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Hi there!

I’m slowly working towards some simplicity within the home, but hey! It’s a lot of hard work!

I love having a go at growing my own veges and always use herbs fresh from my garden. I try to plant from seed whenever I can and have learnt to save and share my own seed for the following year. I make Award Winning preserves and pickles; and my husband brews Award Winning boutique beers as well. I love to stockpile and try to limit quick trips to the shops. I dabble in bread making and enjoy making my own stocks too.

I enjoy feeding my family good hearty meals, nothing like those tiny restaurant stacks you have to look for on the plate. My husband maintains our vehicles and machinery and we both enjoy fabricating on a small scale mostly relying on metal & timber recyclers for any materials needed.


While I don’t always have time to reply to comments, I love reading them. I hope you enjoy your stay and I hope you learn something new because I love sharing what I learn, and I'm always looking for another new skill myself.

Cheers!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

First Aid Kit - The simple version

I sometimes double up with a post, if I think it is important....adding it here and also at the Down to Earth forum....so for those that read both, I apologise ahead of time.


I also want to take time to welcome the newbies to my blog.....I am humbled at the huge response I have been getting with the things I write about. I have now had over 10,500 visitors to my blog, and I only started it in February this year...Wow, that's a big deal for me. 


I have no writing skills, I usually just write the way I speak. I barely do any research before writing, and I'm not always sure that's best....I love how detailed Rhonda's posts are on her blog...she is a very talented lady, with excellent writing and researching skills. She gives you all the information you need to know on a subject. After reading her blog, you come away feeling confident in your new found knowledge and ready to take on the world.


I added this post on the forum as I think it will benefit others...and I will enjoy watching it grow with everyone else's ideas and remedies....


I hope to get the same or similar response here too. So if you like what you read today, please leave a comment, even better, add a few of your simple remedies. I would love to hear from you!



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Do you have a simple First Aid Kit based on home remedies?


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Here you will find a selection of things to keep in an airtight container, this is excellent for travelling or while on holidays or even at home. For travelling or holidays, it doesn’t take up much room and if needed, it’s cheaper to have on hand than a visit to the shops or chemist.

I have only included an example with each remedy. You may have your own to add. 
With this small amount of remedies in your First Aid Kit you will be able to treat almost anything that comes along.

SIMPLE FIRST AID KIT ENGREDIENTS

  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Bach Rescue Remedy
  • Cloth  (When the skin is broken, I like to apply a salve of Vaseline and an antiseptic like Lavender Oil, then cover with small square of clean cloth, applied to the skin with Micropore tape. Any sized wound can be dressed this way.)
  • Clove Oil
  • Cornflour – Cornstarch Powder
  • Cotton Buds and Balls
  • Eye Bath
  • Fresh Parsley
  • Garlic cloves
  • Honey
  • Hot Water
  • Lavender Oil
  • Onion
  • Panadol
  • Parsley
  • Small Scissors
  • Micropore Tape
  • Tea-Tree Oil
  • Thermometer
  • Tweezers
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Vaseline


AILMENTS AND REMEDIES

Bee Stings – Apply honey after removing the stinger to calm the sting. Follow with diluted Lavender and Water as an antiseptic.
Cuts & Abrasions – Dilute a few drops of Lavender or Tea-Tree Oil in water to clean cuts.
Ear Ache – Grate an onion, collect the juice and place a few drops in the ear; the volatile oils in the juice is excellent for an earache.
Headache – Dab a drop of Lavender Oil on both temples and the back of your neck; follow up with bed rest for half an hour or more.
Insect Bites – Rub a cut onion on the bite. The itch should stop immediately. Make a fresh cut each time you apply.
Nappy rash – Dilute a spoonful of honey in the bathing water...this will be soothing and provide an antiseptic; followed by drying carefully and sprinkling cornflour on the affected area.
Or a Cotton bud with a few drops of Clove Oil placed on the tooth that is hurting. One of the properties in Clove is Eugenol, which is an anaesthetic used by dentists.
Or crush a fresh clove of garlic and press it on the tooth; Garlic juice contains arsenic, which is a natural anaesthetic which acts immediately. This should numb the pain within minutes.
Pain & Fever – Simple remedies followed by a recommended dose of Panadol.
Poisonous Ocean Critter bites or stings – Place the bitten area in the hottest water you can stand, and then seek medical advice. This will give you some comfort while getting to medical help. I was advised this from the Poisons Information Centre when I was stung by a Fortescue fish.
Sleep – Cotton ball with a few drops of Lavender under your pillowslip.
Sore Throat – Suck on a spoonful of honey to relieve a sore throat.
Stomach Upset – Add a few drops of vanilla extract and some honey to a warm drink with help an upset tummy.
Or drink a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar. This will ward off any underlying bugs making you feel uncomfortable. This is excellent for a full blown stomach bug. It is easier to drink in a small amount of Orange Juice or Orange Cordial.
Stressful situations – Four drops under the tongue of Bach Rescue Remedy 4 times a day - Rescue Remedy is a blend of homeopathic preparations of flower essences that has had a long history of providing relief to people who’ve experienced emotional or physical shock. It’s now available in most health food stores and is invaluable to ease the trauma out of an experience such as a dog bite or car accident or loss of a pet.
Stuffy Head Cold – Place a Cotton ball with a few drops of Tea Tree Oil under your pillowslip.
Sweating – Dry carefully and apply cornflour (cornstarch powder)
Sunburn – Dab 100% Apple Cider Vinegar on your sunburn, you will soon feel relief....
You could also apply cold black tea instead, as Tea is easily available.
Teething Pain – Rubbing a little Vanilla Extract on a baby’s gum feels warm and calming, but also relieves pain from teething.
Toothache – Crush a couple of fresh parsley leaves with a little bit of salt, and then put the mixture on the aching tooth.
Or crush a fresh clove of garlic and press it on the tooth; Garlic juice contains small doses of arsenic, which is a natural anaesthetic which acts immediately. This should numb the pain within minutes.
Or a Cotton bud with a few drops of Clove Oil placed on the tooth that is hurting. One of the properties in Clove is Eugenol, which is an anaesthetic used by dentists.


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If you are planning to make up this kit, it is also a good idea to copy and print off the list of ailments with remedies, that way you can recall what each remedy is for.

Oh, I forgot to add garlic, parsley and an onion to the photo, sorry!


 I like to keep it simple with common remedies that are obtained easily.
Do you know of any other ailments that can be treated with this Simple First Aid Kit?
Maybe you have your own kit that you could share with us?

14 comments:

  1. Hi Nelly Mary. I've been following your blog for a few weeks now and I've absolutely loved everything you've written and the way you write. It's very 'down to earth' (pardon the pun).

    Could you tell me, how long you've been making and doing everything from scratch, ie since your boys were very young? I've always been a good homemaker but since my kids were born (now 6 and 4), I'm finding it very hard to do the things I like doing like crafting, sewing, crochet etc etc. I do try to do some at night but I'm so tired. I also work a couple nights a week so that probably doesn't help.

    Would love to hear any tips you have for doing it all with small children.

    Keep up the good work and never think that you might be second best to Rhonda's blog. Your blog is unique and well written AND exactly the way MY Nan used to do everything!

    Thanks so much.

    Your newest loyal follower.

    Anne
    (Domesblissity)

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  2. I can't say enough about Rescue Remedy! I carry it with me everywhere, in my purse.
    I do have a few natural remedies but it would take too long to write them out. One I did learn from my grandmother was to pour olive oil over a cut. This stops bleeding. If it doesn't, then the wound needs stitches. It works that well.

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  3. Ohhhhh I love this kind of post! I grew up in a home full of home remedies. I have not heard of a couple of these. I will for sure put them on my list of things to get done soon. I also wanted to tell you my mums home remedy for bee stings or wasp stings. Mix some baking soda and water to form a think paste and apply to area that hurts. It works like a charm. Takes the sting out and calms the burning.
    Love cornstarch. So many uses. Thank you for the wonderful post!
    Melissa

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  4. I also have learnt a lot of new things from this post thanks.

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  5. Great post! Love those natural remedies - they work so much better then store bought ones. Thanks for the info :)

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  6. Brilliant! Great ideas! Love your blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to share so many things. Over in New Zealand here.

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  7. Hi Nelly! You have a great writing style, it's very friendly and informative. Don't change a thing.

    I love your first aid kit. I might make up one each for my kids. Thanks for the post.

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  8. Olbas oil is fantastic for clearing a sinus cold. Put 2-3 drops in a large bowl of steaming hot water. Drape a towel over your head that is looking at the bowl of steaming hot water with the oil added. Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose and let the oil do its thing. Repeat for up to 10 minutes.

    I'd add plasters (Band-aids), "Med-lemon", Vitamin C chewable tablets and throat lozenges to the kit. Med-lem is a sachet of powdered aspirin and Vitamin C that is dissolved in a cup of hot water. It's a cold and fever remedy. Vit C tabs when taken in large doses can halt a cold in its tracks in the beginning stages. I know you put honey down as a remedy for a sore throat. But, if you're on the run, sucking a good throat lozenge eg Hall's mentholyptus is very soothing too.

    And ditto others' comments re your writing style....it's lovely--why do you think we keep coming back?? :)

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  9. well done!!

    http://bettermebetterworld.blogspot.com/

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  10. I agree that your writing style is nice and that it is always nice to learn about the other ways of doing things with simplicity and grace.

    I do want to share that whilst garlic is a great plant, food and holistic treatment beloved by many, it does NOT contain arsenic. Perhaps you were confused by something you read, or were given bad information. Garlic does contain sulfur in sufficient quantities to have been used to bind to arsenic in those who had been poisoned by it...might still be used for that these days. Garlic is also mildly antiseptic, but does not have any anesthetic properties. Perhaps a combination of these two things is where the misinformation began, no?
    NIH/Medline: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/300.html

    Honey quickly loses it's antiseptic properties when diluted in even a tiny bit of water. However, it is useful for more than insect bites/stings and a sore throat. Used, undiluted, it can soothe a diaper rash; just spread it on, leave for a minute and rinse off in your suggested bathwater, then pat dry and use your corn starch/flour. It can also be used to clean your face, as a face masque, or a facial scrub when mixed with ground oatmeal (I still use it this way for breakouts), and to keep bandages from sticking to oozy wounds. I do not know how safe this next one is, but I have often used honey to soothe a mild kitchen or sun burn when I did not have any fresh aloe vera plant, again covering with a light bandage.

    One of my sisters swears by it as a hair conditioner, but if I am going to use that much I would rather have it on buttered toast or mixed with grainy mustard on my hot dog.

    A serious caution is that honey should never be ingested by children less than a year old. Ever.

    Narelle, that's all I got! :) Thanks for all of the other great info, though.

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  12. Oops sorry I accidentally deleted this comment....lucky I saved it..........


    Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you all, but I love the feedback I have gotten too....
    Anne: I can see why you are so tired what with working nights and having young children too....I haven't always done these things that I write about today, but I have always been rather frugal stretching our money as far as I could....I stopped making soap when my DS16 was 2 years old...and he grabbed the caustic mixing spoon out of the bucket I had just made soap in (I had already poured the soap though), and he put it in his mouth, burning his lips and tongue...a trip to the emergency department told me he hadn't ingested any though....so I really have only just started making it again in the last year or two..... When I first found I was pregnant, I knew it would be an expensive road, so I took myself off to my sisters and she taught me to sew babies clothes...I came home with nighties, singlets, skivvies, bibs, nursing pads...and heaps more...all made by me...even some jumpsuits with press studs.....I hated sewing at school, but now I had no choice and found I loved it. So sewing and crafts were more when the boys were younger....I never bought jars of baby food and I used cloth nappies too... Different crafts will become easier as the children get older...you will be able to take them to the park, get them to find some nature things to bring home and glue on a paper for daddy....by the time the park is done, and the gluing...they will be all tuckered out to bother you with your craft, but they will be ever so happy gluing leaves and feathers etc on paper..then you can do your craft in peace...just a suggestion....but certainly don't expect to do 'everything' while your children are young..take time to enjoy them, they grow up before you know it. Over time, you will be able to do other things that you can't do now...and besides....no-one would expect you to do it all while you have young children....keep up the good work I say back to you!
    Linda: I love Rescue Remedy too...I have used it on several occasions...thanks for sharing your Olive Oil hint...I'll keep that one tucked up in the ol' brain.
    Melissa: Baking Soda, and Cornstarch...amazing stuff I know...and oh so cheap.
    Cathy: I'm so glad you could get something out of this post, I love sharing ideas...after all someone some time gave them to me at some point.
    Sherrie (LHITC): I see you like natural remedies too, they certainly are great! Lindy: Thanks! It's greatly appreciated. My sister is from NZ but lives here now.
    Rhonda: OMG, Now I have reached new heights...What a compliment. I'm so glad that you are able to take something from my blog and use it...So Proud.
    Becca: I too love Olbas Oil!! Fantastic stuff.
    Dmarie: Thanks!
    Simpleton: Thank you so much for clearing up that Garlic information. I appreciate your correct information. As for honey, I did say I only gave an example...there sure are more remedies for honey...although I haven't tried it as a conditioner, thanks! Thanks also for the child warning for honey....I am yet to get to grips with covering the cautions when posting remedies...so new to this blogging...still so much to learn...but it's the little things like that that will stick in my mind...and I will remember them next time it is needed....thanks for that. I love how we all share what we know.. I too like honey on toast.
    Everyone: I just want to say how much I appreciate your comments on my writing style....I have been wondering if I should do more research before writing, but unless it is a health post, I think I will just keep going the way I am, after all, that's what makes it 'written by me'.

    Thanks so much once again

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  13. You rock! You are also nicely silly. :) Thank you very much! Again, you rock!

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