Blogging from A to Z: Yarrow

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Y is for Yarrow

I'm interested in herbal plants and remedies. I'm not fond of the modern take a pill for everything. 

I knew Yarrow had medicinal qualities so I looked it up to share. 

Poo poo the idea of herbal remedies? Where to you think modern pharmaceuticals get their ideas? Many of the modern remedies had their roots from herbs. 

Yarrow is a flowering perennial, common in North America but also native to Europe and Asia. Its leaves are soft and highly segmented with a characteristic appearance that is almost feather-like. Yarrow grows stalks during the summer months, with a height that is dependent upon the seasonal rainfall. During dry years, these stalks may only grow a foot or two, preserving energy in its roots. Clusters of tiny white flowers grow atop the stalks, emitting a distinctive and characteristic aroma.

Yarrow received its Latin name Achillea from the legendary Greek hero Achilles. According to the common legend, Achilles’s mother dipped him into the river Styx by the ankle in an effort to make him invulnerable. Fighting many battles as a seemingly invincible warrior, Achilles used yarrow to treat the wounds of his fellow soldiers. He later died from a wound to his heel, as it was the one unprotected part of his anatomy.

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/yarrow-leaf-and-flower/profile

Benefits of Yarrow:

Yarrow  is helpful in relieving fevers, shortening the duration of cold and flu, helping improve relaxation during illness, and relieving cramps associated with hormones or illness. Applied topically, it is helpful with skin itching, rash or other issues.

An external tincture or poultice will often help with hemorrhoids, rashes and broken skin. Some people will notice relief from allergy symptoms by drinking a tea of yarrow and mint. 

http://wellnessmama.com/7106/yarrow-herb-profile/

A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve:

Yarrow is a diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, stimulant and mild aromatic.

Yarrow Tea is a good remedy for severe colds, being most useful in the commencement of fevers, and in cases of obstructed perspiration. The infusion is made with 1 OZ. of dried herb to 1 pint of boiling water, drunk warm, in wineglassful doses. It may be sweetened with sugar, honey or treacle, adding a little Cayenne Pepper, and to each dose a teaspoonful of Composition Essence. It opens the pores freely and purifies the blood, and is recommended in the early stages of children's colds, and in measles and other eruptive diseases.

A decoction of the whole plant is employed for bleeding piles, and is good for kidney disorders. It has the reputation also of being a preventative of baldness, if the head be washed with it.

https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/y/yarrow02.html

If for some reason, man made medicine can no longer be manufactured, the need to know about herbal remedies will skyrocket. Be prepared. Have a book on herbs readily available in your supplies. It could be the difference between life and death. Or the difference between a bland meal and one seasoned to melt in your mouth.

I can't remember which one I have. It is one of two. I'm not sure where I put mine, possibly in the kitchen with my cook books!

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Medicinal-Herbal-Practical-Properties/dp/156458187X/

or this one

http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Herbal-Home-Remedies/dp/0754818578/

My hero's brother is handy with herbal remedies, tinctures and poultices in Stealing Hope A Dragon's Fated Heart. Coming August to Ardent Books.

www.beverlyovalle.com

Researching Emergency Items

Well, I know you should keep a supply of foodstuffs on hand and I was so excited to find out what was on it.

I currently keep on hand the bags of soup that you add water to. I tend to add different meats and frozen vegetables, depending on what type of soup I'm making. They have a few years shelf life on them, so I don't worry about what I have hanging around. When there is a sale, I buy more.

Then I saw this post from ReadyNutrition.com, 11 Emergency Food Items That Can Last a Lifetime.

You know I was right on this!

With proper preparation the following can be stored for a long, long time:

Honey
Salt
Sugar
Wheat (though I wonder how for this one. I'm going to have to check it out)
Dried Corn
Baking Soda
Instant Coffee, Tea and cocoa
Non carbonated soft drinks
White Rice
Bullion Products
Powdered Milk

Visit the web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.

Fascinating and I'm ready to run out and stock a huge supply.  I suppose you can buy all of this and put it away in a room for future need. Most prepper sites I've gone to suggest rotating stores. Don't just set it and forget. You could end up with unusable food and no supplies in the event of an emergency.

One item you'll always need is water. If something happens don't forget to fill up your tub and sinks with water. Fill any empty containers with as much water as you can. Remember, you can go longer without food than water.

Now I wonder how I can work this information into my series. There had to be someone that had prepared and survived. Like Hope's family went on, someone prepared also has to have descendants around. Somehow A Dragon's Fated Heart series will absorb and use this information!

Are you prepared to be stranded?

I always worry about getting stranded in my car. Despite its looks, my car is almost five years old. Not bad and I've kept up the recommended maintenance.

But things happen, like deer unexpectedly in the road.

So you can never be too careful.

For me, I have an emergency blanket and my triple A card in my car! 

But for my children, when they first started driving I took no chances. They didn't have new vehicles. So my husband and I built each of them a kit. Here is what we put in it. Remember we live in Wisconsin so making sure they could survive if they broke down in winter was essential.

Jumper cables

emergency blanket

road flares

fold-able shovel

kitty litter

fuses

rope

first aid kit

seat belt cutter

glass breaker

a few granola bars

a couple of bottles of water

gloves

hand warmers

rain poncho

umbrella

flashlight

I don't remember what else we put in there.

I do know that they had to use it.

The most used items were the shovels, kitty litter for traction and the jumper cables.

On an almost daily basis they shoveled themselves out of poor parking choices!

My daughter constantly used the jumper cables as she would invariably forget to turn off one light or another in her car.

I also keep boots, snow pants and extra gloves and a hat in my car during winter. If I'm stranded I plan on keeping warm. I try to keep a full tank of gas during the winter. You just never know what will happen.

I was looking up items and found an extended list. I can see the uses. Here it is. I stole this from Prepping to Survive http://preppingtosurvive.com/2011/09/07/the-get-home-car-kit/.

Bottled water
Powdered Gatorade
Red handkerchiefs
Length of rope
50 feet of paracord
Carabiner
Large trash bag
Small Kleenex pack
Firestarting supplies (magnesium/strike bar, lighter, waterproof matches, etc)
Camp towel
Handcrank flashlights
Mini-sewing kit, including safety pins
Fishing line, hooks, sinkers
Hand sanitizer
Ponchos
“Dry sacks” (nylon bags)
Lightweight blanket and “emergency blanket”
Tablet of paper & pencil
HotHands & chemical cold packs
Leatherman tool
Shoe laces
Superglue
ShooGoo adhesive
Granola bars
Small pack baby wipes
Deck of cards
Pocket knife
Emergency whistle
Compass
Adjustable (folding) saw
Cup
Bouillon cubes
Ace bandage
Water purification tablets
Pocket Survival Guide
Length of heavy-duty aluminum foil
Snare wire
Can opener
Mini pry bar
Tea bags & sugar
Jar of peanut butter
5 cable zip ties
Ziptop bag of toilet paper
Duct tape

The website stated that it will all fit into a 19 qt box. I can't picture the size. I'm sure if I saw it I would go, okay, this is doable. And well, duct tape is useful for anything!

Some of it seems a tad much, but if you were stranded in the middle of nowhere, I imagine all of this would be used in one way or another. This list misses a few things that I know I'd want like the shovel and kitty litter, focusing mainly on surviving. Me, if I was stuck, I'd like a way to get out. The shovel would help. My son would agree, lol, as he used his almost daily through out the winter!