The Holistic Gardener: First Aid from the Garden E-Book

Fiann Ó Nualláin

• Herausgeber: Mercier Press
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

'A little gem with tons of tips from the witty and knowledgeable Fiann Ó Nualláin.' - Darina Allen A handy guide to quick and effective first-aid treatments for commonly occurring accidents and complaints, derived from garden, pantry and under-sink sources. From a thorn prick to heatstroke, from chapped hands to heart attack, from pesticide poisoning to wasp stings: all of these can be treated on-site with what you grow. The resource is on your doorstep: the plant beside you as you work or relax in the garden can answer the hive, ache or watery eye. It is written by a professional gardener with a lifetime of experience in accidents that can happen in the garden and how to cure/respond within the garden context using plants and items at hand in the garden. All the dots are joined; you won't need a book on herbs, a book on homemade remedy preparation and a garden plant reference – they are all combined in the first aid advice in this book.

Leseprobe

MERCIER PRESS

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Blackrock, Cork, Ireland.

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© Text: Fiann Ó Nualláin, 2014

© Illustrations: Sam Chelton, 2014 (excluding pages 56, 91, 103, 125, 142 and 224)

ISBN: 978 1 78117 214 8

Epub ISBN: 978 1 78117 283 4

Mobi ISBN: 978 1 78117 284 1

This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Disclaimer: First aid from the garden is a collection of skills and advice which has been compiled by a gardening expert. This book should not be used as a medical guide in the purest sense: the author is not a trained doctor, although the contents are reliable and could be useful in the situations described. Before using the remedies the reader must ensure all plants mentioned are correctly identified and processed as described. If serious illness or injury is suspected medical help should be sought immediately. The publisher can accept no responsibility for any consequences of advice given here or any illness or injury caused in the practice of the techniques or remedies described, nor of any prosecution relating to the treatment of people which may adhere directly or indirectly to the techniques or remedies described in this book. The reader should assume full responsibility for any practical use of any of the techniques and remedies described. If in doubt, consult a medical practitioner.

Contents

Introduction

Glossary

Induction

What is garden aid?

What is first aid/first response?

Calling the emergency services

A word of warning

Ingredients and ethical choices

Ingredients and current health status

Five simple tips to reduce the need for first aid

Accidents, Ailments and Garden-related Conditions

ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASES/ZOONOSES

Goldenseal Tea and Tincture

ANIMAL BITES AND SCRATCHES

Echinacea Tincture

Anti-infective Gels

INSECT BITES AND STINGS

A Bee Sting Solution

No-waiting sting soother paste

Homemade Insect Repellents

The Sicilian Sting Thing An offer you just can’t refuse …

PLANT INTERACTIONS

Calming Lotion

Spit Poultice

Geranium, Rose and Camomile Body Wash for Irritated Skin Conditions

Green Tea Goo: an allergy-free soapy body wash

The Nay-Fever Breakfast –Antihistamine Tea and Toast

Luxury Lavender Bath Salts

Rose Gardener’s Draughts

ACHES AND PAINS

Quick Salve for the Speedy Relief of Backache, Sciatica, Tired Limbs and Sore Muscles

Sprained Muscle Plaster

Sore Muscle Salve

Infused Capsicum Rubbing Oil for Hot Therapy Treatment of Aches and Pains

CUTS AND GRAZES

Thyme Antiseptic Rinse

Avocado Graze Glaze

Three Recipes for Sealing and Soothing Cuts

Honey Plaster

Antiseptic Herbal Tincture

Essential Antiseptic Ointment

BLEEDING AND WOUNDS

Minor Bleed Seal

BURNS

Sunflower and Honey Ointment

Burn Recovery Gel

Skin Tonic

Replenishing Skin Lotion

Peony burn recovery preparations – decoctions of dried root and tisanes of flowers

CHEMICAL CONTACT

KNOCKS AND BUMPS

Creeping Jenny and Ground Ivy Bruise Buster

Black Tea Black Eye Compress

Bruise Cure Tincture of Arnica, Calendula and St John’s Wort

Quick-fix Basic Bruise Mix

BROKEN BONES/FRACTURES

Remedies Beneficial to Broken Bones

COMMON GARDEN ACCIDENTS

First response

Fingers and Thumbs Unguent

Splinter-lifter Salve

Fennel Seed and Witch Hazel Good Vision Infusion

COMMON GARDEN MALADIES

Witch’s Brew – Homemade Witch Hazel Extract

Rosewater

Calendula and Chickweed Salve

Quick Blitz Gardener’s Elbow Grease

Quick Blitz Gardener’s Knee Liniment

LIFE-THREATENING EVENTS

WEATHER EMERGENCIES

‘Ditch the Itch’ Pastes

Mentholated Rub for Winter Chest, Coughs and Congestion

Prickly Heat Vinegar Spritz

Beat the Cramp Smoothie

After-sun Remedies

JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS

Quick-fix Isotonic Drinks

A Big Sweet Kiss of Blissful Chocolate Cake

First Aid Core Skills

Establishing an airway

How to take a pulse

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Recovery positions

Coping with choking

The unconscious casualty

Stopping bleeding

Wound cleansing and dressing

About the Author

About the Publisher

Introduction

Most introductions, in my experience, consist of authors waffling on about their academic status, their path to the topic and rationalising why you should be reading the book they have written. Well, let’s cut to the chase here, as there is no time to waste with some topics. I have been gardening all my life, at my father’s knee initially, later as a pastime through adolescence and eventually as a career after college. I have worked in the fields of amenity horticulture, landscape and design, green skills training and horticultural therapy for over twenty years, studying medical botany, global ethnobotany, herbalism, naturopathy and many holistic therapies along the way. All these extras have given me a genuine appreciation (not to mention an understanding) of the natural approach to gardening and to health – well to living, really – and that’s what this book is: a celebration of gardening life and how the garden can heal you and, indeed, perhaps even save your life.

Gardeners have accidents, some very specific to the garden or to the art of gardening, and I have experienced most of them. This book gathers together my gardening and natural healing experiences to pass on to gardeners in need of first aid advice, but it is also for people who wish to use the garden and its gifts for a more natural and sustainable way of life. This book covers a lifetime of familiarity with, and knowledge about, gardens, medical botany and the trials and tribulations that occasionally befall gardeners. It is a book that incorporates practical herbalism suitable for first timers as well as practised hands – with no special skills, complicated terminology or expertise needed to master the techniques described. It is about the help that the garden can provide, although I am conscious of the need for a level of medical first aid, so I have included a section of core skills that every first aider should have and I list the traditional first aid response with each injury entry. Accidents can be traumatic or just a nuisance – discovering how to rectify the injury should not be either.

So if you have an accident in the garden (or in your home), the helpful first aid response is recorded alongside the potential for garden aid. That garden aid is further explored with carefully selected remedies that you can easily make yourself from what grows around you, plus a few items borrowed from the kitchen or bathroom cabinets. For some conditions it is good to employ techniques of functional food, and so culinary recipes extend the healing potential of both garden and larder.

A note on measurements and remedy methodology

The measurements of ingredients in the recipes and remedies contained in this book are not given cookbook precision. While they are highly effective, tried and tested, they are nevertheless a little more rough and ready than laboratory measurements or pharmacy doses would be – in keeping with a gardening context and the premise of the book to pick some leaves from the garden and make a quick-fix remedy – the methodology is in the spirit of grabbing a dock leaf and rubbing it on a nettle sting, or plucking a handful of thyme and pouring some boiling water over it to extract its antiseptic phytochemicals.

To work out how much dock juice diminishes the sting and how big a leaf should be to deliver that quantity, or whether a dab of antiseptic is two drops or four, only slows reaction times to treatment or complicates a natural response. A cup of camomile tea will calm or be antibacterial whether it has been steeping for 3 minutes or 30 – that said, if a herb takes a particular amount of time to disperse its health-giving properties into hot water, alcohol or an oil base, then that time will be stated in the method (steep for 10 minutes, leave for two weeks etc.).

In terms of portion size, I use ‘cup’ as a measure of volume, whether dry or liquid, but the metric equivalent of the American cup is 236.6ml, while what is often referred to as the ‘British standard teacup’ (imperial measurement) is 250ml liquid volume. We are not making soufflés or mixing dangerous substances, so for our purposes that sort of difference is not a problem. The recipes are put together by ratio method, so while I use a standard 250ml cup (not a ‘World’s Sexiest Gardener’ mug or a bucket with a handle), the proportions of the cup you use will transfer easily enough across the board.

In culinary terms, the rule of fresh versus dried herb is that one part of dried herb is equal to three parts fresh – a good rule to follow, because even though that relates to potency of taste, it does on balance also relate to the potency of other active ingredients. Sometimes, however, drying a herb removes the volatile oils, and some phytochemicals also diminish, so fresh is always preferred. ‘Fresh’ will be stated in recipes where this is applicable.

Fiann Ó Nualláin

Glossary

Astringent: a tightening agent, causing contraction of body tissues, checking blood flow, or restricting secretions of fluids.

Compress: a pad of absorbent material or a cloth dressing moistened with an active ingredient (antiseptic, cool water, etc.) pressed onto a part of the body to relieve inflammation, agitation or to stop bleeding. A leaf or petal can also be used as a compress, such as a dock leaf to alleviate the sting of a nettle or calendula to soothe skin irritation.

Decoction: the liquid resulting from the extraction of the water-soluble substances of medicinal plants by boiling.

Herbal rinse: the herbal equivalent of a medicated wash. A cooled infusion utilised to clean a wound or alleviate a skin irritation.

Infusion: the liquid result of steeping plant parts in hot water for 5–10 minutes.

Liniment:a medicated liquid applied to the skin to relieve pain, stiffness, etc.

Nervine:a plant-based remedy that has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

Oral extract: any extract that can be taken orally – tea, tisane, tincture, etc.

Poultice:a moist and often heated application for the skin consisting of substances such as kaolin, linseed or mustard, used to improve the circulation, treat inflamed areas, etc. A simple poultice employed as a drawing agent for splinters is bread dipped in hot water. A compress of steamed, crushed or otherwise prepared herbs, foliage or flowers employs both the action of a poultice (drawing/soothing) together with the application of the beneficial phytochemicals in the plants, for double effect.

Spit Poultice: a poultice macerated in the mouth and spat onto a wound.

Tincture: alcohol-based remedies for oral consumption or to be used as a rub.

Tisane: see infusion.

Topical:for application to the body’s surface.

Induction

Yes, induction, but none of the dictates of health and safety here; hard hats are not required. This section is a guide to using the book, by looking at five core elements: what is garden aid – a brief on what is possible from the garden; what is first aid/first response – a look at the limits and practice of first-aiding; contacting emergency services – the vital numbers; a word of warning – every book needs at least one (but I also include a note on ingredients and ethical choices – not so much a warning as suggestions to give you options); and finally, and perhaps the most helpful, five steps to avoid accidents – prevention is always better than cure! (Apart from the chocolate cake cure, but more on that later.)

What is garden aid?

Garden aid is a term I use to describe the use of the resources of the garden – the site of many of the accidents and injuries described in this book – to address the damage with immediate effect and often more successfully than conventional treatments, but for the most part used as a back-up treatment or ‘second aid’. Think of it as a harvestable complementary therapy, as help from the garden, from its plants and the innate medicinal properties contained in flowers, seeds, leaves and sap, for injuries suffered there or elsewhere.

The plants listed in the book are not exotic or rare; they are the common and popular herbs and ornamental perennials found in the average garden or garden centre. They are easy to find, easy to grow and maintain, easy to harvest and use, and are sometimes supplemented with popular herbs and spices to be found in most kitchens and local shops. And in the interest of exploiting everything the garden has to offer, I include some remedies that employ ‘weeds’ – I am sure you will be able to borrow some of these from a neighbour!

In this book there is a mix of scientific ‘medicinal botany’ and received gardeners’ lore, or ‘ethnobotany’, about plant uses. Most people have learnt that a dock leaf cools the sting of a nettle leaf – we received that wisdom in childhood and it is part of our cultural upbringing (our learned ethnobotany) – but do we know that it is the histamine and serotonin reactions to the sharp hairs of the stinger that cause the irritation, and that dock leaf sap contains a natural antihistamine, or do we just trust that it works? It works either way. This book is not about belief, cultural norms or placebos – it is about what works. I am a holistic gardener and I do believe that gardening is prayer, but I am not of the mind to pray for rain when my beard is on fire – I will roll in the dirt and dig a plant from the soil to make a soothing balm. Using all practical skills is my kind of holistic.

So the plants selected for inclusion in garden aid are those such as the dock leaf – passed on to each generation by word of mouth while having a scientific explanation for the ‘cure’ effect, as well as plants from traditional herbalism, phytotherapy and pharmacognosy, studied and laboratory tested for active principles. Many over-the-counter medications for injuries listed in this book owe their origins to a plant, if they are not, indeed, outright derivatives of one. Aspirin owes a debt to the chewing of willow bark, while counter-irritant rubs for muscle aches are often derivatives of menthol and camphor extracts from garden mint, other Mentha species and the camphor tree. It is estimated that there are at least 120 distinct chemical substances extracted from plant sources currently employed in the manufacture of commercial drug therapies and medicinal products, and this number is growing all the time – if you’ll forgive the pun.

So garden first aid is not snake oil or new age hokum, it is the most ancient, ever-renewed and certain future of healing. Better still, it is what is to hand when you need it most. You don’t need to run to the pharmacist for a topical antiseptic when a natural one is growing by the knee you just grazed – for an example of this, try out the thyme antiseptic remedy.

What is first aid/first response?

I list the first aid protocols for each injury under ‘First response’ because that is what first aid is all about – your immediate initial response. In some cases there is not much more to be done, as the job is completed with those first simple steps. But other times, or with more serious injuries, the need will arise for a ‘second’ opinion from a doctor, or indeed a ‘second’ intervention by medically trained professionals from the emergency services – paramedics, fire brigade and so on. Your first response is just the beginning of the story in that case; it is, however, if carried out diligently, the beginning that might well ensure the casualty’s outcome has a happy ending.

First response is what you can do to prevent the escalation of injury to calamity level. Staying calm and focused is the best first response. There is a universal procedure to follow with accidents, an order of priority in an accident or emergency situation:

1. Alert the emergency services;

2. Check for danger before you proceed;

3. Do ABCs (that is, check Airway, Breathing and Circulation) on the casualty;

4. Stop any bleeding and address injuries as best you can until an ambulance arrives.

And we can add a fifth for good measure – offer reassurance/support or, if you are the injured party, remain positive and panic free. For those who wish to explore more traditional first aid techniques, I have included a core skills section at the end of the book, covering the essential skills of taking a pulse, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), sling making, splint making and so on.

Calling the emergency services

Calling the emergency services may be the most important thing you do. And knowing how to do it cuts to the chase and gets vital assistance promptly to you and the casualty.

Dial 112 or 999? The well-known 999 is still active in both Ireland and Britain, as is the common European emergency number 112.

The European emergency number, 112, is the number to dial in the majority of European countries, but always check before you go on holiday to make sure that you know the number for the country you are going to.

Remember, when calling emergency services in an accident situation, ‘remain calm, remain focused and remain on the line’. If using a mobile, speakerphone mode is good as it frees up your hands and you can be talked through a procedure if need be.

Always state clearly the emergency service you require and the nature of the accident. Give your name, specific location (for example, back garden, no. 16 Green Avenue) and telephone number so that the emergency services can reach you directly.

A word of warning

Garden aid is not necessarily applicable to every situation – severe burns and serious injuries need hospitalisation – but it can be used in conjunction with best medical practice, not instead of it. It is not intended to take the place of traditional techniques of first response and recovery, but to support both processes where fitting; for example, a styptic (astringent) herb under a cotton pad to stop bleeding, or using immunity-building herbs in the weeks after the injury.

Misdiagnosis can be fatal in a medical situation; and in horticultural therapy or botanical medicines, misidentification can be detrimental – knowing what you are about to harvest is what it is meant to be and is intended for the task at hand is vital. Take time to familiarise yourself with the plants mentioned in this book – most are straightforward and generally well known, but if you supplement your garden aid from other sources then correct identification, correct application and correct dosage are vital.

So the word of warning – as promised – is ‘appropriateness’!

Ingredients and ethical choices

To match consumer expectations and commercial consistency/viscosity within the remedies, I have elected to use items such as petroleum jelly, or emulsifying solutions such as Silcocks base or E45 cream, etc. As these are by-products of crude oil, some home crafters and ecological gardeners may have reservations about how those products might impact on oil reserves and other environmental matters. It’s a complicated debate – does a by-product contribute to the damage its prime-product triggers? However, there is no health issue with these products if used in the short term for first aid, and most natural cosmetic and herbal medicine makers employ them freely. If these issues cause you concern, simply use zinc ointment, shea butter, cocoa butter or coconut oil in their place.

Ingredients and current health status

Not every remedy in this book will suit everybody; for example, people with an allergy to Asteraceae plants should avoid chrysanthemum tea or oxeye daisy remedies – yet to others these may be perfect choices. The remedies in this book are based on traditional treatments and are ones I use personally, but they do not, or more to the point, cannot take into account the variety of individuals’ underlying conditions/current prescription medications and so on that may interact with them. So with all conditions, if you are not sure of the plant or your tolerance of it, then consultation with a qualified herbalist or naturopath is recommended. Apart from this aspect, all the usual rules apply – caution must be exercised in the case of pregnancy, high blood pressure, treatment regimes for long-term health conditions, etc.

Five simple tips to reduce the need for first aid

• Avoid working in haste or under impractical time constraints. For example, do not start to mow the lawn 5 minutes before you have to collect the children from school.

• Do not attempt shortcuts – such as lifting the mower to knee-height because the strimmer is out of fuel.

• Upskill or do a little research. Many accidents are caused by a lack of skill or training to ensure that the job is done safely. Arrogance about knowing it all is as bad as knowing nothing at all.

• Be aware: ignorance of potential risks is the catalyst of calamity. Run through potential hazards before you undertake a task or project.

• Be prepared, not airlifted. A lack of planning and preparation is the downfall of all. Don’t wash garden paving on nights with a frost warning and then skid the length of the newly formed patio ice-rink in the morning.

Humour aside for a moment – check out ‘ergonomic tips of the trade’ section to help avoid garden maladies and prevent many garden accidents.

Accidents, Ailments and Garden-related Conditions

.

ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASES/ZOONOSES

A zoonotic disease is one that can be passed from animals to man. The big ones – those that hit the news or the history books – have been the plague from fleas on rats, Weil’s disease from rodent urine, malaria from mosquito bites, Lyme disease from ticks, rabies from dog bites, toxoplasmosis from cat faeces and, of course, Asian bird flu and feline H5N1. Then there is ringworm and a variety of fungal diseases that seem innocuous in comparison but are nonetheless unpleasant.

Both wildlife and domestic pets can be reservoirs for infection, but even without physical contact such as hugs (passing on ringworm and other parasites), scratches (leading to cat scratch fever) or bites (possibly causing tetanus), animals can infect soil and garden plants by using your raised bed as a litter box or your shrubs as a urinal.

As a gardener, the one that concerns me the most is Weil’s disease – it is a potentially life-threatening disease that is easily contracted through water barrels, ponds or even wet vegetation that has been contaminated with rat urine. Rats can also transmit salmonella, but Weil’s disease can infect via not only cuts or scrapes, but also through the lining of the mouth and the tissue of your eyes – a splash can transmit it.

The time between exposure to a contaminated source and becoming sick is generally two days to four weeks, but there have been examples, where direct rat contact occurred, of the disease developing within hours. The illness manifests in two phases. The first involves fever, chills, vomiting or diarrhoea, jaundice-like appearance, headache and muscle aches. Some people only get to phase one and the illness fades out or is successfully identified and treated. A relapse or second phase is more severe – often with more pronounced jaundice, pain and symptoms that can lead to kidney or liver failure, or even meningitis. Recovery may take several months or it can be fatal.

First response

Wash the wound/contact site with plenty of water and soap to flush out bacteria/contaminants, apply antiseptic and seek medical attention as quickly as possible.

Garden aid

Use the phytochemicals and nutrients in the plants you grow in your garden, stock as kitchen herbs or readily source from a local health shop, to boost your immune system. Most potent are gingko leaf, astragalus root, bell peppers and other capsicums, cat’s claw, echinacea, garlic, ginseng and turmeric. Barberry (bark, root and berries) is very effective against Vibrio bacteria and the parasitic organisms that transmit viral and bacterial infections, while goldenseal and peony can help to increase white blood cells to fight infection and viruses. The latter three are all garden centre staples, if not growing already in your garden, and all can easily be used as a tisane or tincture.

Goldenseal Tea and Tincture

Goldenseal has been used in Native American cultures for centuries, if not thousands of years, as a bitter agent, brewed or infused then ingested to stimulate the secretion and flow of bile, or applied to the skin surface as a topical solution to treat bacterial, yeast and fungal infections. It is remedial to intestinal parasites and useful as a detox herb. Goldenseal contains a good quantity of berberine, a substance also used to trigger uterine contractions and can increase blood pressure, so avoid its use in pregnancy or with conditions such as diabetes, hypertension etc.

Goldenseal tea

Roots can be harvested and dried in any season that enables correct identification, or the dried herb can be purchased from your local health store.

Method

Add 1 teaspoon of the dried root or store-bought herb to a cup of boiled water and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain off solids and drink the liquid tea. The treatment dosage is generally three times per day.

Goldenseal tincture

Tinctures are alcohol-based remedies for oral consumption or to be used as a rub. A tincture is as much a dosage as it is a preparation – usually 10–20 drops of a Mother tincture (the undiluted original potion) in a glass of spring/mineral water. The ratio for the tincture is traditionally one part herb to five parts alcohol.

Method

Measure out your harvested root and alcohol in this ratio and mix them together in a clear bottle or jar. Vodka or brandy works for both rubbing and oral consumption, while a remedy made with rubbing alcohol is strictly for topical application only. Leave the jar to sit on a sunny window sill for four weeks before sieving away the solids. Use the tincture fresh within two months, or decant the liquid into a dark glass container for long-term storage – tinctures are often considered to have a shelf life of ten years or longer, but I prefer to re-make if the mixture is older than eighteen months. I like to put the ingredients in a blender at the start – I feel that the blitzing releases more of the active ingredients into the alcohol base. Over the four weeks the solids separate out nicely. The traditional dosage is usually 2–4ml in a glass of water or juice, two to three times per day. Goldenseal tincture can also be dabbed onto infected areas or used in homemade ointments or salves – simply amend any salve recipe to include 20–40 drops of the tincture or infuse the oil base intended for the salve with plant parts for a week or longer prior to making up the salve.

ANIMAL BITES AND SCRATCHES

Animal bites

No matter what the animal, whether it is your neighbour’s pet dog or a startled fox, all animal bites carry a high risk of infection, so medical supervision is vital. If the skin is even lightly broken there is potential transmission of rabies, tetanus and a whole range of diseases and viral infections. If the flesh is torn, then professional stitching and medical intervention with wound management is essential. Do not wait for symptoms to arise. For a minor injury, see a GP the same day. For a major injury, call an ambulance or go to the accident and emergency department (A&E) of the nearest hospital.

First response

For minor wounds where the bite barely breaks the skin, wash the wound site with soap and water, apply antiseptic and visit a GP to be on the safe side – to assess the casualty’s tetanus status if nothing else. For bleeding ‘skin-break’ bites, if the bleeding is not heavy, wash the wound with soap and water, bandage or cover it and seek professional attention as the patient may need an antibiotic and possibly a tetanus booster. Deep or serious wounds should always be cleaned and treated by trained medical personnel, so if bitten deeply, bandage the site to stem blood loss and get help from the emergency services – the patient will need an antibiotic course and a tetanus assessment.