The Civil War era was marked by its profound challenges and hardships, which extended beyond the battlefields to impact the lives of civilians as well.
Without modern medical advancements, many individuals turned to nature’s healing powers.
Drawing from the wisdom of the past, let’s delve deeper into the world of natural remedies prevalent during the Civil War era.
Willow Bark for Pain Relief
As the cannons roared and soldiers faced minor and severe injuries, willow bark emerged as a potent remedy for pain relief. This natural analgesic contained salicin, a compound similar to the active ingredient found in aspirin.
Related: How To Make Aspirin From Willow Bark
Soldiers chewed on willow bark or brewed it into teas to alleviate headaches, muscle aches, and discomfort. The efficacy of this simple remedy showcased the power of plants to ease suffering.
Slippery Elm for Digestive Distress
With unsanitary conditions prevailing on and off the battlefield, digestive problems were rampant.
Slippery elm offered relief as a gruel. Derived from the inner bark of the slippery elm tree, this gruel was consumed to ease symptoms of diarrhea, heartburn, and gastritis.
Its gentle nature and effectiveness made it a go-to remedy for those battling digestive distress, both on the battlefield and afterward.
Echinacea for Immune Support
For centuries, Native American tribes possessed a profound understanding of the remarkable immune-boosting properties inherent in echinacea
This vibrant flowering plant gained popularity during the Civil War era for its ability to fortify the body’s defenses against illnesses.
Echinacea was consumed in teas or tinctures to alleviate symptoms of colds, flu, and infection. Its enduring reputation as an immune-supporting herb continues to this day.
My advice would be to cultivate your own echinacea flowers at home. This way, you’ll have a constant and accessible supply of their immune-boosting benefits right at your fingertips. You can find here high-quality, NON-GMO echinacea seeds packaged in US.
The Devil’s Walking Stick for Treating Infection and Pain
While many plants were used to treat infection and pain during the Civil War, the Devil’s Walking Stick seemed the most effective and easiest to obtain.
Devil’s Walking Stick, a prominent member of the ginseng family, is renowned for its ability to grow up to a height of 30 feet on occasion.
Abundant across much of North America, the Devil’s Walking Stick was a popular treatment during the Civil War. Tincture brewed from the berries of this plant is known to ease the pain from a toothache and help with rheumatic pain.
Furthermore, Devil’s Walking Stick has been shown to inhibit the growth and spread of some types of infections, specifically staph infections.
Calendula Salve for Wound Healing
In the absence of modern wound care treatments, soldiers often faced the risk of infection from battle injuries.
Calendula, or marigold, emerged as a vital natural remedy for wound healing. Its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties make it an ideal ingredient for creating healing salves.
Related: How To Make a Powerful Calendula Extract to Keep in Your Medicine Cabinet (with pictures)
Calendula salves were applied to wounds, burns, and skin irritations, promoting faster healing and minimizing infection risk.
Ginger for Nausea and Motion Sickness
The challenges of wartime travel often led to nausea and motion sickness, making long journeys even more arduous.
With its natural anti-nausea properties, ginger emerged as a comforting and reliable remedy to combat these discomforts.
Soldiers and civilians relied on ginger tea or chewed ginger root to ease queasiness and settle their stomachs during journeys.
Today, ginger is still a staple for treating an upset stomach and is found in many common medications.
Mustard Plasters for Congestion
Respiratory ailments were a common concern during the Civil War, and mustard plasters were a popular natural remedy to alleviate congestion. A mixture of mustard powder and flour was applied to a cloth and placed on the chest.
Related: My Grandmother’s Favorite Poultice To Treat Infections
This remedy caused the skin to redden and brought relief by stimulating blood circulation and helping to clear congestion.
Cabbage Leaves for Arthritis
For centuries, the use of cabbage in treating arthritis pain has been well-documented.
Cabbage is renowned for its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, cabbage proves to be exceptionally beneficial in treating arthritis pain and providing relief from joint discomfort.
One popular treatment method is to create a cabbage leaf wrap and apply it to the affected joint.
Sage for Sore Throats
Sage held a special place as a reliable remedy during the Civil War era. It was often turned to for its ability to provide comfort and relief, particularly for sore throats.
Creating a sage gargle was a common practice – a simple method that involved steeping dried sage leaves in hot water.
This concoction was cherished for its effectiveness in reducing inflammation and soothing the discomfort that accompanied a sore throat.
This humble remedy, born from the wisdom of the time, played a valuable role in alleviating the everyday ailments of that era.
Witch Hazel for Skin Irritations
Witch hazel, a plant known for its potent astringent and anti-inflammatory qualities, had long been a favored remedy for soothing an array of skin irritations and discomforts.
An infusion of witch hazel leaves or bark was applied topically to alleviate itching, inflammation, and minor wounds.
The Civil War era’s reliance on natural remedies underscores the enduring wisdom of utilizing nature’s offerings for health and well-being. From willow bark to ginger and beyond, these remedies provided relief and comfort in times of immense hardship.
The natural remedies utilized during the Civil War era reflect the resourcefulness and practicality of a time when medical options were limited—the creative treatments of this period aimed to alleviate common health issues faced by soldiers and civilians alike.
While modern medicine has made significant strides since then, these historical remedies remind us of the enduring power of nature in providing relief and healing. They also offer a window into the past, showing how people creatively used the resources available to care for their well-being.
Despite a constantly evolving world that has come a long way since the Civil War, these remedies serve as a testament to the age-old relationship between humans and our natural environment and remind us how truly blessed we are to live on this planet.
I would love to hear about your favorite folk remedies or experiences in the comments section. Stay Safe.
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Herbs heal the physical body, meditation and prayer heals the spirit.
We are at the crossroads of civil war in the Middle East.
Potentially here in America too, we Chinese and foreign nationals of military age crossing open Southern Border. Cutesy of the Biden administration, yes the border is insecure. Elections have consequences!
We have Chinese American farmlands that have equipment that is not for farming purposes.
Biden’s Afghan withdrawal leaving our taxpayer’s funded weapons in the hands of terrorist. China, probably Russia also are reverse engineering all our military high tech weapons.
All those weapons can have been split among Israel, Taiwan and partial to the Ukraine war MONEY PIT!
Latest report of the Israeli being attacked, the Hamas have m16 weapons on them. Guess where those came from?
Of course the Biden Afghanistan Withdrawal two years ago. Weapons are being dispersed to terrorist cell world wide thank you Biden. That includes the Clinton and Obama Benghazi controversy, Fast and Furious gun buy to Mexican drug cartels. Libya people are wishing they still had Muammar al-Qaddafi back.
The chickens are coming home to roost.
Mark
Do not overlook the fact that Netanyahu had Israeli forces stand down..
He was warned and
deliberately ignored warning: did not even use the Iron Dome.
A very George Bush/Rothschiild posturing
Best just to learn about medicinal herbs and
pray for God’s will to be done.on earth as in Heaven…
Luciferuans will do what Luciferians do
Wars are created by politics and religion as seen in today’s real time events around our globe. When will people learn not to place trust in government as their god. Place our thoughts, words and deeds in a higher authority: GOD.
Before we help others we must heal America first, not last. We have globalist mentality of draining our country dry of gas, oil, resources, weapons to foreign adversaries. Why did Biden sell our oils strategic reserves to China for God’s sake?
America must decide what we are doing? Biden gave back stored Iranian funds in the billions back. Wonder why Israel is under attack?
Mohamed supposedly hid into a well which he is supposed to come back out of the well, Why did he choose a well? According to religious historian this is the story. Hitler wanted erase the Jews off the face of the earth. We must understand the roots of these hatred of world war two. The Nazi’s had a common interest with the Muslims in that era. The Muslim Brotherhood, we see in our modern era is based in connection with Nazi’s, very interesting.
Hamas is battling the greatest elimination battle of Israel in today’s event with Palestine and Israel. We are seeing history repeating.
In America we are repeating the Jimmy Carter oil embargo years in Bidenomics that is another globalist regime, they hate America.
Otherwise we would have a secure border wall and drilling for oil in the USA.
What are your thoughts?
Gog and Magog arising before our eyes.
The trending upset in the Middle East has people wondering could this happen in the USA?
The Chinese nationals invading into established Chinatown’s, Chinese owned farmlands are now targets of espionage and terrorism toward peaceful citizens in the United States. We have Mexican drug cartels operating in many large cities here.
Israel was caught sleeping flat footed. The same can happen here but when, even with all the camera surveillance in major cities. The digital electronics can be hacked and manipulated. It would not take much to disrupt America into another 911.
The United States has Hamas sympathizers that held rallies supporting the Hamas terror is Israel. It is time to purge these active cells who are in our country. We see many protestors are young university students, time to send them back to their masonry crumbled home countries before we have the same happen here.
Sounds to me like MEN are the problem. Every time I see gatherings of the leaders of governments or organizations that represent governing bodies, all men. Women realize that future generations must be protected starting with children. Men only care about control. Religion is great to exert control, particularly of women. I for one, am sick of it. Men should not be allowed to rule anything unless supervised by a woman!
I am glad I bought all of the Lost Ways book series. These are great reference books in addition to our outdoor skills we are working on.
You mean like Kamala Harris???
I like the articles that for me give a refresher in some areas I have neglected for awhile. Keep them coming.
What I find interesting is prepping since the nineteen seventies were based on political events. People get it, on this blog we need to infuse current events in the blog with prepping. Both go hand in hand.
I can’t believe people get their news from social media sources as to the whole truth going on.
As Always I love your articles and appreciate your work , keep up the work to educate the public on preperation
Mullein for chest congestion (tincture or tea)
Elder flower for pneumonia (tea)
Elder berry for flu
Prickly Ash bark for toothaches and general numbing
Yarrow for disinfection and bleeding
Cayenne for nearly everything blood flow related.
Etc. etc. etc.
I am trying to grow some Mullein to see if this Cowboy toilet paper can be used as a substitute of our beloved TP. Has anyone tried using it for TP or used other plant material?
Ginna
I have grown Mullein and have seeds ready for the next year season.
It was a bit funny filling, and the little hairs did give some kind of filling, butt it did work and it was not as good as the real thing, BUTT, it did work for me.
I did right about this in another Article long ago.
stay sharp
We have some plants that just decided to weed their way into our garden. They happen to be mullein. Started as one plant that got large and seeded, and now we have several plants. I would like to try making some tea for congestion as I have asthma, but haven’t yet, as I also have high blood pressure and am on two medications for it. As soon as my doctor clears me to take it I will give it a go. I’ve read some wonderful articles about it helping so much with this and congestion from other causes, such as flu, colds and etc. I don’t know if I would ever dare to use it as tp as I have had some bad reactions from other things in the past, one of which I am still dealing with (once from a pesticide that was quite nasty and caused my hands and feet to swell up to over twice their normal size, and from latex in the air tube of an oxygen concentrator that my doctor wanted me to try), I am quite allergic to latex .
As far as these wars, I don’t know shytt from shinola but I know we’re being played
We are being played in Ukraine too!
Death Of A Thousand Cuts is happening in America.
Depletion of our military weapons to Ukraine. Weapons loss in Afghanistan.
Mexican cartels smuggling fentanyl to kill off the drug users and innocent people in the way.
Illegals getting housing, food, clothing and schooling by senior citizen taxpayers they’re being made homeless by Bidenomics.
Yes if we do not heal our thousand cuts of death, our America will die soon.
Hi Claude
I love all this very helpful advice! I was interested in herbs back in the day and do like to read up little bit more on them now. Thank you for the help you bring!
❤️?Blessings Carisa
Very good article! Just wanted to add and I could be wrong so correct me if someone knows for sure, but I’ve heard that Slippery Elm can also cause miscarriage. So, if you are pregnant, please do your research before using.
I recently learned during the Civil War used puffball mushrooms as a wound dressing because of their coagulant properties.