The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid (32 page)

Common Culinary Herbs

Some basic culinary herbs include:

• Basil
  is most commonly used in Italian recipes and tomato-based recipes such as spaghetti sauces, pizza, and pesto. However, it is a very versatile herb, and you can also use it in soups and bread as well as with fish, eggs, poultry, lamb, beef, pork, vegetables, and even desserts.
  
• Chives
  look like tall, thin pieces of grass caught up in a bunch. They have a delicate onion flavor. You can chop the leaves and sprinkle them on salads, cottage cheese, or eggs. Chives are best known as a garnish for potatoes along with sour cream.
  
• Dill
  is a very delicate plant with tall, thin stalks and feathery foliage. It’s best known for its use in pickles and dips, but you can also use it for soups, sauces, fish, eggs, meat, and poultry.
  
• Mint
  is available in many varieties, including spearmint, peppermint, and even applemint. You can use mint leaves for teas, in desserts, and in Mediterranean cooking. Mint leaves are also used to make mint jelly, which is used as an accompaniment to lamb, and can be used in herbal vinegars.
  
• Oregano
  is used in Italian cooking. You can add it to tomato sauces for pasta and also use it in yeast breads, marinated vegetables, black beans, zucchini, eggplant, roasted meats, and fish.
  
• Parsley
  grows in two varieties—curly leaf and flat leaf. The flat leaf is the Italian type. Parsley is a versatile herb and can be used chopped or whole. Chopped parsley can be used in soups, breads, eggs, beef, and vegetables. The whole leaf can be used as a garnish.
  
• Rosemary
  is an evergreen plant in its native setting. You can use its green needlelike leaves in soups, breads, fish, eggs, shellfish, lamb, beef, and pork.
  
• Sage
  is a dusty green–colored herb that is used most frequently with poultry, especially in stuffing. Sage can be used with pork dishes too.
  
• Tarragon
  is an herb that is often used in French cooking. The leaves are long and narrow and it has a distinctive aniselike flavor. You can use tarragon to flavor soups, fish, shellfish, beef, pork, salad dressings, and eggs.
  
• Thyme
  is another herb that is generally used with poultry, especially in stuffing. You can also use thyme in sauces, breads, fish, eggs, shellfish, lamb, beef, pork, soups, and stews.
  

How to Use Herbs for Health

There are five basic herbal preparations used primarily in home herbal medicine—infusions, decoctions, compresses, poultices, and tinctures. You are probably very familiar with several of these preparations. Most herb teas are infusions. Decoctions are woodier than infusions and have larger pieces of herbs in them. They are also sold as herb teas, but you must brew them for a longer period of time. Your grandmother probably used poultices on a regular basis for anything from a chest cold to a spider bite.

Infusions

Infusions are usually made using the leaves or the flowers of a plant. Making an infusion is very similar to making tea. Place the suggested amount of herbs in a large bowl, and pour boiling water over them. Let the herbs steep in the water for ten to fifteen minutes. Strain the used herbs from the infused water and store the water in a clean jar or bottle until needed.

Decoctions

Decoctions are similar to infusions, except with a decoction you are using the woodier parts of the plant and often the root of the plant. These parts of the herbs should be chopped into small prices. Place the pieces in a pan and add water. Bring the herbs and water to a boil and then turn down and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Strain the liquid while hot and store in a clean jar or bottle.

Compresses

Compresses are small bundles of material that have been soaked in an infusion or decoction and applied to the skin. Linen, gauze, or cotton are often used for compresses. Be sure that the infusion or decoction is hot
when you soak the material. You should apply the compress to the affected area and change it when it has cooled down.

Poultice

When you make a poultice, you wrap the herbs themselves in a piece of gauze and soak it in the infusion or decoction, then apply it to the skin. You can also use cider vinegar in place of the usual water when you create an infusion or decoction for poultice use. You should apply it to the affected area and change it when it cools down.

Tincture

A tincture is a mixture of herbs and sometimes alcohol to preserve the benefits of the herb. Generally vodka is used in many of the tincture recipes, but other types of alcohol can be used. Generally, the ratio of herb to fluid is one to five. Measure the required amount of herb and place it in a dark, screw-top jar. Pour the alcohol over the herbs, remembering the one to five ratio. If you don’t have a dark jar, be sure you store your bottled tincture in a paper sack in a dark pantry. Keep the tincture tightly covered in a warm place, like a pantry, and shake it twice a day. In two weeks, open the bottle and strain the contents through cheesecloth, saving the liquid. Store the liquid in a dark, tightly sealed bottle until you need it.

Herbs for Beauty and Home Care

When you think about personal care or even home-care products, you might think of heavy perfumed or antiseptic-scented concoctions. If you substitute herbal products, those heavy, artificial scents are replaced with lemon balm, rose, basil, and lavender.

Body Care

Herbal products not only cleanse your body with gentle, natural methods, they can also offer additional healing benefits not found with traditional manufactured products. You should pick the herb that works best with your skin type. Dry skin needs an emollient herb that will soften and lubricate the
skin. Oily skin should use a more astringent herb. Here are some examples of types of herbs and their body-care properties:

• Comfrey:
  emollient
  
• Marigold (calendula):
  astringent, cleansing, and promotes healing of wounds
  
• Chamomile:
  cleansing, soothing
  
• Lavender:
  antiseptic, stimulating
  
• Yarrow:
  cleansing, toning
  
• Lady’s mantle:
  astringent
  

These are only a few of the herbs you can use for body care.

The amazing properties of lavender essential oil were discovered before World War I. When a French chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burned himself in the family perfumery, the only liquid available was a vat of lavender essential oil, so he stuck his hand into it. The burn healed very quickly, and the chemist devoted the rest of his life to studying the medicinal properties of essential oils.

Hair Care

There are herbs that will help dry hair, dull hair, oily hair, and even prevent dandruff. You can use specific herbs depending on the color of your hair. Here are a few examples:

• Burdock root:
  prevents dandruff
  
• Stinging nettle:
  helps dull hair
  
• Lavender:
  good for oily hair
  
• Marigold:
  good for red hair
  
• Chamomile:
  good for blonde hair
  
• Sage:
  good for dark hair
  
• Catnip:
  encourages hair growth
  

Oral Hygiene

You might already use herbs to freshen your mouth; peppermint or even parsley work to sweeten your breath. Some other herbs that can be used for oral hygiene are cloves, sage, thyme, and marjoram; you can either steep these in a tea or chew on them like parsley.

Relaxation/Aromatherapy

Herbs are wonderful to aid in relaxation. A hot bath sprinkled with herbs can not only soothe and calm, it can soften and clean your skin. Herbs that are well known for their soothing qualities are lemon balm, chamomile, vervain, skullcap, bergamot, and lavender. You can use these herbs in compresses, herbal baths, in soaps and shower gels, and even in rubs. You can also take larger pieces of the dried herb and use them as a potpourri throughout your home.

Herbs for Medicinal Purposes

Using herbs as a way to treat ailments can be dated all the way back to the ancient Egyptians. Herbal medicine also uses natural plant substances to prevent illness. Today, 80 percent of the population of the United States uses some type of herbal medicine. In China, herbal medicine has been used for over 2,500 years and is considered the primary means of health care.

Natural herbs, herbal medicines, and natural supplements represent the most popular area of complementary and alternative medicine, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Herbal supplements are sometimes referred to as “botanicals.”

Herbal medicines can be found in everyday options like teas or herbal extracts. But many herbs can also be found in the medications you use. A quarter of the prescriptions today are plant based, and many of the over-the-counter remedies find their base in herbal medicine.

Here is a list of common ailments and a sampling of herbs that have medicinal properties for those problems:

• Digestive problems:
  angelica, bee balm, cilantro, ginger, lavender, parsley, sage, and spearmint
  
• Migraines/headaches:
  angelica, marjoram, and rosemary
  
• Ulcers:
  angelica and periwinkle
  
• Colds and sore throats:
  bee balm, cilantro, dill, ginger, marjoram, periwinkle, spearmint, and thyme
  
• Fevers:
  cilantro, lavender, and safflower
  
• Wounds/muscle aches:
  comfrey, garlic, and thyme
  
• Flatulence:
  dill, fennel, and sage
  
• Bug bites:
  safflower and sage
  
• Anxiety:
  ginger, marjoram, rosemary, spearmint, and St. John’s Wort
  
• Bladder problems:
  lavender and St. John’s Wort
  

Turmeric is one of nature’s most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Turmeric may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloid plaque buildup in the brain. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs, but without the side effects.

Wild Herbs

From dandelions to stinging nettle to sumac, there are wild herbs all around you, and collecting them is not only a pleasant way for you to get closer to nature, it also allows you to find herbs in their purest form. Your first step is to learn which herbs grow in your area. By knowing what does and does not grow naturally, you can save yourself time and possible misidentification. You should arm yourself with good information before you start. There are field guides with color photos and descriptions that can help you, or you can search the Internet and create your own booklet. Remember that some plants change their appearance throughout the different stages of their
growth, so be sure to familiarize yourself with all of the stages. The best help you can get is to go with someone who has experience hunting wild herbs.