Natural Remedies For Common Complaints
This information is mainly from ‘The Homeopathic Vade Mecum’, by E. Harris Ruddock, M.D., which was published in 1880 in London by the Homeopathic Publishing Company, 2, Finsbury Circus.
It has a wealth of information in it, and is most beautifully written. So I will quote a little of it for your pleasure and learning.
Dr Ruddock impresses us in the preface about how using the safe remedies of homeopathy can prevent an illness from becoming severe, or even fatal.
I find it fascinating that, over 130 years after his book was published, the medical authorities are still out to supress information on Homeopathy and other natural methods of healing. Nothing much has changed, it seems. But still, the science of Homeopathy survives despite constant efforts, by medical orthodoxy and the drug companies, to stifle it. I quote Dr Ruddock from 1880:
‘Objections are often raised to medical works like the present, (he refers to his book of 1880) on the ground that they encourage amateur practitioners, and are therefore dangerous, and interfere with the legitimate pursuits of the medical profession. These objections are entirely groundless.’
Dr Ruddock goes on to say: ‘In nearly every family, domestic drugs – Castor oil, Epsom Salts, Rhubarb, Sulphur, Magnesia, Quinine, Anti Bilious Pills, Hydrate of Chloral, Bromide of Potassium, and even preparations of Mercury and Opium are employed, and our object in the production of this book, is to reform domestic treatment, by substituting (homeopathic) remedies and suggesting measures which, while generally harmless for evil, are powerful for good.’
About the value of home-prescribing, or ‘amateur doctoring’, he says: ‘It is useless to try to suppress amateur doctoring; on the contrary, we hope that such practitioners may find much to help them in the following pages.’
‘Simple and uncomplicated cases – Cold, Fever, Dyspepsia, etc, – may often be arrested at their outset; but which, if neglected, may form the nucleus of serious or even fatal disorders.
Natural Remedies
Culpeper says of Sage that it ’causes the hair to become black’.
Garden sage has many therapeutic uses.
In the garden, its flowers provide medicine and nectar for the bees, as well as a herbal tonic to the neighbouring plants.
It is well-known as an aid to oral hygiene. It has strong antiseptic qualities and is supposed to whiten tooth enamel.
Sage is still used today in some tooth-pastes. It is reputedly one effective remedy for bleeding gums, and improving gum health: The crushed fresh leaves are massaged several times a day onto the gums and teeth.
The tea is gargled to relieve sore throats, colds and flu, and ulcers in the mouth.
It can be effective to reduce fevers, and has been used in the past for thyphoid fever. (see ‘Herbal Remedies and Homeopathy’ published by Geddes and Grosset.)
It is a valuable nerve medicine, and is a useful stomach remedy for improving a weak appetite.
Natural Herbal Hair Dye and Tonic: Sage can help restore healthy hair and improve the colour.
Strong sage tea encourages hair growth and darkens the hair, if it is used on a regular basis. Many herbalists describe it in their writings: see John Heinerman’s ‘Encyclopedia of Fruits Vegetables and Herbs’.
Rosemary is another wonderful herb which can help hair growth, but it does not have such a darkening effect on the hair, as sage does.
Recipe For Sage Hair Dye: Here is a simple, natural hair dye and tonic which you can try. It is perfectly safe to use, as it does not contain any harmful additives such as you might find in commercial dyes for darkening the hair.
Take two cups of fresh sage leaves and put into a stainless steel saucepan.
Add one cup of dry black tea leaves
Add half a cup of cider vinegar and eight cups of water.
Simmer very gently, with no lid, for one hour on a very low heat. You should have around half the original quantity of liquid left at the end of an hour. If you need to add a little more water, make sure you do so well before you finish simmering the brew. If you add more water at the end of the simmering, then your mixture will not keep so well.
Take off the heat after an hour of simmering. Set aside to cool.
Once your sage mixture has cooled properly, strain it off.
To the liquid remaining add the same amount of vodka.
Put into a bottle with a screw-top lid and store in a cool place.
Massage around a tablespoonful of the sage infusion into the hair each day. Use more or less, depending on how much hair you need to cover.
Massage the sage tonic well into the roots of the hair as well, so that it feeds the scalp and hair follicles. Massaging the scalp with the sage tonic will help the hair to grow again.
The oils in the sage leaves will put a natural shine to the hair.
Once the hair is sufficiently darkened, which may take several weeks, you can reduce the amount of applications each week. Once or twice a week may be enough to maintain the darker colour.
Sage is really very good for the hair in so many ways.
Alternative Sage Tonic Without Alcohol: You could make up your sage tea without the alcohol if you wish. Only, remember that your mixture will not keep for longer than a week, and it must be kept in the fridge. You could make up a lesser amount, enough to last a week, and then make up a fresh brew of tea for the following week.
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