I regularly get asked what is in my medicine cabinet. I assume people are hoping to know what they should get. Let me start by saying if you’d like to try your hand at natural healing, my medicine cabinet is not the place to start. When I get extra money, I buy natural remedies.
At any rate, an inspection of my medicine cabinet would reveal lots of essential oils and herbs. I have a separate location for my homeopathy, because homeopathy should always be stored away from strong smelling products. Homeopathy is so delicate that exposure to the strong scents of essential oils like tea tree will make them less effective. So, I have a medicine cabinet of essential oils and herbs and then I also have a separate carrying box with all of my homeopathy in it. Most of it I’ve never had to use. I keep everything out of the reach of children, because that’s the responsible thing to do, just because something is natural doesn’t mean you want your kids messing with it.
I’d like to answer the question the way it was probably intended. Not what’s in my medicine cabinet, but rather what products do I make sure I never run out of.
# 1 Oil of Oregano (Planetary Herbals)
If you can only have one thing, this is it. This is my “must-have.” The reason to have this run the gamut, but the most important reason to have it is for its ability to fight viral and bacterial infection like a pro. When I say this, I don’t mean as “a general good health promoter.” I mean it like I wrote it. It is a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent. Its major component is carvacrol. If you want to see the studies about carvacrol, go to www.pubmed.org (which is the National Institute of Health’s online index of medical studies) and search for carvacrol. The brand I have come to trust is Planetary Herbal. I don’t work for the company or anything, and I’m sure there’s other brands that are awesome, but it’s the one that I use… since so many people asked. I’ve indexed it for you so that you can buy it easily on Amazon here.
#2 Manuka Honey
Manuka Honey is a medical grade raw honey. It is used in hospitals in cases of gangrene, skin infections, abscesses and severe burns. There have been numerous studies on this that prove its effectiveness. It has saved lives and limbs on countless occasions. While I doubt that you would ever need it for saving your life, it should replace the neosporin in your first aid kit. It can be used on cuts, burns, acne, and boils. It can be eaten in cases of bacterial or viral infections in your throat. It helps with allergies. You can brush your teeth with it if you fight gingivitis. It can be applied to a tooth abscess. It is expensive and worth each and every penny. It only narrowly lost out to Oil of Oregano as the front runner.
It does a couple of things. It kills germs within a wound. It speeds up healing by cleaning the area of dead skin. This scared the crap out of my dad when it made a wound look all white from the rapid debridement process. It provides a moist sterile environment for the wound to heal as it lifts out lymph fluid through its strong osmotic effect. It lifts away dead tissue as it promotes new tissue growth at a rate that is unmatched by any other wound dressing. It draws out lymph fluid from wound tissues and reduces inflammation and pain.
#3 Hyland’s Arnica Tabs
Of all of the homeopathic remedies, Arnica is the most used and most widely accepted. You can find it in numerous combination remedies and products.
So, there you have it. That’s what you need to own. The rest is really important as well, but these three products are absolutely imperative.
Have any of you experience healing with any of these products? We’d love to hear about it! Post your comments below!
I swear by these!! I took Oil of Oregano when I had a UTI and two days later it was gone. I have also used it when my son had that all telling strep throat bad breath and spots in his throat… I thought I’d try OOO for a day before I took him to the Dr’s, and the next morning, no reddness, spots, or bad breathe. My husband dropped a huge very heavy storm window on the top of his thigh. I heard him inside, while he was in the garage screaming profanities… So you know it was bad. I ran and got my Arnica oil, and threw it all over where it hurt, and NO bruise! It was tender, but no where near what would have happened. I slammed my finger so hard in my window the other day, we have ones that stick, so it was at full force. My finger got stuck in it and I had to open the window to get it out!. Threw some arnica oil on it, and I swear it instantly felt better. About ten minutes later I could move it. I comlpetely forgot anout it till the next day when my son jerked my finger wierd and it felt sorta bruised. Then I realized- wow, that stuff really worked. I forgot i even slammed my finger! I am excited to try the honey!! Thanks for sharing what should be in our cabinets!
Arnica cream has saved me many dirty looks from “perfect parents”. My son has no fear and bruises easily. When he bumps into something too hard applying arnica keeps the bruises from forming.
Arnica works great on me as well. I tend to get nasty bruises from things I can’t even remember bumping in to and they last for weeks. Arnica helps those bruises heal in only a day or two.
Would the Arnica also work on bruises that have already formed? my 2 year old is also fearless and constantly has bruises from playing, but with a 6 month old in the house I don’t always see her accidents or know about them (she has a high pain tolerance) until there is a bruise.
It workes almost 100% when used within 15 minutes but yes, it does significantly imprrove old bruises too… but it won’t seem like a miracle as it does when used right away.
*works. 🙂
I swear by the Oil of Oregano, I have used it twice for myself and once for my daughter and I can honestly say that all all symptoms were gone within two days. I have stocked up on this gem! I would like to know more about the Arnica, my daughter bruises very, very easily. Someone mentioned Arnica cream?
I just have the cream because that was available. Now that I have fallen farther in to the natural rabbit hole I want to stock up on tablets.
🙂
Arnica cream and arnica oil are a tad more expensive, but not because they work better. The little pills will work perfect taken orally. The creams and the oils really help people feel it’s more “normal” if that makes sense. In truth, they usually have extra ingredients that given your daughter’s sensitive skin, might not be the best idea.
What would be the difference between the oil and caplets for oil of oregano? Can you take the oil like you would a caplet to help with colds?
You COULD take just the oil sure, as long as you cut it 50/50 with a carrier oil. Some of them will already come cut, like in infamous P73. I will tell you though, the P73, just plain isn’t as strong in actual use as the Planetary Herbals. Which is funny because the P73 is like a gabillion dollars.
I don’t suggest using just any random oil unless it specifically says that it is standardized to 70% carvacrol or better. Otherwise, it might not work. I prefer just to use things that work.
I don’t like WORK for or have any stake in Planetary Herbals, it’s just a lot of trial and error brought me to the awareness that they work… REALLY well on REALLY REAL stuff.
The oil taken outside of a caplet will also taste horrific, but you certainly can do it, so long as you cut it with a carrier oil like olive oil.
I ended up using the GNC’s brand of OoO in a pinch and it just isn’t the same as Planetary Herbals.
I know… I’ve used a few different kinds. There is one other one that works the same, but I can’t remember the name. It might even be from the same “manufacturer” with a different brand label.
How do you administer the OOO to your kids? Could I mix it in a carrier oil like coconut oil or olive oil, dip a q tip in it and put it in their nasal passages? Taking it orally isn’t clearing it up like it usually does.
What kind are you using? And what is it? a sinus infection?
It’s in liquid form from Zand. My 10 month old has had thick green snot for almost 2 weeks, using OOO orally for almost a week now. I’m doing 4 drops twice a day.
Oil of oregano, if used enough should wipe it out in about a day or two. The Zand formula has 10% less carvacrol. It’s not as good as the Planetary Herbals. Also, Planetary has about 37.6 mg of carvacrol per four drops (should you use their drops). Zand is very diluted, according to it’s website it only has 10 mg of carvacrol per four drops. So, essentially, your child is getting very little oregano comparatively. You have to have a LOT of carvacrol to OD on it and you’re absolutely no where near close to any dangerous level even if you bumped it up to 4 drops, ten times a day.
Essentially what I’m saying is the brand you have is not very good. You will need a lot more to do the same, and much more than you’re taking to help with an infection from what I’ve seen.
I highly recommend you get the planetary herbals and do 2 drops several times in one day, if you start in the morning, I would expect you will notice SIGNIFICANT improvement by evening.
(Disclaimer These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose treat cure or prevent any disease) 😉
With the Planetary Herbals, do I just bust a capsule?
You can get drops, but, i just bust the capsules up because my littlest is the only one who doesn’t take caplets and the rest of us would MUCH rather do the caplets.
Thanks!
Dawn, there are like a million Manuka honey’s out there with different numbers associated with it. Can you explain the numbers a little bit for me and maybe direct me to a brand you KNOW is good? Thanks!!