Ode to Herbs

I’ve been interested in herbs for a while now. I’ve bought quite a bit and have made teas, salves, oils, and tinctures. I’ve never been very confident with herbs though. I think I need a herb mentor. I just have a hard time figuring this stuff out on my own. Of all the stuff I’ve made, I’ve mainly just used the teas. I’ve never used them consistently enough to see results, for medicinal purposes. I just mainly drink them because they taste good, are easy to make, and I know they’re good for me. Well, I finally got daring enough to use some herbs and I got to see some results, on Delight’s bottom!
Delight had a bad diaper rash (the worst she’s ever had, very red and bumpy) that wouldn’t go away. It had been more than a week with this persistent rash. I had tried three different commercial diaper rash creams with no luck, it only seemed to be getting worse. My brother had used Vaseline for his baby with good results, so I even tried that, but it still didn’t improve. Then I remembered my plantain salve.
I had made a salve using plantain last year. Plantain is a yard weed, very common. The salve is supposed to be for cuts, burns, stings, ect. I thought, what the heck, nothing else is helping, maybe it’ll work on diaper rashes too. I started to use it one afternoon after each diaper change and by the next morning her rash was completely gone! Lets just say it’s made me a believer in the power of herbs! It was so simple to make, I’ll include a recipe. All you need is a jar of Vaseline, a yard (you’ll have to wait till spring to get plantain though), and an aloe-vera plant.
I love being able to use the resources God has given us to heal our bodies. I'm not against medicine, I would just always prefer to try something natural first.

Simple Green Plantain Salve
by a smart reader
May 2006
12 oz. jar of Vaseline
2 handfuls of Plantain leaves
1 large or 2 smaller aloe leaves, sliced and crushed
Heat Vaseline on low, only enough to liquefy. Carefully drop the Plantain leaves into the liquid—it will quickly produce a mass of thick foam. Add the aloe. Let simmer until foaming has stopped. Pour through strainer into Vaseline jar (if the liquid is too hot, wait a bit so as not to melt the plastic jar, but don't wait too long or it won't pass through the strainer). Let cool. Mark container and store on shelf. It is easy to make and works on bug bites, stings, cuts, sores, pimples, burns, and more.


here's some plantain. i'm sure you've seen this in your yard before.