It has been suggested that we ask for more recipes people use for salves and other herb based remedies to post here for those who are interested.
One of the basic ways we have used a herb, is picking a leaf of plantain (English Ribwort) to stop bleeding of cuts. I've done this for a slice on my arm , and was really pleased my 10 year old son remembered this little aid when he was swimming at a dam with his mate and his mate got cut. They were nowhere near a house, so my son was able to pick some plantain and stop the bleeding before they headed back to the house. It's very effective!
So in an effort to get more herbs into our diet, we bought the above book, the Herbfarm Cookbook. It's from the 90's I think, but full of French inspired wholesome goodies that feature herbs. I've tried a selection of the recipes, and they're so flavoursome! We just don't realise how much flavour we forfeit when we leave herbs out of our meals.
Josh mentioned using bicarb soda as toothpaste. Tooth powder has been around for ages, and is so much safer than commercial toothpaste (have you read those labels?!)
Our tooth powder is just this one:
4 tablespoons bentonite clay
2 teaspoons naturally extracted baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons unrefined sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons clove powder, or ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground peppermint leaves, or 5-10 drops peppermint essential oil
To Make
Mix all ingredients in a clean glass jar.
To Use
Sprinkle a little on a wet toothbrush and brush as normal.
Shelf Life
One to three years
So Josh had a list of health aids he suggested, not all herbs. Things like taking bicarb soda to alkalise the gut, colloidal silver as an antibacterial (we've done this, it's amazing stuff!), apple cider vinegar too.
As for herbs, he's a big fan of Feverfew (not so tasty, but great for fighting certain illnesses!). It grows quite well here, our survived the drought with little attention.
And the common culinary herbs are worth having...basil, parsley, coriander (he uses coriander seed for fresh breath), rosemary (great for the brain), sage, thyme...
So, if you have a recipe using herbs, that you'd like to share, please do so in the comments :-)