Survivalist Pain Medicine 100 Proof Rum or Skullcap?

I don't know enough about herbal remedies, but I would certainly advise investing in a book about natural healing methods. There are usually plenty around, shouldn't take too much searching to find a non-wanky one that sidesteps any new-age gibberish and cuts straight to the facts of what to use and how to use it.

Have you considered meditation? By meditation you can actually lower your sensitivity to pain. I would suggest combining some regular meditation exercises with a knowledge and store of herbal remedies. It can only go so far though, so if you're looking to sterilise a wound, just get some pure alcohol. Once I slashed my hand open whilst out doing some urban exploration, and I poured a bit of whiskey over it. No infection, and it healed quickly. Stung a bit though.

Best to make sure you've got a variety of possible treatments. Also make sure you have tweezers, etc, in case you have to remove foreign objects. Learning to stitch your skin (or having someone else know how to do it) it very useful. There is a product that I used for a burn once, cannot remember what it's called, but it contains a mild anesthetic. Definitely a useful addition to your med box.

reply to post by wonderworld


it comes in all forms pills , extract, powder or loose leaf i get it in loose leaf form amd make tea with it. i also have a capsule maker and will make capsules. Be cautious and start off with low doses. It strong stuff and can be addictive.

As mentioned, White Willow Bark is a very effective herbal pain reviler. It is basically aspin.
St. John's wort oil can be applied onto any body part that hurts. I've used it in the past for muscle soreness and it seemed effective enough (although it may have been a placebo effect). Another one to consider is Valerian Root. Although primarily used for insomnia and anxiety, it seems to have some effect on pain levels (for me at least) as well. Hope this helps....

It won't help with the pain, but comfrey applied in a poultice will help speed healing of broken bones and wounds, as well as lessen bruising. Calendula is good for preventing infection, as a decoction, infusion, or poultice. Feverfew does just what it says, chamomile relaxes you, lavender and sage in the air promote recovery from injury and illness. Most people know echinacea (purple conefower) fights colds, and rosemary and thyme have antiseptic properties as well. As has been mentioned, willow bark tea is basically aspirin. For all around antiseptic properties, you can't beat goldenseal. My mom used to use it on us kids as a natural antibiotic, both topically for wounds, and internally as a tea for sore throats, intestinal flu, etc. I just planted some in my garden.

Birch twigs are minty-sweet and make great toothbrushes. Sassafrass leaves make great chewing gum/breath freshener (but they're a little slimy when chewed up).

A good book on herbal medicine is a great idea. Everyone should have one.

I've studied herbs and alkaloids for a long time, and I'm probably the last person to tell someone to avoid herbal remedies, that said however, pain management is serious business and make absolutely sure you know what you're doing before you start taking anything herbal or otherwise. Lobelia for example can be extremely effective for alleviating shock/panic and many other ailments, but the wrong species or wrong dosage can kill you just as effectively. There are different types of pain as well, an anti-inflammatory might work for one and not another so understanding your actual needs are important before you take anything as well.
Alcahol is a great topical antiseptic, cough remedy, polar solvent, depressant, and yes pain killer, but pain is your body's way of informing you that something is wrong and numbing that feeling may not always be a good idea. Common sense goes along way in herbalism, but you can't expect to jump right into 100 thousand or so years of human knowlege and experience without some homework first.

In the scenario you painted in the OP, I would recommend the booze for the initial (and most painful) procedure.
After you woke up from the ordeal, I would recommend downing a few milk thistle capsules (for your liver) with a cup of willow bark tea!
Bottoms Up!
Edit to add...I would also use a Usnea lychen compress for any open wounds...it is found in most old growth woods and is AWESOME for preventing any type of infection!

As for relieving pain for a broken bone, Use the booze for the resetting of the bone process, then I use a balm made from dried Arnica flowers, comfrey, boneset and Shea butter. It is the best topical blend I have found for relieving muscle aches, pains and even broken bones.
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
You must NEVER take it internally, as Arnica is toxic if ingested. Just massage it into the skin where it hurts, but do NOT use on an open wound.

As a few mentioned (and I starred) white willow bark is a natural pain releiver. Companies that currently make knee suppliments incorporate it into their formulas. Go to a GNC and check out something called triflex.

reply to post by epsilon69


Willow bark contains Salicylic Acid, which is the active ingredient in Aspirin! But drinking tea made from the leaves will not contain this component, as it is only found in the bark of trees in the willow family.
Incidentally, White Willow tree bark has the highest levels of Salicylic Acid of the willow family

the old cowboys used Laudanum.
also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight (the equivalent of 1% morphine).[1] It is reddish-brown in color and extremely bitter to the taste. Laudanum contains almost all of the opium alkaloids, including morphine and codeine. A potent narcotic by virtue of its high morphine concentration, laudanum was historically used to treat a variety of ailments, but its principal use was as an analgesic and cough suppressant. Until the early 20th century, laudanum was sold without a prescription and was a constituent of many patent medicines. Today, laudanum is strictly regulated and controlled throughout the world.
en.wikipedia.org...

old laudanum bottles are common in dumps of old ghost towns.
it was sold OTC as a pain reliever and many cowboys kept a bottle in there saddlebags just in case.


Oh by the way in most cases they did not pull a arrow out but pushed it on through.
Pulling a arrow out risk the stone head coming off along with the gut binding.
pushing it on through was less of a risk as the arrowhead stayed on most of the time.

reply to post by twitchy


Twitchy is right. Herbal medications and tinctures are nothing to fool around with. Don't try to self-medicate with any wild plants or herbal preparations.
It takes decades to train a real herbalist, in fact longer than it takes to train a doctor.
The wrong plant or the wrong dose can kill.
Remember that tinctures are highly concentrated - usually 20x to 200x the strength of the raw plant.
The odds of misidentifying a wild plant are quite good unless you are a trained botanist.
That said, if you have nothing else wild plants are a pharmacoepia for free.
Better start learning now because you can't learn it overnight in an emergency situation.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


As always, very sound advice from ATA. Herbals have the potential for doing more harm than good if you do not know what you are doing. Here is something that I do that, for me, gives me greater peace of mind when dealing with herbal remedies. This procedure has lead to a great many things being 'housed' in my handwritten herbal 'pharma' book that I keep along with stocked herbals and live plants.

First, research any herbal/natural remedy that you think would work for you, and I mean research the heck out of it. Then print out any research findings you encounter like descriptions, case studies and research papers. Next, find a reputable homeopathic Dr. and schedule an appt. (I found my homeopathic Dr. with the help of the staff at the natural food store that I frequent) Discuss with them the herbs possible uses, side effects and recommended dosages as well any any conditions you may already have and any perscription and over the counter meds you may be on. Then stock appropriatedly. This will give you peace of mind that you are safer than just going out willy nilly and pumping things into your system that have the potential to harm you further. I would do this until you are better trained in the art of natural/herbal healing, as that is what I am doing and it seems to be working rather well for me. But everyone is different.

Barring the above procedure, you could just go to the homeopathic Dr. straight away to discuss things, however I've found that they appreciate the fact that you have already done your homework. It shows them you are serious about the topic being discussed, and for me at least, it gives me some knowledge as well because I want to know all I can about what is going into my system.

Remember that mis-dosing with herbals can be just as harmful as mis-dosing with traditional medication. Hope this helps some. Be safe and be well.

If you are looking for a good herb remedy book, go with DK's Herbal Remedies.It lists all herbs, their medical properties, their safety, and how to use each plant. It gives recipes for tintures, poultices, and teas, with proper quantities to use. For pain, it recommends Butterbur, St Johns wart, California Poppy, Passion Flower, or Lavender. I have always heard to use Willow Bark for fever, but it would make sense as a painkiller, as well.

Originally posted by jawsismyfish
reply to post by wonderworld

 

Poppy pods (dried) contain a fairly large amount of opiate. I don't think it would be a stretch to make a tincture with grain alcohol that would be quite effective as a pain killer if you didn't have any other options.

I wonder if those poppy pod things are legal to buy or grow here in the US in a greenhouse or something? Do they sell poppy pods in an herbal store? I think there are other things that affect the nervous system pain but I wouldnt know which herb or combination of herbs.

Originally posted by Alchemst7
reply to post by wonderworld

 

it comes in all forms pills , extract, powder or loose leaf i get it in loose leaf form amd make tea with it. i also have a capsule maker and will make capsules. Be cautious and start off with low doses. It strong stuff and can be addictive.

Thanks! I may have some around for emergency purposes but wont be taking any otherwise. I've heard and seen how some get easily addicted to prescription pain medicine. I knew I'd get some good answers on here. Ive seen other herbalist have great advice.

Originally posted by DeepThoughtCriminal
I don't know enough about herbal remedies, but I would certainly advise investing in a book about natural healing methods. There are usually plenty around, shouldn't take too much searching to find a non-wanky one that sidesteps any new-age gibberish and cuts straight to the facts of what to use and how to use it.

Have you considered meditation? By meditation you can actually lower your sensitivity to pain. I would suggest combining some regular meditation exercises with a knowledge and store of herbal remedies. It can only go so far though, so if you're looking to sterilise a wound, just get some pure alcohol. Once I slashed my hand open whilst out doing some urban exploration, and I poured a bit of whiskey over it. No infection, and it healed quickly. Stung a bit though.

Best to make sure you've got a variety of possible treatments. Also make sure you have tweezers, etc, in case you have to remove foreign objects. Learning to stitch your skin (or having someone else know how to do it) it very useful. There is a product that I used for a burn once, cannot remember what it's called, but it contains a mild anesthetic. Definitely a useful addition to your med box.

That's an idea! I should buy a book. There are too many conflicting ideas on the web. If I were to have a chronic pain condition I would do as you say and try meditation and thank you for that. For me personally in a crisis or survival situation I think I'd be too wired to try meditation. I may be on foot and not have time to relax a lot. This info is very important to chronic pain sufferers.

You mentioned stiching the skin. I bought a bunch of super glue. The doctors use it now insteaad of stitches in smaller open wounds. I think if ice were available numbing it first would be a good idea.

Originally posted by OuttaHere
It won't help with the pain, but comfrey applied in a poultice will help speed healing of broken bones and wounds, as well as lessen bruising. Calendula is good for preventing infection, as a decoction, infusion, or poultice. Feverfew does just what it says, chamomile relaxes you, lavender and sage in the air promote recovery from injury and illness. Most people know echinacea (purple conefower) fights colds, and rosemary and thyme have antiseptic properties as well. As has been mentioned, willow bark tea is basically aspirin. For all around antiseptic properties, you can't beat goldenseal. My mom used to use it on us kids as a natural antibiotic, both topically for wounds, and internally as a tea for sore throats, intestinal flu, etc. I just planted some in my garden.

Birch twigs are minty-sweet and make great toothbrushes. Sassafrass leaves make great chewing gum/breath freshener (but they're a little slimy when chewed up).

A good book on herbal medicine is a great idea. Everyone should have one.

edit on 11-4-2011 by OuttaHere because: just... because.

You have some insight on this subject. I only know which plants are poisonous, which plants and bark are eatible but I'm illeterate on medicinal plants. I stocked up on anbesol and ear pain medicine but I have no clue for over all herbal pain medicine that I might be able to give a child or the doseage in a survival setting.

reply to post by Elostone


Thanks for the WARNING about not ingesting the Arnica flowers.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
reply to post by twitchy

 

Twitchy is right. Herbal medications and tinctures are nothing to fool around with. Don't try to self-medicate with any wild plants or herbal preparations.
It takes decades to train a real herbalist, in fact longer than it takes to train a doctor.
The wrong plant or the wrong dose can kill.
Remember that tinctures are highly concentrated - usually 20x to 200x the strength of the raw plant.
The odds of misidentifying a wild plant are quite good unless you are a trained botanist.
That said, if you have nothing else wild plants are a pharmacoepia for free.
Better start learning now because you can't learn it overnight in an emergency situation.

You raise an interesting point. I always wondered why doctors ask if I'm taking any herbal medicine. I'm sure the wrong combination can kill. I have a few bottles of Tylenol and aspirin in my Bug Out Bag but dont think it would work well if I got shot in the foot. Know what I mean. I want something potent for my family to ease pain that is safe.

I do know of one... but... there's always a but isn't there...

It's not a pain killer per say... just makes it so you don't care that your hurt and in pain... the but in this case is, if your not very very very careful it can stop your heart.... because of this simply and possibly fatal fact I'm not going to share how it's used but rather warn ya all to stay clear of unless you receive proper training... so what is this dubious miracle plant???

Loco Weed

From wiki

Datura stramonium, known by the common names jimson weed, devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple, tolguacha, Jamestown weed, stinkweed, locoweed, datura, pricklyburr, devil's cucumber, hell's bells, moonflower[1] and, in South Africa, malpitte and mad seeds, is a common weed in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family.

It is an erect annual herb forming a bush up to 3–5 ft (1–1.5 m) tall.[2] The leaves are soft, irregularly undulate, and toothed. The fragrant flowers are trumpet-shaped, white to creamy or violet, and 2.5 to 3.5 in. long. They rarely open completely. The egg-shaped seed capsule is walnut-sized and either covered with spines or bald. At maturity it splits into four chambers, each with dozens of small black seeds.

Parts of the plant, especially the seeds and leaves, are sometimes used as a hallucinogen. Due to the elevated risk of overdose in uninformed users, many hospitalizations, and some deaths, are reported from this use.