Apothecary for the Home
According to Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary, an Apothecary is “someone who
prepared and sold medicines in past times.” It was the medicine woman who seemed to
pluck various flowers and leaves to brew a healing tea, the monk with a vast garden of
potent herbs to fix your ailing body, or even those simply selling dried herbs and spices
to the public. There was no internet back in those days, so many brews made from
herbs seemed almost magical in their effectiveness. Luckily, we have an abundance of
books, videos, and websites to verify information nowadays!
Why bother with herbs when we have the miracle of modern medicine? Teas and
tinctures are by no means a substitute for medical professionals, but have proven to be
a more holistic approach to healing the body. According to The Journal of
Nephropharmacology, “a pharmaceutical drug is usually designed to elicit a specific
reaction and its ‘side or adverse effects’ are usually traded as a ‘risk’ against the
‘benefit’ of the primary effect. Herbal medicines usually tend to have several broad
complementary or synergistic actions on physiological systems at the same time.”
Herbs treat the body as a whole and rarely have adverse side effects if used in proper
dosages.
Reasons to Have an Apothecary
Builds up Immune System
Many of us live reactively when it comes to our body and don’t care for it properly until
something isn’t working right - stress lowers our immune system’s ability to fight off
colds, headaches make time with family less involved, insomnia prevents us from
getting the rest we need to be our best self, the list goes on and on. We don’t do
anything about it until our body is literally screaming at us to do something! A spoonful
of an elderberry tincture helps prevent colds and flus. Peppermint can ward off certain
types of headaches. A chamomile tea helps you wind down in the evenings and reduce
stress. Echinacea is extremely effective for helping with insomnia from an overactive
mind, without the morning hangover. Used properly, herbs are an amazing way to give
our body what it needs to stay healthy before physical symptoms have a chance to
manifest.
Natural and Gentle
It is no secret that herbs are gentler on the body than synthetic drugs. When you’re
dealing with a single herb, the effects are usually straightforward. Synthetic drugs are
made to pinpoint symptoms. To quote an article published in the Journal of
Nephropharmacology, “Synthetic drugs address symptoms caused by specific diseases
as understood by scientific pathology, however, a herbal medicine usually directs
towards aiding the body’s own healing process.” Herbs take a holistic approach to
health instead of targeting the specific symptom.
Cost-Effective
Go into any drugstore and compare pill-to-pill the cost of herbal supplements and their
synthetic counterpart. Most of the synthetic drugs will cost 3-4 times the amount per pill
than herbal medicines. How does it make sense to spend more money on synthetic
drugs that focus on the single symptom instead of building up the body’s systems to
fight on its own? Because it’s quick and easy. It’s easier to ignore the signs our body
gives us until we are out of commission. And then, it’s easier to pop a few pills that help
cover up that upper respiratory infection than to treat and heal the whole system. I get it,
we don’t have time. But eventually, herbs can become part of our habits and popping an
echinacea pill or brewing a chamomile tea can be an option before your body fully
succumbs to sickness. When healthier is cheaper, it just makes sense!
Self Reliance
I’m sure it’s fairly obvious at this point that I’m a firm believer in knowing your food. How
was it grown? Were any or pesticides used? Is it being harvested responsibly? It’s not
just about what we put in our bodies, but what goes into what we consume. Starting with
just the bare ingredients brings us one step closer to knowing and controlling what
enters our bodies. And it’s a scientific fact that herbs provide more than just cures to
headaches or colds. The vitamins, minerals, and various chemicals in each plant react
with our bodies and build up our systems in complex ways. It’s magical and miraculous
how ingesting these plants heal our bodies from a microscopic level. And, if you have a
green thumb, growing your own medicinal herbs could be the next step in your journey
of self reliance!
Herbs to Start With
Once you decide to start a home apothecary, you’ll need to decide what your family’s
needs are. Do your kids struggle with the cold or flu every year? Do you have trouble
winding down and falling asleep at night because of everything you need to do
tomorrow or this week? Does your husband have trouble with stress headaches? Find
the pain points of your family and work from there. As a disclaimer, please consult your
doctor if you or any family members are on medication as some herbs can interfere with
the effectiveness of certain synthetic drugs.
Let’s go over some of the most common herbs to keep in your apothecary and what
they do!
Chamomile
This tiny flowering herb is one of the most popular herbs that you’ve no doubt had in tea
form before. It’s safe for adults and children and is mostly used to ease stress and
nervousness, as well as promoting sleep and aiding digestion. It also has high amounts
of azulene, which acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-fever agent. Super helpful when
cold and flu season arrives! As an added bonus to women, it is useful for relieving
cramps when that time of the month comes around.
Echinacea
This is one of the top immune-boosting herbs! It is best taken during the early stages of
sickness to help ward off infection before it gets a hold. Echinacea is also very effective
against bronchial and respiratory infections, sore throats and oral infections. Most drug
stores carry Echinacea in pill form, although it can also be taken as a tea.
Elderberry
This is becoming more popular as herbal remedy stores begin popping up in towns and
cities. You’ll mostly find Elderberry in tincture form at your local herbal shop or online.
This particular berry has powerful antiviral properties and is wonderfully effective
against the flu. This is a great one to combine with Echinacea during cold/flu season!
It’s also extremely helpful with upper respiratory infections, which some of my family
members seem to struggle with every winter.
Garlic
Many of us have no problem adding more of this amazing superfood to our diet! Garlic
is good for treating bacterial infections as well as being an all-around immune-boosting
addition to the home apothecary. It’s an antibiotic, expectorant, and cough suppressant
all in one! I like to combine garlic with Echinacea and Goldenseal in pill form as a
cold-busting preventative cocktail during the winter months.
Goldenseal
A North American native, Goldenseal is another powerful, antimicrobial,
infection-fighting herb. Unlike Echinacea, however, Goldenseal is best used after upper
respiratory problems have manifested - redness, swelling, and discolored mucus. A little
bit of this herb goes a long way!
Peppermint
An herb we all know and love - the beloved peppermint! This antimicrobial and
antioxidant herb cures a variety of ailments. From colds to stomach pains to sinus
infections to menstrual cramps to gas and IBS. It also helps to breathe in the vapors
when you have a bad cough or even a headache. The oil can also be diluted with a
carrier oil and applied on the forehead or upper sinus area, the leaves can be steeped
in water to make a soothing and uplifting tea, or peppermint can be taken in pill form. It
is such a versatile and powerful herb that should be part of everyone’s apothecary!
In summary, I love the idea of being able to heal myself from God’s earth and His
amazing herbal creations. There’s something deeply profound and even virtuous for me
using remedies and techniques our ancestors used long ago. Going back to our roots,
in a way. And winter is one of the best times to try out herbal remedies, since that is
when colds and flus tend to rear their ugly heads. Give it a try this year and see what
kind of effects it has on your family. Does it reduce the amount of stress headaches you
experience? Does your child seem to recover from the flu quicker or not even seem to
pick it up at all? Does a cup of chamomile tea help with cramping around that time of
the month? The only way to know is to give herbs a go!
Works Cited
Carpenter, Jeff, and Melanie Carpenter. The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: the
Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale. Chelsea
Green Publishing, 2015.
Gladstar, Rosemary. Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: a Beginner's Guide. Storey
Publishing, 2012.
Karimi, Ali, et al. “Herbal versus Synthetic Drugs; Beliefs and Facts.” Journal of
Nephropharmacology, Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention, 1 Jan. 2015,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5297475/.
“Apothecary.” Apothecary - Definition for English-Language Learners from
Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary,
www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/apothecary.
