International Rewilding Discussion Forum

this thread has been on my mind.

i love garlic and i believe it is a very valueable medicinal and a delicious food. however, i do not believe it to be a panacea or anything close. there are many alternate options for many of the conditions described above that are just as good or better than garlic and do not result in topical burns or upset digestive systems. when raw garlic is applied directly to the skin it can cause severe pain and burning. this is obviously not a reaction that i personally look for when treating people. it is something that i try to avoid as much as possible.

i have noticed a tendency in folks to suggest medicinals with out properly evaluating the best course of action for the individual. instead there seems to be a focus on the western diagnosis and what "key" herb is perfect for syndrome X. this is a typical (modern/allopathic) western paradigm for medicine. there is little or no evaluation of constitution or energetics (of person or medicine). ipersonaly believe using energetic/personalized disgnosis is the heart of herbal medicine.

blood poisening is a serious situation.. and one that has come up around me before. serious infections tend to be a heat related condition and as a result garlic and other hot herbs tend to be lower on my list for these situations. this, however, depends on individuals and other factors as well (example: in acute wind cold i find garlic to be valueable). one of the best herbs for blood poisoning is plantain. poulticed (change freq.) and used internally. plantain has drawing, cooling, moistening properties. it also has the ability to remove debris/dirt from wounds.. which is essential to having proper healing.

of the strong anti-microbial allies my absolute all time favorite is propolis. it works for me almost everytime - especially with topical ulcers/sores and throat/lung problems. i also seem to use lavender essential oil quite a bit with great success - especially for burns or "wet" infections.

Bleeding gums (which is something potentially very serious) can be cleared up overnight by rubbing raw Garlic on it, but it works only if it burns and stings.  Sore throat can be cured fast by sucking on raw Garlic, but again, it should sting. 

bleeding gums can be from various things.. but i think garlic would be way down on the list of things to use for this situation. especially in cases that were not related to serious infection. when treating gum/tooth infections i would opt for things like plantain, propolis, oregon grape root, calendula, and some astringents as well... maybe a rose family plant or an bark or something.
 

Intestinal problems like diarrhea and cramping are cured fast by raw Garlic.

diarrhea is probably one of the most commonly oversimplified conditions. there are so many reasons someone could have diarrhea. in some situations garlic could be excellent, but again.. not for every case.

well, anyways, i have to go, but i felt the need to reply to this thread. i've been running in to this sort of stuff quite a lot lately.   

re: oil.

i have used olive oil quite a bit in the past. it works well. long life, nice texture, etc. i'm not using olive oil anymore, though. right now i'm using pig fat that i rendered. i have about a liter of organ fat from the spring. while making my salve i added slippery elm to keep it from going rancid (approx. 1 oz slippery elm to 1 gallon of fat). i would prefer to use bear fat, but when we have it we use it mostly for food. other folks like using almond oil or other non-animal based fats. meh. i'm not about to go buy or acquire a bunch of imported oils when i have gallons of lard.

in terms of preserving oils/salves (along with slippery elm) i use propolis as my main anti-microbial ingredient. you could sub cotton wood buds. don't need too much. another way to make your salve last longer is to make small batches and keep it in small containers so that you don't have one big jar that has dirty hands diggin in it for months on end. 


re: making oil.

this is how i always make my cold infusion oils

step one - dont worry about measuring if youre just making your own salve.

step two - crumble/crush/powder/chop/grind/whatever all of your herbal/resin/etc ingredients in to a clean (dip in boiling water and then dry it thoroughly) jar.

step three - pour your oil (or melted lard) on top of your herb(s). you want the oil to be roughly 1 inch above the herb(s). stir thoroughly and let it settle. there will be more oil on top once it settles and be reserved with the oil the first time.

step four - cover it appropriately (if plants are dry just thrown a lid on. if theyre not totally dry use cheese cloth and an elastic).

step five - let it sit and macerate in the oil for an appropriate length of time (2-6 weeks). i generally keep the jars in a cupboard out of the sun. sometimes the oils do well with sun or warmth. it helps them infuse better. you can judge for yourself.


re: salve

once you have your strained herbal oil put it in a double boiler and warm it up. add beeswax in chunks or grated. the ratio is about 1oz beeswax to 1 cup of oil. i never use this because i'm pretty used to doing it so i just eyeball it. take tests of your warm salve with a spoon. i've noticed over the years that the consistency that i like (with olive oil and beeswax) will start to harden on the spoon a little bit quite quickly after i take it out of the pot. anyways, you have to play around with it because it varies quite a bit from climate, season, and personal preference. one thing, though.. if it's too waxy only add a little bit of oil in to smooth it out.

 

heyvictor,
bear root as in osha root?

those tools are really great.

honey doesn't ferment as quickly. you need to let it sit for much  longer. and, yes, it is anti-microbial.. and the better quality the honey (unpasteurized) the more anti-microbial it should be.

thanks for posting that, heyvictor. it is appreciated.

i use Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) for lung conditions. It acts as a restorative to the lungs (yin) but also as an expectorant that resolves dampness/mucous. energetically it is more cooling and soothing to the lungs so is more indicated for heat related conditions. however, it can be used for cold-damp conditions, but i would combine it with other more specific herbs. it is apparently useful for related (sinus/lung/upper back/head/neck) pain (never used it for that)

as far as being used for grief i would say sure... especially if there is an underlying lung yin def.

when honey contacts the skin it reacts to create small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. it also creates a seal over the area keeping other things out and the honey you should be using (unpasteurized, high quality) contains propolis which is highly antimicrobial. honey is also moisurizing to the skin and to the digestive tract. it is a good, gentle remedy for mild constipation due to dryness - particularly in the elderly. similarly, it can be used for a dry throat.

you can use it on wounds, infections, burns, etc. just make sure it's good quality.