Whether you’re camping, biking, boating or hiking in the great outdoors or even just relaxing at home it’s always handy to have your own natural first aid kit in case something goes wrong. Mother Nature has shown us there are many useful healing remedies one can use without having to stop at the pharmacy. Pack some peace of mind by having these products on hand to insure common problems don’t put a damper on your adventure.
Pain/Bruising/Bleeding
Arnica is great for relieving pain and helping bruises heal quickly. Arnica comes in many forms depending if it’s an internal or external injury.
Dit Da Jow is the number one Chinese remedy for bruises of all kinds.
Yunnan Baiyao was used by the North Vietnamese soldiers and applied to gunshot and open wounds. It’s amazing for stopping small wounds that are gushing blood.
Wu Yang Brand Pain Relieving Medicated Plaster are topical plasters that are applied directly over traumatized areas. They can be used for swelling, micro-tears and painful areas.
Zheng Gu Shui is well known for its effectiveness at healing deep bone bruises and fractures.
Yarrow promotes clotting to stop bleeding.
Burns/Opened Wounds
Ching Wan Hung is a topical cream for burns and can also be used for eczema, psoriasis and bedsores. This cream is used in China’s hospitals for serious third degree burns and diabetic sores. It reduces the blistering and pain of a burn, promotes tissue regeneration, prevents scarring and prevents infection.
Aloe Vera is great for soothing sunburns and other minor burns.
Lavender essential oil is used to help with insomnia, anxiety, headaches, wounds and burns. A large number of studies have demonstrated lavender oil’s ability to treat both staph infections and MRSA.
Allergic Reaction/Sinus Infection/Cold
Xin Yi Wan (Magnolia) is a go to herbal formula for allergies, treating red, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing.
Bi Yan Pian is a great herbal remedy to break up sinus congestion and kill infection.
Yin Chiao San is used for bronchitis, fever, headache, sore throat and cough. It’s an anti-viral and antibiotic.
Food Poisoning/Stomach Bug/Bacterial Infection
Curing Pill elicits fast relief of stomach upset including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, motion or morning sickness and abdominal bloating with pain. This is a main one to take while traveling abroad to kill off foreign bugs that upset the digestive system.
Ginger is great for nausea, reflux, stomach trouble and morning sickness.
Activated Charcoal is for acute use in food poisoning, intestinal illness, vomiting, diarrhea and ingestion of toxins.
Bites/Stings/Rash
Frankincense essential oil helps control the itching and swelling of mosquito bites and relieves pain of bee stings.
Baking Soda can be made into a poultice and used on spider bites.
Citronella can be used as a natural insect repellant.
Homeopathic Apis is an anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine for allergies and insect bites and stings.
Homeopathic Rhus tox is a remedy for poison ivy.
You will be ready for any adventure with these natural remedies that will make you feel a lot more comfortable. However let’s not forget the basics: Make sure you include in your first aid box tweezers, safety pins, bandages, scissors, gauze, non-latex gloves, oral thermometer and an electrolyte replenishment such as Emergen-C. This list may grow depending upon what activities you will be participating in. You can find all these products at your natural health food store and Sierra Acupuncture & Healing Arts.
