Mullein:

The best use I have found for this herb, and there are many….
If you have a stomach virus….

Get a handful of flowers from mullein and STEEP them in 2 cups of hot water, strain this and drink one entire cup. This will almost immediately ease stomach cramps.

These flowers make a good sedative for the nervous system and also will ease pain.

Breathe in the vapors of tea made with fresh leaves for congestion.

CATNIP:

Tea dosages:

Fever: One cup of strong tea made by steeping dried leaves for 20 minutes in hot water

Pain: Steep green leaves in hot water 7-12 minutes

Stomach Cramps: double the dose of the herb in one cup of water and simmer, not steep, for 15 minutes

Relaxation: Use the small, tiny leaves just below the flower head, right before it flowers. Dry them in a cool, dry place then steep the leaves for 20 minutes.

Bone and Joint pain: Make a mild tea by steeping the fresh (or dried) JOINED leaves of Boneset for about 30 minutes. A handful of leaves to two cups of water is sufficient.

Laxative: Make a cold tea from steeping a palmful of leaves of Boneset for 20 minutes and drink as a laxative.

Flu: Steep the Boneset leaves for 30 minutes and drink for colds, flu and fever.
You can add mint to this as well.

*use the upper, unjoined leaves for cold, flu and fever remedies. It is important to know when studying herbalism that one cannot just know this plant is good for that. One must know what part of the plant, when to remove it from the plant and how to remove it, how to prepare it and what route to present it to the body. One herb, like boneset, has many uses, making it the same way, but steeping it for different amounts of time. You don’t want to drink it for the flu and end up on the toilet because you mistakenly made the tea as a laxative!

Poison Ivy or skin rashes: Boil the twigs from a Black Birch Tree. Make a strong tea out of it and then let it cool. Apply it to the affected area, repeating several times after it dries. The young leaves used fresh and the bark of the twigs are the main medicinal parts of a black birch. Drying the leaves for later use does not work unfortunately. I have only known this tree to work when the parts are used fresh.

Sedative: Make a strong tea from the leaves and twigs and drink when stressed and needing sleep. It induces a good night’s sleep and calms the nerves.

Pain: Boil the bark and twigs to release the oil and apply this to sore muscles and strains to relieve pain.

Rattlesnake Plantain:

Make a tea with the leaves and mix with whiskey for colds and toothaches
*If you have a burn type accident when hiking, chew some of the leaves and place it on the burn, it eases the pain

Turtlehead:

These grow tall and have a pretty bloom. I will take a picture this Spring in full bloom and add it to this post.

A beautiful wildflower in this area, I grow it in my yard as well. The leaves made into a tea is very good for fever and a laxitive

Comfrey

One should keep comfrey available in case say….

you are cutting something like say, a bagel….and you almost slice your finger off, you are bleeding all over the place and most likely need stitches. Well, wash a comfrey leaf thoroughly and wrap it around the area. It stops the bleeding so you can give yourself stitches (or go get them or whatever).

after the bleeding stops

cover the area with RAW honey and place another comfrey leaf around the wound and wrap it up. Change this several times each day, washing gently and putting more honey on. The honey helps heal and the comfrey keeps it from bleeding.

If you take the root, wash it thoroughly, peel the outside layer away, slice the inner layer into thin slices and let them dry slowly and completely….

you can pound this into a fine powder. Store this powder in an air tight jar and if you have a bleeding cut, you can add a small amount to water, stirring thoroughly, and wash the wound with it. This helps stop bleeding.

Jewelweed (Touch Me Not).

This is almost an embarrassing post, but something that I am sure everyone has dealt with at one point or another.
I was on a backpacking trip with Tom, my partner for 7 years. Well I was terribly constipated. It was to the point of pain and I was miserable. As we were hiking, he gave me a few leaves off of a jewelweed plant and told me to chew on them. Mind you NOTHING I tried was working. I did as he suggested.
Within an hour, well…..I was no longer constipated! I have used this plant several times and it always worked well.Mind you it is perfect for Poison Ivy/Oak as well. The juice from the stalk placed on the affected area will ease the itch. I know of some people who take this and freeze it, making little ice cubes to use for poison ivy as needed.