Communicating During an Emergency

November 8, 2013 by Chris Ray

Today’s article was guest written by Lee Flynn.

Communicating During an Emergency

Whether it is a big natural disaster, or a terrorist attack, or even something that is not of national significance, the chances are that we will all face some kind of serious emergency at some point in our lifetimes. And in recent years, it seems as though such occurrences are becoming more and more likely. One of the biggest problems that people face, when hit with such emergencies, is that it becomes difficult to contact the people who they love. Whenever there is a disaster, such as the tornado in Oklahoma, or the bombings at the Boston marathon, cell phone service is often jammed, due to the sheer amount of people who are trying to contact their loved ones. And that is if you are lucky enough to even have a phone still intact, with which you can call people. For this reason, there are special preparations that need to be made in the case of an emergency. Here is a guide to communicating during an emergency.

General Tips

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has put together some guidelines to follow when trying to communicate during an emergency. Some of the most important tips are as follows:

Limit your phone calls, especially non-emergency ones, to free up space on the network and conserve battery power.
When you do call, keep it brief.
Try texting rather than calling, you may find that it goes through more easily.
Try other messaging services, such as email.
Keep your phone well charged, and keep back-up batteries if necessary.
Try to stay in the same place while you are placing a phone call.
Listen for emergency alerts on a radio if the power is out.
Designate a person who is out of the area to be your family’s emergency contact, so that everyone in your family knows who to contact should you get separated.

Making Emergency Calls

You may be injured, trapped, or witness other kinds of emergencies that require assistance from emergency services. The FCC also has instructions for making such phone calls. Some suggestions include having a backup form of communication in case the power is out, and listening for emergency alerts on the radio and on television. It also offers instructions for calling 911 in emergency situations. Authorities often learn about big emergencies through 911 calls, so don’t hesitate to call, even if you think that many other people might be doing the same.

Make a Plan

The Federal Emergency Management Association also offers emergency preparation advice, through its website ready.gov. On here, they stress the importance of making a plan that all of your family can learn and follow. This includes an emergency communication plan, and a meeting point for if you get separated. This should allow for emergencies that may occur when you are all at home, as well as emergencies that might happen when you are in different places, such as school, work, daycare, sporting events, commuting, or faith organizations. Ready.gov has a downloadable plan on its website, and recommends that you send it to all of your family and friends, keep a copy in your car and with your food storage, and practice a few times until you all know it well.

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Filed Under: Preparedness Tips Tagged With: Communication, community

National Geographic’s American Blackout

November 6, 2013 by Chris Ray

I had the opportunity to watch National Geographic’s American Blackout
National Geographic’s American Blackout and thought I would give you my thoughts on the show. If you haven’t watched it, be warned, there are some spoilers in this article.

The premise of the movie is that there was a major cyber-attack that brings the electric grid down from coast to coast. The show is presented as if the content from citizens who took the video on their phones and video cameras was collected after power was restored,

The show mainly follows five groups, though video clips are shown from others. One group is comprised of a family of preppers and the boyfriend of the daughter. The second group is made up of four students trapped in an elevator. The third group is a wealthy couple somewhere in New York who live on the 46th floor. The fourth group is a family with a young daughter and a pregnant wife is who is due any day. The last group is a mother and teen-aged son. The mother is a nurse who leaves the son alone for most of the blackout.

The movie flows from day to day, giving viewers an idea of how quickly thing get bad. I had originally thought about reviewing it day by day but I think a better approach might be to go by categories. Just after the show starts and the power goes out, the groups mentioned above are often filming themselves. There is an occasional newscast report from a television station that is on generator power.

Water

Water is the most important of the five basic needs (occasionally security trumps it) and the only family that was prepared for this was the family of preppers. In one scene the man from the couple in New York goes into a store and tries to cut in front of everyone else, attempting to buy a gallon of water with his credit card. People were willing to pay $40 for one gallon of water!

I realize that many of us cannot store enough water, but knowing how to filter it and make it safe to drink is something every prepper should know. I cover several methods in the article The Storage, Filtration And Purification Of Water.

Nat Geo also made a comment about the average home in America using 400 gallons of water a day. That seems high to me but I have not researched it. In a survival situation the number that is often given is 2 gallons of water per person per day for drinking and miscellaneous uses.

Food

In the beginning of the blackout, people were throwing blackout parties, cooking a lot of the food before it went bad. The New York couple was eating caviar and drinking warm champagne. The man got sick later in the movie. Here are some tips on Keeping Food Cold Without Electricity.

The prepper family had quite the setup. They bugged out early to their remote location. It was stocked with some food in a closet inside the home. They called that their “decoy food”. If anyone broke in, they would steal that and quit looking. The preppers had 2+ years of food stored in their bunker. There was a neighbor who came to the fence asking for food. The father told the neighbor they could not help him, but the daughter’s boyfriend piped up and said they had plenty to spare. This raised the tension and the father ended up pulling his firearm and telling the neighbor to leave. The daughter’s boyfriend later snuck out and gave the neighbor some canned goods.

Nat Geo, made a text comment about the quantity of foods that are shipped and transported every day in the USA. Since the power was down, the cranes that offload ships in ports that require electricity weren’t functional and the gas pumps were unable to pump diesel into trucks. Therefore, none of those goods would be transported. I covered the impact this would have in When the Trucks Stops

There were many food related riots and eventually the federal government stepped in, instituting “rationing and fair allocation” of resources such as food, water and gasoline. Priority was given to EMS, police and military.

Power

Nat Geo stated that a cyber-attack could cause power surges, causing damage to the electric grid. I have read several articles over the years about municipalities and state and federal government finding proof that hackers from other countries have hacked into the grid.

The prepper family had a solar energy system and a bicycle generator. The father stated they had enough energy stored in their battery array to last two months.

One of the people in the elevator has a wind up cell phone charger that he used to keep his phone charged.

Nat Geo said that only 10% of the traffic lights across the countries have any type of backup power. This was leading to a lot of accidents.

I have covered multiple ways we can Prepare for the Grid to go Down. Just follow that link.

They said that cell towers often have backup power but that service would be drastically reduced due to load. This is often the case in any type of emergency. Often times a text message will still go through when a phone call will not.

Shelter

The couple on the 46th floor, having to go up and down the stairs was hating life by the third day.

The four people trapped in the elevator were all college students who were heading home for spring or summer break. No one knew where they were, let alone that they were trapped in the elevator. They tried to pry the doors open without any luck. Long story short, one student fell to his death from the top of the elevator. The other three made a harness to climb up the elevator shaft and were able to use a knife that one of the students had to cut through a grate of sorts and climb out. They were still trapped on the top of the building. A second student later died on the building roof.

Since there was no light at night, people were using candles, which was leading to fires. In fact, the family with the young daughter and pregnant wife were chased from their home due to fire. They had candles scattered throughout the house. I’m guessing that was the cause of the fire.

Many fires were out of control, as there was no water pressure to put them out. Nat Geo gave the number of 3,500 gallons of water being needed to extinguish the average house fire.

Security

Security for all of the groups was laughable. Multiple times people went to areas where there were known riots and gang activity. While I do think Nat Geo had the characters venture into these areas so we could see what things were like, I also know that this behavior isn’t limited to a few people in this youtube-driven, “selfie” taking, YOLO world we live in.

The prepper family had firearms but no real security procedures or plans in place. The son was standing the late watch when the neighbors who got food from the daughter’s boyfriend earlier came back to get more. They captured him and forced him inside the home. The son directed them to the decoy food. He then woke everyone. The father brought them all into the bunker at that point.

Later that day, the neighbors, now turned bandits, came back to see what else they could find. The family had a surveillance system and could see them coming. The dad went out alone to confront them, and got his rifle taken away.

The New York couple ended up near a riot and stole a can of peaches that they then brought back to their building. They were followed by a man who demanded the can of peaches. When he was told “no”, he attacked. The husband used the “assault can” to pummel the man. They heard sounds in the hallway of their apartment building and went to explore each time. This never ended well, and in the end, might have cost them everything.

The young man whose mother was a nurse had been on his own for over a week. He found a pistol in his mother’s room but had no idea how to use it safely.

As of the third day, there was a dusk till dawn curfew, which was largely ignored. The National Guard was asked to help patrol the streets in several cities. Martial law was talked about a few times.

Miscellaneous Items

People had little to no cash and, since ATM’s weren’t working, they had no way to pay for goods. One of the shops shown was willing to take trades. Many people don’t think cash will be valuable in such a disaster. I think it will be extremely valuable for a short time. In the show, the media frequently said the government was close to solving the problem. As long as people think the system will go back to what it was, cash will have value. If weeks and months go by, it will then lose its value.

Hospitals were overrun with people. Hence the nurse being kept from her son for many days. Because there was no power, people were doing things that they had never done before, like opening a can of peaches with a butcher knife. This led to a major laceration, which seemed to get infected and make the man quite ill.

I think it was around the seventh day when the President requested international aid, to deliver goods to the American people.

It was mentioned that there are roughly 700,000 HAM radio operators in the US. In this type of scenario this might be the most reliable form of communication.

It was also said that there is an estimated 3 million preppers in the US. I would love to know how they got to that number.

The lack of ability to have a working water and sewage system was mentioned a few times, but I think they grossly undersold the damage this would cause. I covered Survival Sanitation sometime ago. I linked to three great articles from Tactical Intelligence and I highly recommend all three. If you live in an area that is on city sewer and water, just think for a minute about what might happen if all of the toilets in your neighborhood stopped working for a week or longer. Knowing how to manage that, and all of the garbage is something we should all consider.

If memory serves, the power came back on to all of America after nine days. Things just don’t work like that. If power fluctuation can cause damage to parts of the grid all across the nation, it is going to take a lot longer than a little over a week to get them all repaired or replaced. I listened to a podcast with an electrical engineer named John Kappenman who has testified before Congress on the dangers to the power grid from EMP. He stated that we have some components in our grid that have a 30 year shelf life and are 50 years old. If that wasn’t bad enough, he said we no longer make some of these power plants and would need to have them shipped from other countries. Power might come up for a portion of the country, but there is no way a switch can be flipped and the entire countries’ power restored.

The father of the prepper family came off as a jerk to me. I agreed with most of what he said but he could have used far better arguments to make his points.

Final Thoughts

American Blackout is worth watching, if for no other reason than to decide what you would do differently. If we see a nationwide blackout, things are very, very bad. It would take a major event to bring down our entire electric grid and I would expect it to take much longer than nine days to repair.

I think this would be a good show to have a non-prepper watch. It could plant the preparedness seed.

If you had a chance to watch it, please let me know what you thought!

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Filed Under: Off-Grid, Preparedness Tips, Signs of the Times

China Flexing, Bats are biting and the Preparedness Review is on its way

November 4, 2013 by Chris Ray

Here are four quick things I think you should be aware of.

China Flexing

You may have seen the article from the Washington Times titled Inside China: Nuclear submarines capable of widespread attack on U.S. It says that:

“Chinese state-run media revealed for the first time this week that Beijing’s nuclear submarines can attack American cities as a means to counterbalance U.S. nuclear deterrence in the Pacific.”

It surprises me that China would make an open statement like this. I don’t think they are threatening to destroy us, but I think they want us to know they could. I doubt anything will come of this, save more saber rattling.

Bats are Biting…and Spreading Disease

Here is a report from FOX News Insider called Alarming New Study: Bats Can Spread SARS-Like Virus Directly to Humans. It says:

“A new report states that a SARS-like virus could spread directly from bats to humans. Some believe bats were responsible for the 2003 SARS outbreak, which killed more than 750 people worldwide, but it was never conclusively proven.”

And goes on to say:

“The new bat-to-human discovery suggests that the control tactic may have limited effectiveness because a SARS-like virus remains loose in the wild and could potentially spark another outbreak.

“It changes the equation” for public health, said Peter Daszak, a senior author of the study and president of EcoHealth Alliance, a group involved in conservation and global health. “We can close all the markets in China and still have a pandemic.”

The article states that in 2003, the virus spread quickly from human to human and had a mortality (death) rate of 9%. I have stated before that a pandemic is the scenario of the “least likely to happen scenarios” that concerns me the most. If one infected person boards an international flight, the virus could spread worldwide in a matter of days.

I have covered the topic before in How a True Pandemic May Look and in Flu and Pandemic Preps to Buy Now.

The Preparedness Review

The next item I want to cover today is that the bi-annual Preparedness Review has just released the third addition. I am humbled to be in this addition with some fantastic presenters! There is a lot of great information, so make sure you download a copy!

Daylight Savings

Here are some things that should be checked biannually and daylight savings is a convenient reminder.

• Smoke detectors. The batteries are most likely still good, so use them in a remote or some other non-life saving item. Put new ones in the smoke detectors.

•All Kits; change out any seasonal clothing, rotate food if needed.

•Flash lights, if you keep the batteries in the flashlights then makes sure they haven’t started to corrode and make sure the flashlight still works. Another way to keep the batteries near the flashlight but not inside it is to put them in a plastic bag and secure the bag to the flashlight with a rubber-band.

• If you have a generator then this would be a good time to exercise it and do any routine maintenance.

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Filed Under: Preparedness Tips, Tidbits

31 Gallon Garbage Cans for Food Storage

November 1, 2013 by Chris Ray

Years ago, while building our food storage, we bought a bunch of 3-gallon, food-grade buckets from a bakery. We used 1 gallon Mylar bags for all of our LTS (Long Term Storage) and found that we could fit 3-4 1-gallon bags in each bucket. When we decided we wanted to add to our food storage, we discovered that the bakery we had previously purchased buckets from had gone out of business. I had previously tried stopping at other bakeries to get buckets and had only gotten a few over the course of a week.

I decided to try and find another solution. I came up with 31 gallon garbage cans. Below I have some factors that I considered and my thoughts on each.

Food Security

When I started prepping and researching food storage, a lot of the information I found made it seem like you had to put the food in Mylar bags and the Mylar bags in food grade buckets. The truth is that you only need food grade buckets if you’re storing your food directly in the bucket, without the Mylar bag. Unless you’re using the food stored directly in the bucket frequently, I recommend putting it in 1 gallon Mylar bags. This way you will only have a small amount of food to use at one time and the food in the other bags isn’t exposed to oxygen and the moisture in the air.

If you’re using Mylar, it is food grade, so you can put the Mylar filled bags in any container that is dry and won’t puncture the bag.

I have read many stories of mice and other rodents chewing through plastic buckets to get to the contents. This just isn’t going to be a problem with a metal can.

Cost

Home Depot has a 31 gallon steel trash can listed for $24.97. I bought mine at a local Menard’s for a similar price.

I have looked at a few different places who sell food grade buckets online and they are not all of the same quality. I have purchased from Bay Tec in the past, so I am going to use their prices, as I trust the quality and the price is somewhere in the middle. They have a six pack of 5 gallon buckets for $27.54 and a 3 pack of buckets for $14.07. lids for them are $1.99 each for a total of $50.55. You might be able to find cheaper buckets, especially if you can find a local source. I had a great one for a while; the bakery I mentioned above. They kept all used buckets and sold them. Other places I found are willing to give them away but getting to them before they throw them out was a trick!

Storage Space

All of the buckets that I have are 3-gallon. If you have 5-gallon buckets, you’ll be able to fit more food in the same footprint. As you can see in the image, eight 3-gallon, plastic buckets take up a bit more room than the garbage can. If you have 5-gallon buckets, they’ll obviously stack higher than the garbage can.

I can usually fit 4 full 1-gallon Mylar bags in a 3-gallon bucket. In the picture, I have 32 full Mylar bags in the buckets. I have 22 full Mylar bags in this garbage can. I think I could probably fit 25 in if I tried.

One idea I have is to cut a thick piece of plywood, wide enough to cover the entire opening of the garbage can. This would allow stacking items on top of the can, allowing more storage space. You could place cans side by side and do this with as many cans as you like or have room for.

For those of you with pets, we are able to fit two 38-pound bags of dog food in one can!

Final Thoughts

We use a mix of both buckets and cans. The cans work nicely and are cheaper than buckets in many cases. The only real downside to buckets is the weight. If we decided to bug out and wanted to bring the contents, we would have to partially empty the can and then carry it out to the truck and trailer.

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Filed Under: Food, Preparedness Tips Tagged With: Food Sorage

Food Stamp Cuts Starting November 1st

October 30, 2013 by Chris Ray

Not long ago, I posted an article called Nine Meals From Anarchy; a Food Stamp Melt Down. In it I explained that there has been looting and small outbreaks of violence in the past when there have been problems or delays with the food stamp system. I also made the point that I think the reason violence and looting were not sparked into large scale rioting was because of “nine meals”.

I mean “nine meals” both figuratively and literally. Figuratively in the sense that, to date, the problems with the food stamp system have been corrected within a day or two at most. Literally because when people go hungry for three or four days in a row, they tend to act on it.

“If you look across the world, riots always begin typically the same way: when people cannot afford to eat food,”

That is a quote from Margarette Purvis, the president and CEO of the Food Bank for New York City, in an article from Salon.com. The article goes on to say that:

“Purvis said that the looming cut would mean about 76 million meals “that will no longer be on the plates of the poorest families” in NYC alone – a figure that outstrips the total number of meals distributed each year by the Food Bank for New York City, the largest food bank in the country. “There will be an immediate impact,” she said.”

In the last five or six years we have seen civil unrest and rioting due to the price or unavailability of food and the cutting of government entitlements in the following countries; Bolivia, Egypt, England, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, Spain, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

You might be thinking that the people in those cultures are different that the American citizenry. I disagree! I think people are people, hunger is hunger and entitlement is entitlement.

The following video from Fox News says that the government is spending $80,000,000 to prepare for potential riots related to the cutting of food stamps. Here’s a thought; money is tight, so we have to cut food stamps, but we’re going to spend $80 million to prepare for possible riots because of this cut.

What Can We Do?

For starters we can remain calm and wait to see if anything does happen. Just in case, prudence might dictate that you get any grocery shopping you might need done before Friday. Keep in mind that we very well might not see any unrest on November 1st but we could see situations later in the month, when the realities of the cuts are felt.

I have covered what civil unrest might look like in What Does Civil Unrest Look Like and How Can You Stay Safe Near It? If there are riots, keep a safe distance and be prepared to defend your family. Also be on the lookout for the police response. I covered some of how the government has been gearing up for civil unrest in Government; the Good the Bad and the…What are They Planning

We can donate food to local food shelves or churches to help them meet the needs of the destitute. This is a much better option than giving the food out yourself.

Above all else, we can pray. Pray for those who are in legitimate need and will now not have food to put on the table. Pray that those who might be taking advantage of the system would change their ways. Pray for one another, that we may be blessed with wisdom and knowing God’s will as we prepare and navigate our future.

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Filed Under: Food, Security, Signs of the Times Tagged With: awareness

A Great Contest With Three Great Prizes From Nitro-Pak

October 28, 2013 by Chris Ray

Today I want to review the Aquamira water filter bottle that was provided by Nitro-Pak.com I also want to tell you about another great contest brought to you by myself and 15 other great preparedness blogs. Nitro-Pak.com has graciously provided three great prizes, you can find out more about them after the review of the Aquamira review.

The filter has CR filtration technology, which is tested and certified to reduce chlorine, bad tastes, odors and remove 99.9% of giardia and cryptosporidium. Each filter is said to provide up to 100 gallons or 640 refills per filter.

The bottle uses patented BITE ME technology. To drink you just bite on a soft plastic mouth and suck. Squeezing will increase water flow.

Drop in cartridges can be inserted once they expire.

My Take

I think this type of water bottle is a great item in a BOB. My son took one of a different manufacturer on a canoe trip and loved being able dunk it in the lake and drink.

Notice that it says it filters 99.9% of giardia and cryptosporidium and reduces some other things. I don’t know if this is a limitation to this type of water bottle filtration system or just this one in particular. The instructions for this particular bottle state that they “suggest using Aquamira water treatment or Aquamira purifier tablets when a complete inactivation of bacteria and virus is required.”

This is a decent model but if I were going to buy one, I would compare it against others types to see if others filter out bacteria and viruses without additives.

Now onto the contest! preparedchristian

Our good friends at Nitro-Pak have graciously sponsored this group mega giveaway. They want to provide you with a coupon code before the giveaway ends, just in case you visit their website and see something you might need. Type in the coupon code NITROPREPPER to get 15% off any order on their website. This coupon code is good through the end of November. There is a +4 entries if you decide to sign up for Nitro-Pak email list. We highly recommend you do as they periodically send out coupon codes.

There will be three winners:

First Prize: Family Water Storage Pack-Four 30 gallon barrels. These 30 gallon size containers can supply a family of four for 2 weeks. This prize includes 5 year water stabilizer, a manual hand pump, an aluminum bung wrench, and protective seal caps. Retail value: $559.00

Water Storage System

Second Prize: Katadyn Gravidyn Drip Filter-A drip filter which uses gravity pressure to produce up to 13 gallons of crystal clear water per day (for up to a total of 39,000 gallons depending on water quality). A great way to produce safe drinking water inside and out. Retail value: $294.95

drip gravidyn filter Nitro-Pak

Third Prize: Steripen Emergency Water Purifier-An ultra-violet, portable water disinfectant system by HydroPhoton. Purifies 16 ounces of water in just 42 seconds, or 32 ounces in 90 seconds. Retail value: $49.95

Steripen Nitro-Pak Picture

Sixteen preparedness/self-reliance bloggers have teamed up with Nitro-Pak to offer you this awesome giveaway as a way to say thank you for your support!

All you have to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter form below by signing in with your Facebook account or email address. (We’ll need this info in order to contact you if you win.)

Start by clicking Easy Entry for Everyone (no social media accounts required) below and after that each +1 that you click is another entry to win! And of course the +4 entries mentioned above.

The giveaway begins October 28, 2013 and ends on November 4, 2013 at 11:59pm. The winners will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is drawn.

You must be 18 years or older to enter. Prizes will be shipped to U.S. residents only. Residents of other countries may enter but will be responsible for paying the shipping cost.

Good Luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Filed Under: General Preparedness Tagged With: Giveaway

Herbal Medicine Kit – Bites, Stings, Splinters Parts 2 and 3

October 25, 2013 by Chris Ray

Here are parts two and three of Herbal Medicine Kit – Bites, Stings & Splinters written by Kat Yorba, of Simply Living Simply.

“The air was fragrant with a thousand trodden aromatic herbs, with fields of lavender, and with the brightest roses blushing in tufts all over the meadows…”~William Cullen Bryant

Herbal Medicine Kit – Bites, Stings & Splinters Part 2

Bites, Stings & Splinters….continued!

We have already looked at the milder forms of Bites or Stings…our very industrious Ants and annoying Mosquitoes…now we take it up a notch with Bees; whom we love for what they do for us and provide for us (honey), and Spiders…well…we will just say some are beneficial and some are very beautiful and leave..it..at..that!

For the more severe stings and bites of Bees, Wasps, Spiders and also ticks we are going to be making a Poultice of Lavender, Echinacea and Bentonite Clay. You could also add a little Tea Tree to the mix as well.

Here are the ingredients in the Poultice and what affect each has:

Bentonite Clay: Pulls the poisonous material from the bit or sting to the skins surface and keeps it from spreading.
Echinacea: Dramatically reduces any allergic response that might occur.
Lavender: Stops the itching and reduces the swelling.
Tea Tree: If you include this essential oil it will aid in the antibacterial properties of your poultice.

And here is your recipe:

Bite and Sting Poultice Tips

*Remember that applying a poultice is only the first step in treating bites and stings that might cause an allergic reaction. Give anyone who I susceptible to these reactions half a teaspoon of Echinacea Tincture every ten minutes.

*Often times an allergic response will begin then retreat as the herbs take effect.

*REMEMBER that allergic reactions can have serious consequences. If you know that someone is highly allergic to a bite or sting, do NOT depend solely on herbal first-aid. Immediate medical attention is required.

*Wheezing, swelling, and hives are all indicators of serious and possibly even fatal consequences of an allergic reaction that require IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION!

And here is another recipe

You will need this to make your Bite & Sting Poultice

Recap: Today we learned a bit more about Bites and Stings, a recipe for Bite & Sting Poultice, the How To’s of making and using a Poultice, and a recipe for Echinacea Tincture.

Looking ahead: Next post we will be the last in our series about Bites and stings, we will be making a recipe for Ant Bite/Nettle Remedy, Insect Repellent and learning about the Yellowdock plant and a variety of Essential Oils including Citronella, Eucalyptus, Pennyroyal, Cedar and Rose Geranium.

Reminder: Have on hand these Essential Oils and the Yellowdock, containers for all your remedies, Vodka or Everclear and Baking soda.

Herbal Medicine Kit – Bites, Stings, Splinters Part 3

“When daisies pied, and violets blue, and lady-smocks all silver white. And Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue, do paint the meadows with delight.” ~William Shakespeare, 1595

Today we continue our 4 part look at Bites, Stings and Splinters with Part 3. We will be looking at how to treat Splinters, looking more in-depth at the herb Yellow dock, and working on a couple more recipes!

You cringed, didn’t you??!! We all do, splinters or burrs may be small, but they are NOT fun at all! The easiest of all remedies is a Plantain Poultice. Do not pass go…do not collect $200.

Just make and apply a Plantain Poultice and your good to go!!

Ant Bites & Nettle Stings…

How many times have you been out walking in the meadow or field or alongside the roadway, perhaps even out harvesting herbs or medicinal plants and you brush up against…you guessed it…NETTLES!!

Now, we love Nettles for their medicinal uses. But we don’t like the effect they have on us unawares!

And what about our lovely Ants, how much do we love them? Not when they get into our house and cupboards and food and certainly not when they bite us!

The pain that arises from being stung by Nettles or bitten by Ants is caused by formic acid. This acid can be neutralized by a poultice of yellow dock leaf tincture and baking soda. Yellow dock has long been popular in treating formic acid stings.

“Nettle in, dock out, dock rub, nettle out!”

Ant Bite/Nettle Remedy

Yellow Dock Tincture

You Will need this tincture to make the Ant Bite/Nettle Remedy

Yellow Dock

Yellowdock

Description:
Yellow dock is a perennial herb belonging to the Polygonaceae family, commonly referred to as the knotweed family. This family also includes rhubarb, buckwheat, and sorrel. Mature yellow dock stands no more than 4 feet tall and is reddish brown in colour. Its common name refers to the yellow taproot rather than the flowers or leaves. Its other common name, curly dock, refers to the willowy, undulating leaves. The leaves are grouped around a central point at the base of the stem. Plants produce light green floppy flowers between early spring and late autumn. The flowers are arranged in loose clumps along a stalk above the leaves.

Therapeutic and Traditional Uses, Benefits and Claims of Yellow Dock:
It is the taproot of yellow dock that is most commonly used in herbal remedies as it is rich in many compounds known to have cleansing and calming qualities as well as minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorous. The root is dug up in autumn, chopped and then dehydrated for storage.

Yellow dock contains a number of anthraquinones, including emodins, which are known for their laxative action. Though small doses of yellow dock can be used as an herbal remedy for diarrhea, higher doses actually cause diarrhea. The herb acts to stimulate peristalsis, and increase mucous production and secretion of water in the colon, alleviating the discomforts associated with constipation.

This herb also has diuretic properties, which makes it a natural remedy for water retention, inflammation of the bladder and urinary stones.

Both the laxative and the diuretic properties of yellow dock make this herb a natural cleanser. The toxins are flushed out of the system through the urine and stool. Yellow dock has been used to cleanse the circulatory system, liver, spleen, kidneys and bladder. It is often blended with other cleansing herbs, such as burdock, red clover, or dandelion, to flush the body of toxins and clear the path to healing the primary inflictions such as acne, boils, eczema, psoriasis and fungal infections.

When prepared as a poultice, yellow dock has a calming effect and is used as a natural remedy for boils and burns as well as skin problems such as weeping eczema, psoriasis, nettle rash, boils and abscesses. It has even been used as an herbal remedy in the treatment of syphilis and other venereal diseases with skin outbreaks as it alleviates itching and inflammation.

Yellow dock has been used extensively to resolve issues associated with menstruation. It is a traditional remedy for menstrual pain and heavy bleeding and has also been known to be helpful for unbalanced menstrual cycles.

The root of yellow dock is rich in iron and often used as an herbal remedy for anemia. The laxative effect of this medicinal herb also reduces issues of constipation often associated with iron supplements.

Yellow dock, like many other Rumex species, contains the antibacterial compound, rumicin. This makes this herb a natural remedy for treating bacterial infections of Escherichia, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Bacillus.

Glycosides found in yellow dock can help stimulate the liver, which helps heal poor absorption of nutrients and increases bile production which has further detoxifying effects.

Yellow dock is an herbal treatment for the relief of symptoms associated with upper respiratory disorders such as emphysema, asthma, and bronchitis.

The list of illnesses that yellow dock has been used to treat is extensive. Besides what has already been described, this medicinal herb has been used in the treatment of anthrax, anorexia, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, common cold, cramps, depression, fever, general weakness or loss of strength, headaches, hepatitis, high cholesterol, leprosy, malaria, menopause, mental stupor, mouth sores, oral hygiene, ring worm, and tuberculosis.

Dosage and Administration:
Dosage is critical as always as it can mean the difference between a natural remedy for diarrhea and severe vomiting, or worse. The root is generally taken as tea up to three times daily. One to two teaspoons of dried root in approximately two cups of water is steeped for ten minutes. The root can also be found as a tincture with the recommended dosage up to 2 tsp, three times daily.

Another good recipe using Yellow Dock

Potential Side Effects of Yellow Dock:
As with all herbal remedies, allergic reactions to yellow dock are possible. If there are signs of allergic reaction, stop treatment and seek medical advice. Yellow dock should not be taken in conjunction with medication for controlling calcium in the blood as excess use can lead to calcium deficiency in the blood. As it has diuretic effects, it should not be take with other diuretics. Nor should it be taken if there are pre-existing kidney or liver problems as it may only aggravate conditions.

Yellow dock, like any herbal laxative, should not be taken in combination with Lasix or any other brand name furosemide used for treatment of congestive heart failure and edema as it can cause potassium depletion. In high dosage, yellow dock can cause vomiting and lead to peristalsis and acute intestinal pain and if eaten in excess, even death.

A medical practitioner should be consulted immediately if any of the following symptoms are experienced after treatment with yellow dock: intestinal pain, vomiting, nausea, confusion, fatigue, seizures, and mouth numbness

The oxalates found in the leaves of this medicinal herb can cause kidney stones and gout if consumed in large quantities, though oxalate levels in the root are safe. Yellow dock should not be used without medical supervision if pregnant or breast-feeding and should not be given to children.

Recap: Today was the third in our series of Bites, Stings, and Splinters. We took an in-depth look at the herb Yellow Dock, and made three recipes with Yellow Dock; Tincture, Ant Bite/Nettle Remedy and a Yellow Dock Syrup.

Looking ahead: Next post we will be the last in our series about Bites, Stings and Splinters. We will making Insect Repellent and learning about a variety of Essential Oils including Citronella, Eucalyptus, Pennyroyal, Cedar and Rose Geranium.

Reminder: Have on hand these Essential Oils and the Yellowdock, containers for all your remedies, Vodka or Everclear and Baking soda.

Disclaimer

Nothing in this post is to be construed as medical advice, simply a sharing of things that have worked for me & my family. If you have any symptoms of serious illness, taking medication, pregnant or nursing, or have never worked with herbal materials before, please consider consulting a medical professional before use. I am unable to offer advise for your particular medical situation; please ask your doctor, nurse practitioner or naturopath for further guidance. The statements made here have not been approved by the Food & Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.

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Filed Under: Medical and First Aid Tagged With: Herbals

Three Security Tips Worth Knowing

October 23, 2013 by Chris Ray

Over the last couple of weeks I have come across three security/tactical related tips. They impressed me enough to add them to our security plan and I thought you might like them as well.

Tactical Breathing

The book I am reading now is On Combat, The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace, written by Lt. Col. Grossman. While it is geared more for those in the military or law enforcement, it is chock full of wisdom for anyone who carries a firearm for the potential to stop a violent attack.

Tactical Breathing is something that Lt. Col. Grossman has taught to police officers, military, Special Forces, college students and athletes. It, quite simply, is a means to reign in fear and anger, which can manifest in an accelerated heart rate and the effects related to it, such as loss of fine motor skills and tunnel vision, to name just a few. This breathing technique has been used to help steady the aim for life and death shots by law enforcement officers, calm students with test anxiety, calm players at the free throw line and aid mothers-to-be with the breathing techniques taught in Lamaze classes.

Tactical breathing as it is described in On Combat is simply:

Breathing in through your nose to a slow four count, which expands your belly. Hold for a four count and then slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of four. Hold empty for a count of four and repeat the process for a four count.
The entire process would look like this:

In through the nose deep, deep, deep. Hold, two, three, four. Out through the lips deep, deep, deep. Hold two, three, four.
In through the nose deep, deep, deep. Hold, two, three, four. Out through the lips deep, deep, deep. Hold two, three, four.
In through the nose deep, deep, deep. Hold, two, three, four. Out through the lips deep, deep, deep. Hold two, three, four.
In through the nose deep, deep, deep. Hold, two, three, four. Out through the lips deep, deep, deep. Hold two, three, four.

Lt. Col. Grossman states that some people might need to tweak things to work better for them, like using a five count, for instance. I have used the technique to help me relax since reading about it and I can say I have noticed a sense of calm afterward. This being the case, I can believe it would work even better in the midst of a critical incident or other very stressful event. If you have a child who has test anxiety, this might be worth teaching to them.

Tactical Parking

This tip comes from the Sheep Dog Tip of the Day facebook page, which gives quotes from Lt. Col. Grossman’s various works. This tip is taken from The Bullet Proof Mind seminar (paraphrased)

“Combat park, with the front of the car towards the street. When seconds count, you’ll be able to get out of the parking spot faster. It takes the same amount of time to back into the parking space and back out. The warrior does it on the front end. It can also reduce accidents”… Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

This makes perfect sense to me. We back into the garage for similar reasoning. If you need to make a fast exit, backing up is much slower and clumsier than pulling right out and going on your way.

Please Don’t Hurt My Family

One of the shows we watch is a police drama called “Blue Bloods”. During a recent episode, Joe Dirtbag is holding a gun to the head of the assistant district attorney who is prosecuting him. The assistant DA happens to have a brother who is a police detective named “Danny”, and has his gun drawn on Joe Dirtbag.

Danny is talking to Joe Dirtbag, and says, “Please don’t hurt my family”. His sister (the assistant DA) immediately drops to the ground and Danny shoots Joe Dirtbag. In a later scene, we learned that this phrase has been taught to four generations of their family for just that type of incident but had never been used until now.

Fellow Prepared Christians Kurt and his wife were watching the episode and were reminded of the article I wrote called “Preparing Your Family for Combat”. They turned to each other and said “Prepared Christian”. I thought that was pretty cool! Thanks to Kurt for sharing!

I have now added this phrase into our security plan as well!

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Filed Under: Security Tagged With: Self-Defense

Terrorists Making Dry Runs on Planes

October 21, 2013 by Chris Ray

Terrorists Making Dry Runs on Planes

I read an article on article on October 11th that points out that terrorists are making dry runs to test airline security and procedures. The article points out that investigators obtained a memo that talks about recent probes or dry runs. From the report:

“A group of Middle-Eastern males boarded in DCA. Shortly after takeoff, one got up and ran from his seat in coach towards the flight deck door. He made a hard left and entered the forward lav, where he stayed for a considerable length of time! While he was in there, the others got up and proceeded to move about the cabin, changing seats, opening overhead bins, and generally making a scene. They appeared to be trying to occupy and distract the flight attendants.”

The article also says that investigators confirmed the incident with US Airways and the TSA, but that the TSA stated “the matter requires no further investigation at this time.”

The article goes on to say that several Air Marshals have said that the incident described above is serious, and that there have been several dry runs on other flights, but that “the TSA doesn’t want the flying public to be aware of the problems with terrorist probes.”

The article ends with a statement from an Air Marshal and industry insiders saying “We’re waiting for the next 9/11 to happen, because it’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”

What Can We Do?

I believe that terrorists are practicing dry runs to see where vulnerabilities are. I also believe that they would love to use planes in another grand attack. So what can we, the average person, do if we believe there is a terrorist dry run taking place on a flight we are on? I won’t tell you what you should or can do. That is for you to decide. I will just say what I will do. I will step in and help the flight attendants.

If we look back to the shoe bomber and the underwear bomber, they were stopped because passengers acted. If we go back to 9-11 and flight 93, because those passengers acted, they saved lives on the ground.

Sure, ideally there would be a police officer nearby every time one was needed to stop a violent attack. It would also be ideal if an Air Marshal was on every flight that had a dry run or an actual attack on it. Since that isn’t reality, I take personal responsibility for my safety and the safety of my loved ones.

Now I’m not saying to get physical with Middle Eastern travelers. In fact, I don’t believe racial profiling works. I do believe, however, that behavior profiling does work. I practice the Cooper Color Code on land and will continue to in the air. If I see people acting in a coordinated effort in a manner that passengers normally don’t act, I will be ready to act if the flight crew needs it or if I believe my safety is at stake.

I like to be as prepared for a violent confrontation as I can be. Sometimes this means I carry a firearm and sometimes, for various reasons, I can’t. Obviously, I can’t on an airplane. The TSA has limited what can be carried onboard, but there are still some options.
This link is to the Prohibited Items list on the TSA site. You’ll notice that most of the items listed must be checked, but some items that are allowed are:

• Scissors – metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than 4 inches are allowed, but blades longer than 4 inches are prohibited
• Tools – Wrenches/Pliers/Screwdrivers (seven inches or less in length). It might draw attention to board a plane with just one screw driver. Consider getting a small toolkit.

Some items that are not listed but should be perfectly allowable to carry onboard are:

(A disclaimer from the prohibited items page: It’s important to know that even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane. Also, please note that some dangerous items below are illegal in certain states and passengers will be subject to state law. It is a passenger’s responsibility to be aware that origination and destination cities may have local laws prohibiting the possession of these items.)

• Walking cane
• Flashlight; I would not try to bring on a “tactical” flashlight because of the disclaimer above. It should also probably be less than seven inches.
• Solid writing pen. Again I wouldn’t try to board with the tactical type pens.

If you bring a cane, you should probably be using it. I carry a flashlight often, if questioned about why I have it, I will give my honest answer; if something happens on board, I want to be able to see. A good solid pen with a notebook should not draw any undue attention.

If you decide to travel without any of the above and must use force, remember that if you’re in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

I pray the Air Marshals and the industry insiders are wrong. I pray there is never another 9-11. However, like I said above, I believe the terrorists would love to have many more. It could fall to the passengers on board to stop it.

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Filed Under: Security

Herbal Medicine Kit 101

October 18, 2013 by Chris Ray

Herbal remedies aren’t something I know much about but it’s a topic I am interested in. My friend Kat from Simply Living Simply has written a series of articles on the subject that I thought I would share from time to time with you. Today’s article, originally written by Kat, is called Simply Living Simply, and can be found at that link below.

Why Go Herbal?

As Homesteaders, Preppers and people that just want to eat and feel right….we have learned that “Whole” foods are best for us. If we nod our heads in agreement with that statement, then why do we continue to use man-made chemical pills, syrups and drugs when we get sick?

The best course of action in my opinion would be the “whole” route…granted the road less traveled, but getting busier everyday! Your bodies were created to break-down, metabolize and use effectively whole foods, plants, spices and the like….so, let’s look at several reasons why it would be good for us to “Go Herbal!”

Herbs are nature made…so they are really and truly natural.

We know what’s in them; they have a very small ingredient list!

Very inexpensive to grow, harvest, create and use.

They work!

I am sure there are many more very good reasons but this is an awesome start! Let’s take a peek at #2 for a minute: The ingredient list….have you looked at that cough syrup you take, lately? I have been dealing with allergies this season quite badly…and instinctively reached for a leading name brand allergy syrup to relieve my symptoms. But lucky for me, I have been on this reading labels kick so I did! Wow…take a look:

”Diphenydramine HCI, anhydrous citric acid, D&C red #33, FD&C red #40, flavors, glycerin, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, poloxamer 407, purified water, sodium benzoate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sucrose.”

Some of the ingredients I actually know like glycerin and purified water, but the ones I cannot pronounce I am quite sure I don’t want in my body!!

The foundations of your Herbal Medicine Kit

The Herbal Medicine Kit – Your Basic First Aid

So let’s create an Herbal Medicine Kit that you can have in your home for any minor medical emergency and everyday aches, pains and illnesses. The beauty of this kit is YOU make it; so you know what’s in and YOU customize it for you and your family! This also means YOU can decide how far you want to go in deploying your Herbal Medicine Kit; bit by bit or cold turkey!

Herbal Medicine Kit 101 will deal with just the basics to get us all started. But look for future postings for information and recipes for specific ailments, and issues that come with the changing seasons. These postings will help you expand your Herbal Medicine Kit and create a very personalized kit just for you and yours!

What’s In the Herbal Medicine Kit?

Thought you would never ask. Here’s a run down for you:

Dried Herbs

Herbs we will look at and use in-depth:

Arnica

Lavender

Tea Tree

St. Johns Wort

Yarrow

Astragalus Root

Baptisia Root

Echinacea Root

Comfrey

Calendula

Yellowdock

Grindelia

Goldenseal

Oregon Grape Root

Essential Oils

Essential Oils we will look at and use in-depth:

Lavender

Peppermint

Eucalyptus

Cinnamon

Clove

Marjoram

Chamomile

Lemon

Tea Tree

Citronella

Pennyroyal

Cedar

Rose Geranium

Oils, Tinctures, Salves & More!

What products will I make?

Aloe Burn Spray

Arnica Tincture

Herbal Compresses

Herbal Healing Salves

Herbal Liniment

Homemade Aloe Vera Gel

Insect Bite Oil & Repellant

Lavender Smelling Salts

Antiseptic Spray

Poison Oak, Ivy & Sumac Past

Ant Bite Remedy

St. John’s Strain & Sprain Oil

Wound Healing Tincture

Yarrow Tincture

Here is the first article in a series Kat wrote called:

Herbal Medicine Kit Bite, Stings & Splinters, Part 1

“Here’s flowers for you; Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram; The marigold, that goes to bed wi’ the sun,

And with him rises weeping…”

~William Shakespeare, 1611.

Welcome Back…

…to another posting of the Herbal Medicine Kit. Today we begin a 3 part look at Bites, Stings and Splinters. In the process we will look at many different herbs, essential oils and clays as well as make various herbal preparations.

Ready to get started?? Here we go:

Bites, Stings & Splinters…Oh MY!

Summer brings many pleasures…sunshine, long days, playing in the water and…MOSQUITOE’S!

If those pesky mosquitoes keep you from enjoying your summer fun…fear not, mother nature is here! Minor bites from mosquitoes and other insects respond very quickly to a wonderfully easy to prepare herbal oil.

Insect Bite Oil Recipe – Printable!

Click HERE to print

One more recipe for you…courtesy of Frugally Sustainable!

(This is a more advanced recipe for later use)

Itch Relief Stick

Ingredients

-1 ounce (approx. 2 tablespoons) olive oil infused with calendula flowers, chickweed, nettle leaf, lemon balm leaf, plantain leaf, and goldenseal root

-1 ounce (approx. 2 tablespoons) Shea butter

-1 ounce (approx. 2 tablespoons) cocoa butter

-1 ounce (approx 2 tablespoons) beeswax

-1 teaspoon Neem oil

-2 teaspoons essential oil blend (You can use a blend of clove, lavender, rosemary, peppermint, tea tree and/or ginger)

Method

1. Infuse your oil with the herbs.

2. In a double boiler, or small pot, over very low heat slowly melt the olive oil, butters, beeswax, and neem oil.

3. Once melted remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the essential oils.

4. Pour mixture into a clean roll-up or lip balm tube and allow it to cool on the counter overnight.

Notes

-This Homemade Itch Relief Stick contains herbs that have been well-known for their strong antihistamine, analgesic, and antibacterial properties. Not only will this stick stop the itch, but it may reduce the risk for infection!

-The butters act as skin protectors to provide instant relief of itchiness and pain due to all sorts of insect bites and stings.

-This recipe makes quite a bit — approximately 4 ounces of product — so go in with a friend or two and share resources!

Let’s talk about some herbs and essential oils for a bit, to prepare us for our next posts recipe.

Echinacea

Echinacea is native to North America, with most of the research on this King of Immunity Herbs being done in Germany…and it’s early use gleaned from native healers. Now it is the herb of choice being one of the handful of medicinal herbs that are well known by the general public.

There are several species of Echinacea that can be used: E. angustifolia, E. purpurea, and E. pallida. All 3 species can be used and are interchangeable, however E. angustifolia lasts longer after its been dried.

We mainly harvest the root, but it’s common to see medicine made from the aerial portions of the plant as well. To harvest the roots and obtain the most medicinal qualities, harvest them in the fall after the plants have been growing for at least 2-3 years. The aerial portions can be harvested in the summer not matter the age of the plant. Remember when harvesting the aerial portions to leave enough of the

Plant for it to gather enough energy for next years growth.

Without a doubt, Echinacea is one of the most popular herbs today. With over 300 echinacea products being sold worldwide. Nearly 400 studies have shown that Echinacea can be used to improve the immune system in numerous ways. These include increasing activity of three of the immune systems workhorses-T-cells, Interferon and Natural Killer Cells. Echinacea also destroys many types of viruses and bacteria. Echinacea even makes cells stronger and more resistant to invasion.

Also known as

Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea pallida, Echinacea angustifolia, Coneflower, Snakeroot, Purple Coneflower, and Blacksamson.

Constituents

The complex sugars of the herb are its immune stimulants. Polysaccharides and Echinaceoside.

Parts Used

The root, leaves, stems and flowers, of Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, or Echinacea pallida.

Typical Preparations

The above-ground parts of the plant are used to make fresh juice, infusions (warm-water teas), and tinctures. The roots are used in either cut or powdered form for capsules, fluid extracts, teas, and tinctures.

Precautions

Use with caution if you are allergic to ragweed.

*Courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs

Lavender

Lavender was widely used in ancient Egypt for its fragrance, and it was also a favorite in the homes of Greeks and Romans. Even its name is derived from the Latin, lavare, meaning “to wash”, because it was used in scented baths.

In Arab medicine, Lavender was used as an expectorant and antispasmodic, while European folk medicine regarded it as essential for healing wounds and as a worm remedy for children.

This fragrant plant is also famous for its wonderful aroma, which is used much in the perfume industry. It is also widely used medicinally and is a staple of aromatherapy to promote relaxation.

Lavender has been used for centuries as a tonic to ease conditions of the nervous system. It is a relaxant that calms nerves, relieves fatigue, depression, migraine and tension headaches, nervous exhaustion, irritability and excitement.

Also known as

Lavandula (spp- intermedia, pendunculata, officinalis and angustifolia) English lavender, Broad-leaf Lavender, Grande Lavander and True Lavender

Constituents

Essential oil containing borneol, camphor, geraniol, and linalool, also coumarins, caryophyllene, tannins, and other antioxidant compounds.

Parts Used

Flowers.

Typical Preparations

Teas, tinctures, and added to baked goods. Cosmetically it has a multitude of uses and can be included in ointments for pain and burn relief.

*Courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs

Bentonite Clay

What is it? Bentonite, also referred to as Montmorillonite, is one of the most effective and powerful healing clays. Bentonite can be used externally as a clay poultice, mud pack or in the bath and, in skin care recipes. A good quality Bentonite should be a grey/cream color and anything bordering “pure white” is suspect. It has a very fine, velveteen feel and is odorless and non-staining. The type of bentonite offered by Mountain Rose herbs is a Sodium Bentonite.

How does it work? Bentonite is very unusual in the fact that once it becomes hydrated, the electrical and molecular components of the clay rapidly change and produce an “electrical charge”. To state it another way… “Bentonite is a swelling clay. When it becomes mixed with water it rapidly swells open like a highly porous sponge.

Where does it come from? Bentonite clay is sedimentary clay composed of weathered and aged volcanic ash. The largest and most active deposits come from Wyoming and Montana. (Mountain Rose Herbs stocks a Wyoming variety).

How is it manufactured? Bentonite is usually quarry mined from deposits that can range anywhere from 100 feet to several thousand feet. This depends on the health and vitality of the land it is processed from and how far a producer will go to find the right clay with the proper characteristics and consistency. From here it is mined from the earth and brought out into the sun to remove excess water and moisture and, to make it easier to work with. After the initial drying begins the final transformation. It gets processed (ground) with huge hydraulic crushers and it then goes through the final process of micronization, or “fine granulating”. This is usually done with the assistance of sophisticated and expensive granulators. Upon completion of this final process it gets inspected by a quality control team and is sent off for consumer use.

Recap: Today we learned a bit about Bites and Stings, how to make an Insect Bite Oil and another wonderful recipe by Frugally Sustainable for later use! We also learned about Echinacea, Lavender and Bentonite Clay. Information provided is of general nature, there is much…much more out there to learn!

Looking ahead: Next post we will be learning further about Bites and stings, learning what a Poultice is and how to make one, learning what a Tincture is and how to make one.

Reminder: Have on hand Echinacea root and Vodka/Everclear, Lavender Essential Oil, Bentonite Clay, containers for all your remedies.

Disclaimer

Filed Under: Medical and First Aid