

Pine Tree

by ForagingHerbal MedicineHomesteadingTrees

Pine Tree

The Pine Tree is one of the most resourceful trees I know, fresh pine needles make a refreshing cup of tea that is full of vitamin C, the Pine Cones have their uses too as it has been reported ancient tribes used them as combs / brushes and not forgetting the delicious pine nuts hidden within. Pine cones are a familiar sight at Christmas and used as decorations, they also make a great item for arts and crafts and the possibilities to make art from them are endless, I have used them in the past to make miniature trees for a train track diorama, and they looked great. In bush craft and survivalist communities, they are a great resource to make a resin glue and a preserver for wood, which comes in handy when making tools and other useful items. Pine resin can also be used to seal wounds which is especially handy if you don’t have the material for stitches.

Therapeutic benefits of pine

Pine trees have long been an ingredient to prepare herbal tea. Indeed, its benefits are known to treat:

  • – rheumatism and wounds that are rebellious to healing (in the form of lotions and creams)
  • – common colds and pulmonary tract mucus lining inflammation (in the form of inhaled vapour treatment).

Pine tree is particularly recommended to treat diseases resulting from nerve malfunction, neuralgic disorders and rheumatism.

Relaxing in a bathtub with pine tree extracts is for sure beneficial to your health.

To best appreciate its health benefits, keep the least tender shoots from your collection of fresh young shoots, and add them to the hot water. Use a cloth pouch to make it easy to pick the leaves out later and throw them to the compost.

It is possible to bathe in water infused with pine as described above, but inhaling the raw power of a pine tree forest in nature is another experience altogether.
Indeed, if you’ve got the chance, go for a walk in a thick pine tree forest, and gulp the air into your lungs. It is loaded with pine extract, a lemony camphor-like fragrance.

Pine glues in the wild

Pine trees are a great resource in the wild.  You can make cordage out of the roots, tea from the needles, and pitch or tar from the sap.  Pine resin is also flammable and can be used as an accelerant in fires for short, powerful bursts of heat. The  sap also contains compounds which prevent the growth of microorganisms, making it a great sealer for open cuts or deeper flesh wounds.  Pine resin is easy to carry, too.  Chip a hardened piece off a damaged pine tree and later, when you need to put it to use, heat it over a fire to convert it back into its liquid (easily usable) state.

How to make pine pitch glue

Here’s how to use Pine resin in a homemade glue recipe.

  1. Collect the resin from a pine tree.  Here’s a method to tap a pine tree to obtain the sap from a tree.
  2. Melt the resin.  If it ignites, blow out the flame and move the container to better control the heating process. Try to not overheat the resin, as the compounds can be destroyed the longer they are subjected to heat.
  3. Add 1 part hardwood charcoal powder.  This helps temper the resin and reduces its stickiness.
  4. Add 1 part filler material.  This can be ground plant material (crushed to a fine powder) or rabbit or deer scat/droppings (dried and ground up).  In a pinch, you may also substitute sawdust, bone dust, or animal hair.  The filler material helps strengthen the glue compound.
  5. If you wish to make the resultant glue more flexible, so it can be easily worked, add one part fat, tallow, or beeswax to the mixture.
  6. Mix thoroughly.
  7. Apply using a stick.

After the glue hardens, it will resemble hardened glass.

Dried pine pitch glue can be reheated to convert it back to its liquid state.  Dip a stick into the mixture and remove, allowing the glob of glue to harden on the stick.  Re-dip the stick to add additional layers of glue (as it cools, you may wish to roll it between your hands to compress and shape it).  The finished lolly of pine pitch glue is ready to be stored and carried with you, ready to be reheated when needed.

Spiritual Meaning of the Pine Cone

The pineal gland is a remarkable feature of the human experience. Nestled in the brain between the two hemispheres, it is a source of endless intrigue in the realm of mysticism. Sometimes the Pineal Gland is referred to as our “third eye” the “dream centre” or my favourite, the “mystic seed.”

The Pineal Gland is shaped very much like the pine cone and lies at the centre of our brain and is intimately linked to our body’s perception of light. The Pineal modulates our wake-sleep patterns and circadian rhythms.

It’s totally fascinating that both the pine cone and the Pineal Gland not only look like each other but are also light sensitive. More articles here.

Jack by the hedge

by ForagingHerbal MedicineHomesteading

Jack by the hedge

Jack by the hedge / Garlic mustard, is an easy-to-identify plant simply by its smell. It has a pleasant, mild scent of garlic when rubbed between the fingers. The leaves are a light green colour and are slightly toothed. The flowers are brilliant white, with four petals. The plant is common in Europe and can be found on hedgerows and open woods. In my local woods close to mid-spring, Jack has his foothold everywhere and announces his presence with his mild garlicky smell as you brush past him. If you like Garlic, but only want the suggestion of the garlic flavour, this will be ideal for you as an ideal flavouring.

Food Uses

Jack by the hedge can be found in spring from as early as February, if the weather has been good a second harvest can be found in autumn. Young leaves at the top of the plant are the most tender. The taste is a combination of garlic and mustard with a pleasant, albeit slightly bitter after taste. The leaves can be chopped and added to a salad, but a tasty treat to accompany spring lamb would be a sauce made from Jack by the hedge.

Quick and easy recipe for Jack’s sauce.

  • 2 handfuls of Jack by the hedge leaves.
  • 2tbs of Malt Vinegar (more if required)
  • 1tsp of Sugar

It’s basically an alternative to mint sauce.

 

Traditional uses and benefits of Garlic Mustard

  • Garlic mustard has been little used in herbal medicine.
  • Leaves and stems are anti-asthmatic, antiscorbutic, antiseptic, deobstruent, diaphoretic, vermifuge and vulnerary.
  • Leaves have been taken internally to promote sweating and to treat bronchitis, asthma and eczema.
  • Externally, they have been used as an antiseptic poultice on ulcers etc., and are effective in relieving the itching caused by bites and stings.
  • Roots are chopped up small and then heated in oil to make an ointment to rub on the chest in order to bring relief from bronchitis.
  • Juice of the plant has an inhibitory effect on Bacillus pyocyaneum and on gram-negative bacteria of the typhoid-paratyphoid-enteritis group.
  • Seeds have been used as a snuff to excite sneezing.
  • Leaves can be used as a sudorific and deobstruent when taken internally, or as an external treatment for gangrene and ulcers.
  • Leaf juices taken alone or boiled in syrup with honey were used to treat dropsy.
  • Garlic mustard was once used medicinally as a disinfectant or diuretic, and was sometimes used to treat wounds.
  • Leaves have been consumed to bring relief to congested chest and eczema.
  • For relieving skin irritations and insect bites, these leaves might be beneficial.
  • It can be used for stimulating appetite and inducing hunger which is often affected due to internal illness.
  • It can be effective for keeping respiratory problems in check.
  • Mild garlic and mustard flavour, the leaves are also believed to strengthen the digestive system.

In 1657 William Coles wrote that is was eaten by many country people as sauce to their salt fish, and helped well to digest the crudities and other crude humours that are engendered by the eating thereof.

Early herbalists used the leaves for dropsy and to induce sweating. The herbalist Sir John Hill recommended that they should be boiled with honey to make a syrup as a remedy for coughs and hoarseness.  The leaves were also believed to have antiseptic properties and were applied as dressings to open sores and ulcers.

Myth and Lore

For magical uses performed by witches, mustards in general have a long history of protective uses, including hiding the seeds under a doormat to keep supernatural threats from crossing the threshold. More articles here.

What about Water?

by SurvivalThe ElementsWaterWild

Water is Life

Water is life and is the most important substance for the human body to stay healthy and alive, so then why do we know nothing about it when it comes to our health and self-sufficiency? If you ask a child where water comes from, their first answer most likely is the tap. This is so sad because not only does it isolate them from nature; it teaches them to be dependent on corporations. My grandparents used to call it corporation pop, which always left me puzzled, but now I am older. I can see what they meant.

As long as there is a sky above your head, you can get water from almost anywhere in the world, even in the hottest of deserts. All you need is the foreknowledge of where and how to collect it, then once you have found your water source you need to know if it needs filtering / distilling. In survival and bug-out (living off grid) situations, it is essential to know how to find water and treat it for safe drinking. Plants and trees are a great source to find drinkable water. If you know how, for instance, you can tap certain trees, maple, and birch being the most favoured because they make really tasty syrups. Putting a plastic bag over a tree branch with leaves on it for 24 hours will collect condensation, and cactus and Aloe Vera contains a really refreshing drink that is super healthy. Another tip: Aloe Vera provides great protection from the sun.

Water is life waves
Water is life water drop

There are many ways to find and collect water. Many of them are so simple like collecting the dew from grass by trailing a jumper or coat behind you until it is saturated, or laying a tarp on the ground overnight to collect the morning dew. These are just a few of the many ways to collect water, of course; the most obvious is collecting rain water in barrels. When we look at the circulation of water in the natural world, the position of rainwater is at the top of the cycle. It is possible, therefore, for us to drink untreated rainwater. This is because rainwater is pure, distilled water evaporated from the sun – nothing else. However, when rainwater falls from the sky, substances from the air and land melt into the rainwater. Fortunately, when rainwater soaks into the ground, it then becomes mineral water.

Filtering / Distilling Water

Once you have found your water source, you next have to make it safe to drink. The amount of filtering depends on how clean or dirty the water is. You can filter and drink most waters, it should be obvious to stay clear of foul smelling water and always boil the water you have collected where ever possible. Water collected from plants and trees is generally safe to drink straight from the source, as the filtering is done by the plant.

How to make a simple water filter.

Flowing water is typically the best source to collect from. If you are collecting water from the ground such as lakes, puddles, ponds anywhere really where it has collected it is always handy to know how to make a filter no matter where the water has come from. A simple filtering system has five components :

  • Empty plastic bottle
  • Pebbles
  • Moss (or cotton wool)
  • Charcoal ( from camp fire)
  • Sand (as clean as you can find it)

(How I do it) Cut the bottom of the bottle off, put in charcoal, sand, moss and pebbles in that order and pour your dirty water in it will take some time to drip its way clear and clean after which a final stage of boiling and hey presto you have drinking water.

Solar water distilling

Solar distillation is a great way to produce pure, potable drinking water that is safe for consumption with nothing but a little ingenuity, and the power of the sun! It’s a great experiment for all the family to try.

It is simple to do using two clear (plastic or glass) bottles and glue (or tape). Fill one bottle with dirty/or saltwater, then connect the second bottle and set in the sun; within a few minutes the water begins to evaporate, and the other bottle collects the clean distilled water vapor. Tips: make sure the bottles have an airtight connection.

Prop up the bottles at a slight angle so as the dirty/or saltwater starts to evaporate, water vapor will travel up to the higher collection container; this method works best in bright sun.

Solar distillers work by mimicking the natural water cycle: The sun provides energy to warm the water; the water evaporates (forms clouds) and condenses (makes rain) when it meets a cooler surface. Boiling is not required for solar distillation, and some people believe water from a solar distiller is purer than boiled water.

 

So as you can see with a little knowledge water can be found anywhere. The trick is to think like nature, in this article I have given a brief outline of how to find and collect water along with how to make it safe to drink. It is a vast topic and one that has gained popularity in the scientific world in their quest to help with environmental issues. Water is life, and it’s many mysteries are only just starting to be discovered. Below you will find videos about waters many other uses and secrets.

Viktor Schauberger

Secrets of water

A fascinating exploration of the ground-breaking discoveries and mind-blowing uses of waters secret qualities. Understand why vortexing water may be so beneficial to your health. Free-energy produced by the Repulsine device. An excellent documentary on the genius of Viktor Schaubeger and his son, Walter Schauberger who spent their life researching and utilizing waters hidden qualities. 

Play Video

They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

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