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At some point, you’re going to get hurt or get sick. It’s not an “if,” it’s a “when.” That’s just part of life on a homestead — or honestly, part of life anywhere.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of scraped knees, sniffly noses, and a whole lot of trial and error: you don’t need to run to the doctor for every little thing, and you don’t need to run to the store for an over-the-counter salve or medicine either. There’s a whole world of remedies you can grow, forage, and make yourself, using what you’ve already got. That’s the stewardship mindset at the heart of everything we do here — build with what you’ve got before you buy what you don’t need.
This is a big topic, so consider this the overview. Each piece here — whole foods, herbals, tinctures, and salves — could honestly be its own post. But stick with me all the way to the end, because I’m sharing my go-to owie salve recipe, the one that lives in both our home medicine cabinet and the animal first aid/vet care box out in the feed room.
Prevention Is Still the Best Medicine
Before we get to herbs and oils, I have to start here: the best remedy is the one you never need. Feeding your body what it needs to fight off illness before you get symptomatic is the foundation everything else sits on.
The biggest win? Cutting back on processed food and sugar. That one change does more heavy lifting than almost anything else you can do. From there, lean into a whole-food diet as much as your season of life allows. Nobody’s asking you to do it perfectly — just consistently.
Herbal Remedies and Essential Oils for Natural Health
Once we’re past prevention, herbals are where I turn first. This includes essential oils, which are essentially the concentrated version of the plant itself. Quality matters a lot here, especially when you’re using them for anything medicinal — not all oils are created equal, and this is one area where cutting corners can actually cut effectiveness. After years of using different brands, Young Living has been my pick for quality and consistency, and it’s what I reach for to help support the body while it’s fighting off whatever’s going around.
Hot herbal tea is the other staple in our house. It’s simple, it’s soothing, and it’s the first thing I reach for when someone in this family starts feeling under the weather.
I buy my essential oils rather than distilling them myself — I don’t have the equipment or the know-how to get the potency right, and for medicinal use, that matters. My herbal teas are a mix of homegrown and store-bought, because let’s be honest, I can’t grow everything. Sometimes you just need the easy button and a good pre-mixed blend on hand.
A few herbs I always keep stocked for when someone’s feeling sick: cinnamon, lemon balm, lemongrass (bonus — both of these repel bugs while they’re growing, too), clove, rosemary, and lemon.
My Homegrown Medicine Cabinet: Staple Herbal Remedies
After trying more patches than I can count over the years, these are the plants that earned a permanent spot in my medicine garden — the ones that keep proving themselves worth the space:
- Comfrey — my go-to for bruises, sprains, and speeding up healing on the outside of the body.
- Lemon balm — calming and good for easing stress or helping with sleep, also helpful for fighting off infections, and it doubles as a favorite in hot tea when someone’s under the weather.
- Yarrow — one of the first things I reach for on a cut or wound, and it’s a longtime folk remedy for breaking a fever.
- Purple coneflower (echinacea) — my pick for immune support, especially right at the first sign of a cold coming on.
- Calendula — the backbone of my owie salve and one of the best plants out there for skin healing.
- Lemongrass — this one needs replanted every year here, but it’s worth it for tea and as a natural bug deterrent in the garden.
- St. John’s wort — what I turn to for supporting mood and easing nerve-related discomfort.
These are the plants that have earned their keep patch after patch, year after year. If you’re starting your own homegrown medicine cabinet, this is exactly where I’d tell you to begin.
Herbal Tinctures for Long-Term Natural Remedies
Tinctures are the next tool in the toolbox, and I often use them right alongside herbals. A tincture is simply a plant soaked in alcohol and then strained off. The real benefit here is shelf life — a dried herb is good for maybe 1-2 years, but a tincture will last nearly indefinitely.
To use one, you place a small amount under your tongue and hold it there for a couple of minutes before swallowing. For the herbs that are harder to grow, harder to find, or quick to spoil, tincturing is how I make sure I’ve still got them on hand when I actually need them. Roots Apothecary (use code CASSANDRAROW for 15% off) is where I turn when I want a quality herbal tincture without doing the soaking and straining myself.
Homemade Calendula and Plantain Salve Recipe
This is the one. I use this salve on everything — cuts, scrapes, abrasions, diaper rash, and burns once they’ve cooled and the skin has started healing. It’s simple to make, and if you’re growing your own calendula (start a patch once and it’ll reseed itself year after year) and plantain (plantain is probably already growing wild in a bare patch of your yard — no need to cultivate it, just go find it), it’s about as build-with-what-you’ve-got as remedies get.
What You’ll Need
- Calendula petals
- Plantain leaves
- Olive oil (for infusing)
- Beeswax
How to Make It
- Pick your calendula blossoms and plantain leaves on a warm, sunny day — the resin is strongest then. Fill a glass jar with the leaves and blossoms in roughly a 1:1 ratio.
- Fill the jar with olive oil to about 1 inch from the top. Run a butter knife around the inside edge to release any air bubbles. Set the jar in a sunny spot and let it infuse for 3-4 weeks.
- Strain the oil through cheesecloth into a saucepan, squeezing out as much as you can.
- Warm the oil gently — do not boil it. Add most of the grated beeswax to the warmed oil (about ¼ cup grated beeswax per 1 cup of oil), stirring to combine.
- Once the wax has melted, spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto a plate and place it in the freezer for 1-2 minutes to cool and set.
- Check the consistency. Want it firmer? Add a bit more beeswax. Want it softer? Add a bit more oil.
- Pour the finished salve into small jars or tins and let it cool completely.
- Once cooled, tighten the lids and store in a cool, dark place. It’ll keep for 1-2 years.
That’s it — a whole first aid staple made from what you grew and what you already had. You don’t need a fully stocked pharmacy to take care of your people. You just need a few good plants, a little patience, and a recipe worth keeping.