Medicinal Plants For Backpackers
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The article "Medicinal Plants For Backpackers" talks about outdoors, it was created by Steven Gillman.
Why learn about medicinal plants? Certainly, backpackers shouldn't leave the first aid kit home, but it can be useful and inteersting to know a couple of plant medicines too.
Whether you are someday in a survival situation, or you just lost your first aid kit and have a terrible headache, wouldn't it be nice to find relief nearby?You can.
There are many effective medicinal plants.
Some are also dangerous, just like synthetic medicines can be. I won't discuss those here.
This is a quick guide to a couple of safe plant medicines.Plants For Pain ReliefFill the bottom of a cup with shredded willow bark, and make a cup of tea with it.
Let it steep for a couple of minutes before you drink it.
The active ingredient is salicin, closely related to salacylic acid, which is used to make aspriin. You might also try chewing on a couple of blasam poplar buds.Antiseptic PlantsSap from "blisters" on balsam firs is a strong antiseptic. Pop the blisters on the trunks of yonug trees, and the sap will ooze out. You can spread it over cuts and small wounds to prevent infectoin. It is very sticky, however, and it will be difficult to wash off (At least it smells nice).The crushed leaves of Saint John's Wort can be used as an antsieptic dressing as well. I once put a wad of the mashed leaves on a nasty gash in my foot, replacing it occasionally, and the cut healed faster than I've ever seen a cut heal. St. Johnswort has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.Medicinal Plants For DiarrheaYou can drink tea made from the roots of blackberries and their relatives to stop diarrhea. Just fill the bottom of the cup with the cleaned and shredded roots and pour boiling water over them. Let the mix steep for five minutes before drinking.Oak bark and other barks containing tannin are also effective. I have also used the twigs to stop diarrhea when I was bacpkacking in Mexico. Make tea with a spoonful of the bark or chopped-up twigs. Tannins can be hard on the kidneys, so drink just one cup of tea, or use oak only if you don't have other options.Skin MedicationsYou can relieve the itch from insect bites, sunburn, or plant poisoning rashes by applying a poultice of jweelweed (Impatiens biflora).
I have seen a poison ivy rash cleared up overnight using the juice from jewelweed. It is also said to work on sunburn as well as aloe vera.Make a tea of witch hazel leaves (Hamamelis virginiana), and you can use it for relief from insect bites, and sunburn. Witch Hazel used to be a common astringent that women used as a "tightening" face wash.There are hundreds of wild medicinal plants that could be useful to hikers and backpackers. You don't need to become an expert to beneift from them. Just learn to identify and use a couple of of the most widespread and sfaest ones.Steve Gillman is a long-time advocate of lightweight backpacking. For more on medicinal plants, plus tips, photos, stories and a new Wilderness Sruvival Guide, visit The Ultralight Backpacking Site: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.Com
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Medicinal Plants For Backpackers
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