Useful Plants

Useful Plants

Birch Trees:

• Treatment for poison ivy. (Small twigs can be boiled into a tea, cooled slightly, then applied to affected areas.)
• Tree taps. (In spring, birch can be tapped to get liquid for drinking or to be boiled into a syrup.)
• Fire starter. (Strips of birch bark are highly flammable and burn with a black smoke.)
• Tea. (A mild tea can be made from a hand full of leaves. One hand full per cup of water, or for a stronger tea the twigs can be boiled. 1-2 hand fulls per cup. The tea has a diuretic effect, and strong teas act as a sedative in times of stress, about 1/2 a cup per day.)
• Edible inner bark. (The inner bark can be dried in the sun and ground into a flour.)

Willow Bark:

• The bark contains a chemical called salicin that is similar to aspirin. (Possibly antioxidant, fever reducing, antiseptic, and immune boosting.)
• Good for headaches, lower back pain, osteoarthritis, menstrual cramps, fever, flu, bursitis, and tendonitis.
• For adults: administer as a tea. (Boil 1-2 tsp. of dried bark in 8oz of water and simmer for 10-15 mins., let steep for 1/2 hour, then drink 3-4 cups daily.
• Willow is NOT recommended for children under the age of 16 due to the dangers of Reye's Syndrome.

Pine Trees:

• Pine needle tea. (Provides Vitamin C. To make simply clean a few hand fulls of green pine needles, break into pieces, simmer 10 mins. or so, and let steep another few mins.)
• Edible Cambium. (The light colored inner bark of pines. It rests underneath the outer bark and just above the hard inner layer. Cut a square in the tree with a knife then peel away the layers. Peel or scrape into strips, then you can either fry or roast. Enjoy!)
• Pine nuts. (Pine nuts can be harvested in the fall and provide protein. The cones that contain them are sticky. Store cones in a sack and place in the sun for a few days so they will dry and open up. Rotate sacks daily. Can also be roasted by a fire or in an oven. Once dry they will open and reveal the pine nuts.

Medicinal Herbs:

• Echinacea. (Immunity boosting supplement. Can only be used for 10 days then you need to take a brake.)
• Chamomile. (Helps settle a upset stomach and calm nervousness. Also a sleep aid.)
• Peppermint. (Helps settle upset stomach and is a decongestant.)
• Ginger. (Motion sickness, nausea, and indigestion.)
• Garlic. (Antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties.)

This information is not intended for a substitution of medical advise. It is for use in a survival situation. Thanks for reading!