Build Your Own Herbal Medicine Shelf at Home
- ahvhinc
- Mar 27, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 11
Ladiessss, it's time! It is time for us to start building and investing in a herbal medicine shelf right inside of our own homes.
I don't know about y'all.. but one of my biggest visions of my home was to have a herbal medicine shelf. Even before I really started learning about medicinal use through herbs, I always knew that I wanted to take care of my family in a very natural and self-sufficient manner. You know one of those nice shelves that have your herbs on display and you can just search for what you need as if you are at the store? That's what I'm talking about. Let's get into ittt!
In this blog, I'm gonna talk about three primary things: (1) why start a herbal medicine shelf, (2) how to preserve the life of your herbs, and (3) what accessible herbs could you start off with that is good for dealing with common ailments.
Why Start A Herbal Medicine Shelf
So, why do this anyways when you can just go to the store and grab some NyQuil or Ibuprofen right?
As discussed in my blog about the functioning of pharmaceutical drugs compared to herbs and natural foods (check that post out here ), using herbs as your remedies is not a quick fix of symptoms but something that brings your entire body into balance and health. In turn, it subsides the symptoms. Not only that, but unlike Nyquil and other drugs, it doesn't come with a long list of side effects due to the manipulation of the body frequency system.
Now, I said "long list of side effects" because it's not one of those things to where it's just this magical perfect potion. Just as in conventional medicine you have to know chemistry and energetics, you also have to know what to place together and what not to place together, or even know how much of a certain herb is too much. Just as there are people who are allergic to certain fruits or foods, so is the same with herbs. If those things aren't considered, you can very well have many adverse symptoms. Even when they are considered, a person's individual body could still possibly react. However, like my mama and aunty used to say, "I tell ya one thing" the symptoms of the latter is waaaay better than the froward, especially in terms of the health of your whole being. The practice of using herbs really is about keeping the machine body in unity working together for the common purpose.
Herbs is the way to go to help your body fight off any type of invader! So, why should you build an at home medicine shelf?
It's Cost Efficient
Starting an herbal medicine shelf is very cost efficient to do. It really is inexpensive to start gathering some herbs and storing them. Just start small, little bit by little bit and soon it will start to build. The lighter the herb, such as flowers or leaves, the lesser they will usually cost. Most of the time roots and barks would be a little more expensive or herbs that are harder to acquire. Also, buying herbs from your local market or wholesaler will save you a lot of money because it spreads really well over a course of time. A little goes a long way.
With this being cost efficient, it wont be too hard to slowly start investing in acquiring herbs to store on your at home shelf. Remember, it doesn't have to be filled quickly! My very first herbal blend that I stored for a while was arnica oil and black seed oil. I had those two and a few other common herbs to start out with for a while. Then, I slowly built my collection but it didn't happen overnight. Some things are worth pacing. There's much in that harvest.
It's Beneficial for Short & Long-Term
It's getting hard in the world right now to really know if something is made of good ingredients with the aim to truly help you get to a healthy state. Things to consider are: Does this produce a quick fix, meaning you will be good for a couple of months and then it's back? Is it something that don't cause a measurable change but negatively interrupts another organ in your body? So many times this is the case and we have to make endless trips to the doctor, for stuff that we can really solve at home. The safest way to help our bodies fight off sickness or keep its healthy habitat is maintaining a healthy diet and having a generally good amount of herbal intake.
A herbal medicine shelf at home will be beneficial for today and the future. How I like to think when it comes to important things like health, food, and shelter is if the world had a massive shut down, would I be able to have some control over those things without depending on stores, doctors, or anyone else? If my answer is no, then I think there may be room to think of how I can position myself to change that answer. We should all be prepared for anything to happen, because guess what, we have very little control over whether circumstances change today or tomorrow. It's better to be prepared than not. Essentially, we should all be striving to provide such services to ourselves: Growing our own organic food, Knowing how to take care of our family if illness approaches. These are skills to acquire that will not take anything away from us, but keep us ready today and later.
Building your herbal medicine shelf at home now will give you direct access to care right away and if any future illnesses arrive, you will be prepared because you will have the necessary tools right at your leisure.
I recommend buying some herbal remedy books to study and learn about it for the sake of being able to nurture those around you.
It Provides Conscious Comfort
One thing that I stress about, I don't know if others do, but I constantly think about what I am putting in my body. Like... I wanna know it all. What exactly is this that you are selling to me, or prescribing? Can I know the plant that it's derived from? Can I smell it? feel it? What did you do to it? Was TLC in the process, or did you just slaughter it lol?
The more and more I study the beautiful science and divine nature of herbs, the more I appreciate the senses that the Creator has given me. After transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle, my sensory information load has become sooo strong. I can smell whether I shouldn't eat something, or feel it with my fingers, or see it with my eyes. This sensibility strengthened the more I ate healthier and started to include herbs in my daily intake. Have you ever tasted something and was like "Oh nah! This is nooot right." That's because our senses are designed to help us in everyday life and decisions; one of those things are what we should and shouldn't eat.
I found that having my own herbs at home eased my worry of whether or not I am intaking anything chemically made or just bad for any of my body systems. People may not realize that even when it comes to taking supplements and vitamins, the big businesses out here are producing a great quantity of those products so often times they add fillers to take up space. Fillers that are really just pointless, and cheaply made. You think that you're paying for just that herb but you are actually paying for a smaller amount of it plus fillers plus preservatives plus additives, all because of business matters such as cutting down business costs, bulking up the volume of a product, or in efforts to change the texture of something.
That is why here at Ahavah, A Place of Unity Co., the herbal blends and teas are filled straight with herbs ensuring that you are getting what you're paying for. Products made with care & great intention.
When I reach for an herb from my shelf, I don't have to question ingredients or intent. Mind you, I had a general rule of not adding any herb to my shelf until I understood the chemistry and energetics of that herb. So, if you are someone who wouldn't trust even yourself to take care of yourself (lol), do your due diligence, reach out to an herbalist and get some guidance to ensure that you are safely making use of our plant friends.
When it comes to the safety of herbs vs. pharmaceutical drugs you have to really think about the fact that modern "western" medicine has only been around since the 18th century. That means that it has only been in official workings for 3 total centuries. What about all the other centuries? The 17 that came before the 18th? What was going on? I tell you what was going on... for all of those centuries our ancestors were in tune with their senses and their connection with nature in such a way that they were gathering information about the things around them such as foods, plants, herbs. Yup, they were doing some trial & error. Some people more than likely found out that a berry was poisonous after they ate it.. unfortunately. But, they learned and took note of that. They took note of what did work and what it worked for. Centuries later, we are fortunate to not have to go through trial & error in that way but actually have books of the combined wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors.
How to Preserve the Life of your Herbs
The way to not worry about this section is to purchase dried herbs. These herbs will be your best bet at storing on your medicine shelf. Herbs in their dry or frozen state is the best way of preservation.
If herbs are homegrown or bought fresh, then you can go the way of drying or freezing them on your own. A couple of dry methods would be drying via a basket, dehydrator, or simply laying them out in a hot place (some people hang them in bunches). After drying them, you just safely store then in a dry airtight container.
There are other options other than drying them, which consists of freezing or simply enjoying them fresh!
For example, I have a number of different herbs growing in my yard such as chickweed, dandelion, milk thistle, and some others but my favorite one is by far the chamomile simply because I would find one patch of them and then discover another in a different location. With that, I could just go out onto my yard in the sun-rising and pluck off some of the flowers to make a nice relaxing tea. Perfect to start the day, or even if you buy some fresh mint from the store! Either way, fresh tea is very aromatic. Some methods of freezing would be to place the herbs in ice cubes or freezing them in freezer bags by laying the herb in a bag flat before placing them in the freezer.
Whether you would like to buy them already dried or grow your own herbs at home, it is fairly easy to preserve them.
Accessible Herbs for Common Ailments:
In this section, you will find a couple of herbs that can be used for managing common ailments.
Nausea
Peppermint or spearmint tea
Nibbling on a piece of Ginger
Cloves help with motion sickness if traveling
Cough and Cold
Cinnamon (high in anti-oxidants), Cloves (contains expectorant properties), Eucalyptus (decongestant, reducing mucus production), Elderberry, Echinacea, Mullein
Others: Sea Moss, Honey
Natural Remedy(ies): Steam inhalation of 3 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil. If it is a dry cough, you can drink hot tea made with ginger powder, cinnamon, and ground cardamom. If it's a wet cough, enjoy some ginger tea w/ honey
Headache
Ginger (as a pain reliever and for inflammation), Skullcap (for muscle relaxation), Boswellia/Frankincense, Peppermint, Chamomile/Lavender
Natural Remedy(ies): Apply a drop or so of tea tree oil onto temples or onto the back of one of your hands and sniff to relieve some pressure in your head. Stay well hydrated and breathe deep breaths so to increase the amount of oxygen flowing to your brain
Constipation
Psyllium Husk, Senna, Slippery elm, Triphala (these have natural laxative related properties)
Natural Remedy(ies): Take 2 tbs of aloe vera gel mixed with water everyday or aloe vera juice once a day. Also, taking a tsp of castor oil can relieve the bowels.
Setting up your own medicine shelf at home may seem hard to do, but it being very cost effective makes it easy to acquire and ready to call your shelf it's home. If you liked this blog, subscribe to Ahavah, A Place of Unity Co.'s community and save 30% on your first order.
As cold & flu season approaches, shop our bestselling product to help suit your immune system: Elderberry Syrup made with wildcrafted berries, ginger, cloves, and more.
**Please note that if you are pregnant, or taking medications for pre-medical conditions, please consult with your doctor or a physician before taking any herbs.
Authored by: Syorsha Iyahna
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