Introduction: Medicinal Plants and Their Uses

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If you're lost in the wilderness, one can easily get sick, hurt themselves, and walk into that well-placed poison ivy. You don't have any medicine, so how are you to make sure that you will be healed in time for rescue?
Easy. With this instructable, you can learn how to find and use plants to your medicinal advantage. If you are hesitant about eating medicine that does not come as a little sterile pill, consider this: that little pill is made out of plants, but only a bunch of other stuff is added to that pill. Please keep in mind to wash the plant you are using, as the plant could have contaminates that will make your situation worse. Also, the plants are based on North American plants, so I am sorry if these plants are not found in your area. If you overdose on these plants, it can make your dilemma worse. Don't eat/drink a lot!

As well, please comment your medicinal plants and their uses to add to the collection!
I hope you like this and please vote! :)


Step 1: Juniper and Juniper Berries

Juniper can grow to be a large shrub, and is in the evergreen family. It has a distinctive taste unique to itself, and is also a main ingredient in gin. So if you don't want to eat leaves to get the medicinal properties, drink gin! (Kidding, but some doctors actually proscribe this for arthritis! ;))

Juniper greatly helps the urinary system. By simply eating juniper leaves, the plant will greatly aid chronic and repetitive urinary infection. It also stimulates the kidneys to move more fluid out of your body. However, if you have a kidney infection, the results will be horrendous to your kidneys and the rest of your body. So please be careful! Start in small doses and work your way up as your body gets used to the juniper.

Also, juniper is great for treating chronic ailments that are found in muscle tissues, gout, arthritis, joint pain, nerve, muscle, and tendon disorders. Remember to wash the Juniper, if it's being picked from the wild. Also, remember to start in small doses and work your way up to a handful.












Step 2: Red Clover

Red clover can be used to medicinally treat whooping cough, certain kinds of cancer, respiratory problems, skin inflammations such as eczema and psoriasis, and can help the lungs clear themselves of excess fluid. Wash the plant the best you can, and it can be eaten or boiled in water to make tea.

Step 3: Dandelions

A common weed, dandelions are actually great for the human body, internally and externally. By simply eating the leaves, there are a wealth of good health effects such as:
The lowering of blood pressure
Helping a weak heart
Kidney and urinary problems
Gout
Acne
Gallstones

Also, along with being rich in vitamin C, dandelions, when made into a poultice, have great antibacterial properties. The sap in the stems can also rid yourself of warts and corns by rubbing it on them.