Getting my thumbnail pinched while assembling my folding bicycle sold me on herbs for first aid. I had some herbal salve in my backpack, so I quickly applied some to my throbbing thumb. I could already see a dark spot at the base of the nail. Within 20 minutes the thumb was no longer painful, and over the next few days the pain did not return and the dark spot on the nail did not get worse.
Since that day about 25 years ago, I've used herbal preparations as well as herbs straight from the garden.
My rule of thumb is to treat a minor injury immediately, before the body's defensive reactions such as inflammation can kick in. In practical terms, that means it's important either to carry a small herbal first-aid kit with you, or else to know what you can use wherever you are. If you can positively identify a plant you are certain is nontoxic, you can chew the leaves and apply a quick poultice. In a pinch, many green leaves can work.
As a beginning herbalist, I read books that recommended 5 or 15 herbs for a single use, which seemed imprecise. With experience, I learned that although plants have different chemical constituents, when it comes to first aid, precision is not in fact important. It is important to positively identify any plant you intend to use.
If I'm in my own garden, I can choose from my living apothecary. Since it's a vegan organic garden, my plants are safe to use. If you don't know whether pesticides have been used in a particular garden, don't use those plants for medicinal purposes.
A great all-purpose healing plant is plantain, with either narrow or wide leaves. It usually occurs as a weed, but I cultivate a plant or two in containers. For any minor cut, bruise, or insect bite, I briefly chew a leaf and apply the macerated leaf as a poultice.
Yarrow has a reputation as the premier herb to stop bleeding. Yarrow leaves are my second choice after plantain for minor garden injuries. The white-flowered form, rather than any of the colorful cultivars, is the best choice for medicinal uses.
If I'm in my garden when the mosquitoes are biting, lavender or sage leaves rubbed on my arms and face keeps them away successfully. But they'll still bite my feet, so if I need to be outdoors for a while, I use aromatics head to toe.
Any of these herbs can also be made into a healing salve, alone or in combination. The base of a salve is generally a light oil such as grapeseed or olive, with a wax such as jojoba or beeswax. Calendula petals, as well as comfrey leaves or root, are quick skin healers and work well with other herbs in a salve. She studied western constitutional herbalism, materia medica, and field botany with Michael Moore at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in Silver City, NM.
© 2011 Tanya Kucak