In a clutch situation, you’re not going to be able to walk into a pharmacy and get something for what ails you. Should you need to bug out, you’ll need to consider some natural remedies that could keep you going when commercial remedies are gone.
Many remedies offer a way to take care of the issue at hand, while maintaining a perfectly natural and healthy medicinal option. American Survival Guide went straight to an expert source, Angela Wastchak, known in North Carolina for her copious use of natural remedies. She defines these as the utilization of natural resources coming from the earth, including leaves, roots and plants through what she refers to as “God’s pharmacy.”
10 YEARS OF NATURAL
Wastchak began using natural remedies 10 years ago, after finding a website to help her with her family’s health needs.
She explained, “I began my journey by looking for alternative ways to heal our family health issues without conventional medicine as the first line of defense. I also raise our animals in a natural and holistic environment, as well. There are many doctors and researchers to whom I look to gain insight.”
So far, Wastchak and her family have seen astounding improvements in health and the overall quality of life just by using natural remedies as opposed to conventional medicines. Natural remedies offer a world of wonders for those who wish to pursue a natural, holistic lifestyle, as Wastchak has done.
In addition to fighting off vampires, garlic provides a natural substance that helps to fight many common illnesses.
Wastchak says, “I use garlic because of its anti-viral, anti-fungal and antibiotic properties.” Coming from the onion family, garlic is something easily grown in one’s backyard or on one’s homestead.
To help with the common cold, a sore throat, or even the flu, take about three cloves of garlic, dice them and leave them out in the open for at least 10 minutes. According to Wastchak, the more it is exposed to air, the more allicin it will create and this is what helps you to heal. Run a cup of hot water through a coffee maker or bring to a boil on the stove. Set it aside for about five minutes to allow it to cool. (Be sure to never place garlic into water that is too hot or it will break down the healing properties of the garlic.) Then, place all the garlic in the heated water and let it steep for about fifteen minutes. Finally, drain off the garlic pieces through a strainer and sip what Wastchak refers to as the “hot toddy” until it is gone. She says to do this once a day for a few days and a difference should be felt quite quickly. Wastchak also noted that “If you or your patient find it hard to palate the taste, you can always add any kind of tea during the steeping process. Teas have excellent healing properties because they help pull toxins from the body.”
Olive oil, created from extracting the oil from olive drupes, is a great resource to help one’s skin and overall health. By replicating our bodies’ natural properties, olive oil will help to maintain good health and keep us going for much longer.
To help with the common earache, take a small container and slightly warm about a teaspoon of olive oil—not too hot, merely warm. In order to make sure it is the perfect temperature, test the temperature on the underside of your wrist to ensure it will not burn. With the patient lying with their head on a pillow, affected ear up, use an eyedropper to place about eight drops in the affected ear canal. Wastchak suggested that if you do not have a dropper handy, take a clean tissue, absorb the oil and squeeze the drops in with that. In addition, placing a towel over the pillow beforehand will allow for easy clean-up when you’re finished. Now, place a warm, wet washcloth (heated to as warm as the skin can take it) and place it over the ear. Keep re-warming the washcloth as it cools and placing it over the ear. Keep an iron and a bowl of water close by. Dip the cloth into the water every few minutes then reheat the damp cloth with the iron by pressing it like you would iron a shirt. This remedy should provide instant relief. When you have repeated the process for approximately a half hour, place a few tissues over the patient’s ear and have them turn over and let it drain.
Such a remedy comes highly recommended from Wastchak, who says, “It has saved my children on many late nights.”
Some prescription medications have many unwanted side effects; many home remedies have come about in an effort to maintain health and treat both the symptoms and causes of ailments or illnesses.
A very powerful absorbent, activated charcoal binds with poisons and toxins in your body to move them safely through the gastrointestinal tract.
In order to help someone with a stomachache or one who has come in contact with raw or contaminated food, take one tablespoon of activated charcoal in powder form and mix it into a full glass of water. The charcoal will bind itself to the toxins and poisons and move it safely through your system. Or, if you have charcoal capsules, take three capsules and follow suit with a full glass of water to get the same results. Wastchak emphasized that if you take charcoal capsules, to always drink at least a glass of water to help this to work safely and efficiently.
In addition to stomachaches or dealing with contaminated food, activated charcoal helps to relieve bug bites, particularly ant bites and bee stings. You will need to make enough of a poultice to cover the bite area. Take equal parts water and charcoal powder and mix together. Then, mix a few drops of flaxseed oil into the charcoal and water. This will allow the mixture to stay moist while against the bite. Dab on enough of this mixture to cover the bite site and place a bandage over the area. Next, wrap the bandage with a layer of plastic wrap to ensure the poultice stays moist. This will work by drawing out toxins that are causing pain and swelling out of the skin.
EXPLORE
Start learning about home remedies today; you never know what could save you in a bad situation. Mother Nature has provided us with plenty of natural meds right under our noses; wake up and smell the cure!
Conventional medicine is often easy to access—one needs only to head to the local grocery store to pick up an over-the-counter substance that helps to treat whatever illness or ailment needs attention. However, conventional medicine often treats the symptoms of that illness or ailment, rather than fighting the true cause and preventing it from resurfacing later. Wastchak found that the use of natural medicines often not only treats the symptoms, but also offers that preventative aspect that conventional medicines don’t offer. She suggests using the natural remedies as the base medicine for most needs, and then supplementing the use with effective conventional medicine as needed.
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in the August 2014 print issue of American Survival Guide.