Self-Sufficiency
Natural
Home Remedies
Self-Sufficiency
Natural
Home Remedies
Melissa Corkhill
Published 2016—IMM Lifestyle Books
IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed in the UK by Grantham Book Service.
In North America, IMM Lifestyle Books are distributed by
Fox Chapel Publishing
1970 Broad Street
East Petersburg, PA 17520
Copyright © 2011, 2016 text: Melissa Corkhill
Copyright © 2011, 2016 artworks: IMM Lifestyle Books
Copyright © 2011, 2016 IMM Lifestyle Books
Melissa Corkhill has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.
ISBN 978 1 5048 0041 9
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Singapore
Publisher’s Note
The natural remedies included in this book are not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment. A physician should be consulted in all cases of medical concern and if symptoms arise that require medical diagnosis. Neither the author nor the publisher accept any responsibility or liability for any effects that may arise from following the advice given here.
CONTENTS
Getting started
Nature provides us with a wealth of natural remedies that can help to ease and soothe illnesses, ailments and common health complaints. The following pages contain all you need to know to begin treating yourself and your family by increasing your plant knowledge, putting together a herbal first aid kit and even growing your own medicine.
Introduction
I started this journey as a child, always fascinated by plants and intrigued at the natural remedies that my mother used to treat us when my brother, sister and I were ill. She had a huge collection of homeopathic remedies and through her treating us, I learnt about many of them, what they were made from and what symptoms they could be used to treat. I came to understand that a heavy cold could benefit from a dose of Pulsatilla, that a case of nerves before an exam was effectively treated using Gelsemium, and that a hot honey and lemon drink was the best remedy for a sore throat.
When my own children were born I started to use natural remedies to treat their illnesses and found that as they got older they were able to decide what remedy would work best for them. They instinctively know what plant will be most effective to help their bodies to heal. I have learned to trust their innate knowledge and at the time of writing none of us has seen a doctor for six years! We are our own doctors, which is a liberating feeling.
No one can know and understand your body better than you can. I like to do a body scan meditation every once in a while to give my body a chance to really let me know how it is feeling and any problem areas that need looking at. Simply lie down in a comfortable place where you can be sure that you won’t be disturbed for at least 20 minutes. Bring your attention to your feet.Think about how they feel. Give your body time to respond, as you may not be used to focussing on individual parts in this way. If you can’t decide how your feet are feeling first time, don’t worry, simply move to your ankles and focus on them.
Slowly move up your body, thinking about how it is feeling, until you get to the head. You may have thoughts such as ‘I’m tired; I feel confused; I feel stuck’. After you have worked through the whole body, sit up and jot down each of the messages from your body parts so that you have a reference to work with over the coming weeks. You can then refer to the advice given in this book to treat and heal any problem areas.
When parts of my body feel stiff or blocked, I use yoga and herbs to help me release the tension. Yoga is an incredible therapy for moving and releasing blockages that might go on to cause illness if allowed to build up. For example, I developed a benign lump in my breast two years ago and through the practice of yoga and use of natural remedies I managed to shift the blockage and now feel healthier than ever. (Remember you should always consult a doctor if you discover a lump in your breast or any other part of your body.)
In this book I will share remedies and techniques that I have used myself for decades and on my children for over ten years. Many of the recipes for healing lotions, infusions and tinctures are ones that we use regularly in our home. I hope that they will be useful for you to help you create optimum