How I Got Started with Herbs (and You Can, Too)

When my daughter was a baby, she had chronic diaper rash.  (And eczema, and diarrhea, and….)

I didn’t yet know anything about natural health.  At all.  We ate fast food, and packaged meals.  We had lots of over-the-counter (OTC) remedies around the house that we used any time we didn’t feel well.  I had absolutely no clue.

I tried everything to help her diaper rash, which would start with a bright red bottom, and progress to open, bleeding sores.  I slathered her butt in the white cream constantly, let her go diaper-free when I could, switched her into disposables until the rash cleared and cleaned my cloth diapers well.  Nothing really worked.

I did what all good parents do — I took her to the doctor.  I showed the doctor the rash.  The doctor took a cursory glance, told me it was bacterial, and prescribed an antibiotic cream.

I filled that prescription, and put the cream on her that night.

The next morning, not only was her diaper rash not any better — not even slightly — but the her eczema had flared up a lot.

I was disgusted.  I threw the cream in a drawer and never used it again.  I was sure that I could come up with something that could do a better job than that.  There had to be a better option, that actually worked, and that did not make things worse!

Looking for a Better, More Natural Option

I knew nothing about herbs.  I searched online, trying to get a feel for what my options were.  I came up with comfrey leaves and calendula flowers being good for skin healing.  I knew nothing else about them…but decided to go with it.

I made a “tea” with water and herbs (totally guessing on all of this), then blended it with sweet almond oil, beeswax, shea butter (to make it thicker), coconut oil (because it was anti-bacterial and anti-viral), and lavender essential oil.  It wasn’t perfect — I later learned that using water was a bad idea, because it could separate or mold without other ingredients in it, but, it was the only way I could think of to do it.  It felt super weird to use a thin, clear cream instead of a thick, white cream like I’d always known…but I had to try.

But it worked.

It cleared up the rash in one diaper change.  It didn’t stop it from coming back, because it turned out she had a bunch of food allergies that were causing the chronic diarrhea, which led to the rash.  Once we cut those out of her diet, we were able to heal the rash for good.  (That’s a long story — you can read about it here, with an update here.)

That was my very first foray into using herbs.  I had no clue what I was doing, no one to guide me, nothing at all…and still I found something that worked.

(If you’re curious, this is the diaper rash salve I make and use now.  It works, too, and I promise it’s easy.)

How I Got Started with Herbs (and You Can, Too)

I learned more about herbs over the next several years.  It was a lot of trial and error.  I searched online when I needed something, and began to gather a list of things that worked.  I started buying herbs in bulk, first in tiny amounts, and later in large amounts.  I regularly have 10 – 15 lbs. of different herbs in my kitchen now!

It was hard to learn all the herbs I could use, how to use them, how to prepare them…and more.  And I still often feel like I’m only at the tip of the iceberg on herbal knowledge.  I hope, someday, to study for a Master Herbalist certification…but that will have to wait awhile longer.

Trial and error wasn’t a terrible way to learn.  But a lot of people aren’t really into that.  It’s nerve-wracking, to be with a kid who doesn’t feel well and not know what to do.  To worry about if you’re doing the right thing…or if you could even be hurting your child by misusing herbs or essential oils.  A lot of moms, despite really wanting to get into natural remedies, just won’t take that risk.

I totally feel you.

I’m a self-starter, an experimenter.  It’s just kind of my personality that I don’t let anyone else tell me what to do (sometimes to my detriment!) and I always have to learn the hard way.

But many of my friends, they’re not like that.  They want a plan to follow.  They want to know exactly what they’re getting into.  If someone hands them a book and says “Make the recipe on page 30, and use it like this,” they will do it.  They need clear directions, and a few successes to get them feeling comfortable with natural remedies.

Is that you, too?

I can help!

The Ultimate Herbs & Essential Oils Bundle

This is a really cool collection.  It’s called the Ultimate Herbs & Essential Oils Bundle.  It’s a very focused library of herbs and essential oils resources from beginner to advanced.

There are 21 different resources in this bundle.  Some of which I’m using for myself, to learn even more!  (I’ve already begun the Vintage Remedies ecourse, Herbs & Oils: Beyond the Basics, which is normally $197.)

Today I want to highlight just some of the most basic stuff.  The stuff that you need to get you started and feeling confident in treating sniffles, coughs, and similar things…right away.

Safe EO Labels

This bundle includes a set of 30 essential oil safety labels, created by Lea Harris, certified aromatherapist and one of THE top EO safety experts.

Each label tells you:

• Whether it can be used on children, during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and or dogs and cats (inhaled and topically)
• Maximum ‘strength’ for topical use (correct dilution)
• Shelf life
• Contraindications for use
• Latin names

These are labels you could easily print out and wrap around 10 – 30 ml bottles so that safety info is immediately at hand.  Or, slip the entire sheet of paper into a folder, or clip to your fridge.  No need to look up safety info in many places or wonder!

Value: $19.99

Essential Oils: Separating Myths From Truths

This is written by Kristen Smith, who’s currently studying to become an herbalist.  Plus, I’ve met her and some of her children in real life and she’s very sweet and very passionate about all of this.  She showed me an awesome little nursery and herbalism store!

If you’re confused about essential oils, and don’t know who to trust, this is a great book.  Kristen is not a rep for any EO brand, and does not discuss any brands in the book.  It is completely coming from a neutral point of view.

This book addresses such commonly-heard phrases, like:

• Therapeutic-Grade Oils
• Scent Indicates Quality
• There’s No Research
• It’s All Placebo
• Pure & Natural Means Safe
• There’s an Oil For That
• Flavoring Water with Oils
• Perfectly Safe for Moms and Littles
• …and 17 more

Basically, if you’ve heard it passed around as “advice” on social media, it’s addressed in this book!

Value: $9.95

Common Sense Home Remedies, #1, #2, and #3

Laurie Neverman of Commonsense Homesteading wrote these short books.  I haven’t met Laurie in real life, but we are friends on Facebook and I really enjoy her humor. 🙂

There are three of them, each focused on one specific topic.

#1 — Skin Remedies

Perfect for summer!  Starts with sunburn remedies (a whole bunch of them).  Then, it’s bites and stings.  After that, splinters, warts, acne, and even dry skin!  (That last one is probably better for winter.)

#2 — Tummy Troubles

This is possibly better for winter (which will come before you know it), but is really good year-around.  There’s help for upset stomachs, acid reflux, nausea/vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, and gas.

#3 — Head, Throat, and Chest

This book is excellent for the winter yuckies!  There are sections for headaches, canker sores, earaches, sore throats, coughs, and congestion.

Each of these books is laid out with several remedies listed very simply in each section, with a description of how, when, and why to use it.  They’re very folksy, down-home type books — not medical advice, but what you really need to know to treat the “basics” at home, naturally.

Value: $8.97

The total value of just these three resources is $38.91.  They’re only three out of twenty, including that almost-$200 ecourse I mentioned above.

The bundle sells for only $29.97…which is a total steal, whether you’re really only interested in these three books, or if you were interested in several others.

There’s also DIY Lavender Creations.  This one is neat, because it focuses heavily on just one herb.  It has sections for facial care, body care, hair care, bath recipes, cleaning recipes, recipes (food) with lavender, anxiety and stress remedies, headache remedies, sleep, crafts, and more!  It’s really thorough.

Just a small sampling of the recipes/remedies you’ll find:

• Foaming Facial Cleanser
• Lavender-Clay Face Mask
• Dry Shampoo
• Lavender Body Oil
• Soothing Bath Salts
• Bath Fizzies
• Lemon-Lavender All-Purpose Cleaner
• Moth-Repellent Sachets
• Honey Roasted Chicken with Lavender
• Lavender-Infused Chocolate Truffles
• Quick Apple-Lavender Jelly
• Raspberry-Lavender Soda
• Calendula-Lavender Healing Salve
• Insect Bite Soother
• After Sun Spray
• Simple Lavender Soap
• …and tons more

It would take you a year or more to actually try all the recipes in this book!  That’s pretty action-packed.  It retails for $5.99 (which is way too low for all that’s in here!).

Mama and Baby Herbal Wisdom

This is my brand-new book, not available anywhere else!  It’s all about herbs and natural remedies that are safe during pregnancy, and with our most precious little ones.  I’ve been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for over 9 years now, so I pretty much only use herbs that are pregnancy and breastfeeding-safe!

In this book, you’ll find beginner info, like the 10 easiest natural remedies chart (using things you probably already have at home), plus how to make salves, tinctures, teas, and other basic preparation.

And, tons of awesome remedies, like:

• Herbal Magnesium Lotion
• Cramp and After Pains Tincture
• Simple Pregnancy Tea
• Postpartum Recovery Tea
• Nipple Butter
• Mastitis Salve
• Colic Tincture
• Teething Tincture
• Good Night Lotion
• …and more!

Some of these are my favorite.  We use the teething tincture and good night lotions often!!

The book retails for $7.95.

The Bonus Offers

In addition to all of these books (plus several I didn’t mention), there’s an offer for 50% off your order with Golden Poppy Herbs.  What’s neat about this store, is that they sell their bulk herbs in 1/2 oz. quantities, so you can get tiny amounts to try and not commit to having a ton of something around if you don’t know that it will work for you.  It’s a pretty good deal, to get 50% off too!

That bonus is available to anyone who purchases the library.  But I’m also offering an additional bonus, that is exclusive to Modern Alternative Health readers!

This bonus is a short set of printables.  They’re your cheat-sheets to using natural remedies quickly and easily.  The pack, which is called the Quick Guide to Natural Remedies, includes:

• Tummy Remedies
• Respiratory Remedies
• General/Misc Remedies
• When to Call the Doctor

Nothing in here is medical advice, it’s based on my own experiences as a mother of 5 children (and some advice I received from some excellent doctors I know). 🙂

The Bottom Line

So basically, what you’ve got here is an awesome package.

16 awesome books + printables + ecourses + bonuses (buy here).  It’s worth hundreds…but it will cost you only $29.97.

Seriously, don’t waste your time experimenting and hoping for the best like I did.  Why would you, when you have this amazing collection at your fingertips?  You’ll have the info you need, right now, to help your family to better health.

If you’re not quite convinced that natural remedies are better — maybe you think they’re a good idea, but when your little one really isn’t feeling well, you still reach for the Tylenol — definitely come back on Friday.  I’ll be explaining why that’s not a good idea, and why we don’t use any OTC medications anymore.

Of course, this collection is the perfect answer to “what to do instead,” so no worries! 🙂

Do you use herbal remedies yet?  Why or why not?