Herbal, aromatherapy, naturopath, homeopathic education

[heatherlynnky]

I am looking for the best way to educate myself so that I can help my family stay healthy without depending on the doctor. I know at times a doctor might be needed but for the most part I prefer to avoid them. Has anyone done courses of study that they found helpful, or books they studied themselves?

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I have done some self-study and am currently enrolled in PennFoster's Basic Herbology course. I understand your reasonings. I am an LPN, so I already have some knowledge of medical skills and I'm wanted to go deeper into the ancestory of medician to treat my family during health and illness. I'm half-way thru the program, so I'm looking at the world a bit differently. Also being a small time farmer, with my roots in farming for the past several generations, I am changing the way I look at weeds. Not all weeds are my enemies anymore. Some of the plants that will intentionally be planted in my garden, very soon, will look like weeds to most people. I expect some strange looks. I have already begun to treat my immediate and extended family thru a few illnesses. My godchild, currently has pneumonia, which I'm not supposed to play with, but believe it or not, all the ER did was diagnosis her and send her home, so most of her help has been from me. I need to set up so many planters and obtain large pots for a few that don't need much room.
You can read my thread at your leisure.....Herbal Studies. I started it way back when I decided to enroll. One of our moderators, seem to be very knowledgeable about plant identification and herbal uses. In truth, there are a few reasons I am able to do well in my studies. I farm, I keep bees, my husband was a wine maker and I'm a nurse. I still could do all these things without these things going for me, but I'd have to improvise a bit. You see, the recipes require a lot of honey, bees wax, and plant matter. Also, some of the recipes are to make wine for medicinal purposes, so it really helped to have DH's equipment at my disposal. You will want to have at least a cabinet you can use for your 'medician cabinet.'
Oh I can go on and on about this subject. Really though you can go as deep or as shallow as you wish. Hope I didn't scare you. I do it my way and you might not want to go that route. I am paying $39/month (really every 2 weeks to get it over with), but with that, I'm getting quite a collection of books and workbooks, and am being tested, and will have a certificate when I'm finished. I was already studying privately and in truth, nothing is stopping someone from learning what I'm learning independantly. Good luck.

 

[heatherlynnky]

I have found some books on herbalism that I have been going through. I feel a tad overwhelmed by the amount of information. I have no medical anything, I just know that almost nothing that the doctor has ever given me has done me a bit of good. I just have a touch of hay fever but when it comes to meds I have allergic reactions all the time. I use some homeopathic remedies but I do not know enough yet to use them more extensively. Despite the critics i find these remedies effective. I will check out the pennfoster program. I am currently trying to get over the flu very quickly so I can take a 16 hour first aid course. I am just trying to get a bit more self sufficient in taking care of the minor stuff for the family.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

If you decide to take the plunge, as I did, then good. Otherwise, if you wanna go thru a self-study, allow me to tell you about the very first book in my studies. Its Called THE HERBAL HOME REMEDY BOOK, by Joyce A. Wardwell. I believe what she said about learning just a few herbs well, rather than knowing hundreds. She teaches on only 25 herbs that are readily available thru much of the US, are fairly easy to obtain, grow, recognize and administer and she teaches in a way that you feel she is just talking plainly to you.
She gives many recipes and suggestions. She can get you making basic wines, salves, tinctures, teas, poultices and several other things that aren't coming to me right now.
Don't get me wrong.....I don't wanna stop you from enrolling. If money isn't a problem and you have the time, then go for it.
In the meantime, can I make a few suggestions. Obtain some local honey....unpasturized, if possible and begin using it. Avoid milk products when you are suffering. If you have some goldenrod in bloom right now around your home, fill a glass jar with the flowers and cap it off with vinegar....let it set for about 2 weeks then strain off the flowers and stems. Use the vinegar in your food. It will toughen you up. Start taking echinecea to boost your immunities. If you can obtain some herbs for purposes of making medicinal teas, go for it. The grocery shelves have very few of what I've read in my studies.
Do what you think you have to do. I have done the study, because I want to be more natural, more independant, healthier and because I just don't know what healtcare is coming to......will I always have a doctor, when I want one??? IDK.

 

[txcanoegirl]

In the meantime, can I make a few suggestions. Obtain some local honey....unpasturized, if possible and begin using it. Avoid milk products when you are suffering. If you have some goldenrod in bloom right now around your home, fill a glass jar with the flowers and cap it off with vinegar....let it set for about 2 weeks then strain off the flowers and stems. Use the vinegar in your food. It will toughen you up. Start taking echinecea to boost your immunities. If you can obtain some herbs for purposes of making medicinal teas, go for it. The grocery shelves have very few of what I've read in my studies.

I've always heard that local honey helped the immune system. My husband kept bees back before I knew him, but we don't have them now. He plans to get back to it in the future. In the meantime, I only buy honey that is local.

As for the goldenrod, I recently read about its benefits for muscle spasms and other uses. I collected it around my property and dried some, and made tincture out of some, using vodka (the method I use for vanilla extract). I didn't know the vinegar method. That sounds even better. I also made some goldenrod oil. I also dried some for tea. I haven't used any of these yet.

I like what you said about learning a few plants very well. I've been trying to do that with just what's on my own property. I figure I should know what I have and what it's good for, and how to use it safely.

Jill in Texas

 

[rhoda_bruce]

The crazy thing about herbs is that you learn one herb is good for allergies then later on you find out its good for muscle spasms....and it happens again and again, with multiple herbs. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know. I've just gone thru a 2 week nightmare, that would be hard to explain without going on a huge rant, but its time for me to get back into my studies with increased vigor. I wish whoever wants to learn about herbs, every success in whatever way you choose to learn it.......independently or in a formal study or apprenticeship. Be careful. Some herbs have very dangerous look-alikes. If you have any doubt at all, get 3 or 4 more cross references or seek out someone who you can consult with.

 

[LilacSpring]

Rhoda bruce...


I ordered this book last weekend on Amazon and received it on the day of the Blizzard of 2013 (friday). We received 35 inches of snow, and today Sunday... the roads are still not plowed.

Perfect timing to be able to sit down and read,read,read.

Thank you for the suggestion.

Lisa

If you decide to take the plunge, as I did, then good. Otherwise, if you wanna go thru a self-study, allow me to tell you about the very first book in my studies. Its Called THE HERBAL HOME REMEDY BOOK, by Joyce A. Wardwell. I believe what she said about learning just a few herbs well, rather than knowing hundreds. She teaches on only 25 herbs that are readily available thru much of the US, are fairly easy to obtain, grow, recognize and administer and she teaches in a way that you feel she is just talking plainly to you.
She gives many recipes and suggestions. She can get you making basic wines, salves, tinctures, teas, poultices and several other things that aren't coming to me right now.
Don't get me wrong.....I don't wanna stop you from enrolling. If money isn't a problem and you have the time, then go for it.
In the meantime, can I make a few suggestions. Obtain some local honey....unpasturized, if possible and begin using it. Avoid milk products when you are suffering. If you have some goldenrod in bloom right now around your home, fill a glass jar with the flowers and cap it off with vinegar....let it set for about 2 weeks then strain off the flowers and stems. Use the vinegar in your food. It will toughen you up. Start taking echinecea to boost your immunities. If you can obtain some herbs for purposes of making medicinal teas, go for it. The grocery shelves have very few of what I've read in my studies.
Do what you think you have to do. I have done the study, because I want to be more natural, more independant, healthier and because I just don't know what healtcare is coming to......will I always have a doctor, when I want one??? IDK.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Oh my.....never in my life have I seen more than 2 inches that I can remember. Glad to have helped though and hope you like it. I hear about fierce winters and in one way it makes me feel fortunate because of the length of growing seasons and the vast amounts of plants I can grow that northern climates, but alas.....I can easily think of several trees and herbs that I simply can't grow, but ya'll can. Walnut comes to mind real quick. And cherries, apples, etc......

 

[txcanoegirl]

I hear about fierce winters and in one way it makes me feel fortunate because of the length of growing seasons and the vast amounts of plants I can grow that northern climates, but alas.....I can easily think of several trees and herbs that I simply can't grow, but ya'll can. Walnut comes to mind real quick. And cherries, apples, etc......

Aren't your growing conditions the same as mine? You're in southeast Louisiana on the Gulf Coast and I'm in Southeast Texas, near the gulf, also. We have a walnut tree, and it grows just fine here. Unless I'm mistaken about your general location and your growing conditions, I'd think if we can grow them, you could? As for cherries, Barbados Cherries will grow here, and Cherry of the Rio Grande (not a true cherry, but similar). My husband tells me that there are also a couple of new varieties of cherries that have low chill hours and will grow in our area. They are hard to come by, but when we can get our hands on them, we're planting them, too. There are two or three varieties of low chill hour apples, too. I don't know the names of them, but can find out if you're interested. We don't have ours yet, but they're on our master plan.

We get our fruit tree information from non-profit Urban Harvest in Houston. We're close enough to Houston that what grows there works for us, too. We have bought most of our fruit trees from their annual fruit tree sale. The trees they sell then are specifically selected to grow in our area. They sell a wonderful book that lists the varieties of fruits and vegetables that grow in our area. It is really useful because it only includes the things that actually work here.

Their info is: http://www.urbanharvest.org/

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I've tried apples and cherries because I found varieties that supposedly could grow in zone 9, but it didn't last but a few years. Maybe if I'd have had higher ground to plant on it would have been better. I could go on a search and find a walnut that can take the heat, but all I've found grows from zones 4 to 8. I have asked my SIL to plant me a tree on her property in Tylertown, MS.....I only need a bag or so of nuts and hulls to do what all I want anyway. Its good to have relatives that run the streets sometimes.