Build or Supplement Your Medicinal Herb Chest on Your Next Grocery Trip

Beyond the supplement aisle and the tea shelves, here’s a brief list of what medicines you can buy today at the grocery store and an abbreviated list of conditions they may treat. (For a more complete list, click on the link for each substance.) In some cases, tinctures, teas, or poultices need to be prepared first.  In almost all cases, other more involved preparations (like essential oils) of these substances treat many more conditions.

If just beginning with herbal medicine, this is a great place to start.  You’ll already have so many of these items on hand.  The few you lack can be purchased relatively inexpensively the next time you shop.  And instead of being in panic mode and building a medicine chest quickly—and perhaps paying too much for it—you’ll see that you’re already in good shape and can begin learning how to use these items to care for your family in a crisis.

Black pepper made into a tincture with vodka has been shown to help with constipation, diarrhea, and indigestion.

Cabbage leaves juiced become an excellent treatment for gastric and duodenal ulcers; the leaves can also be used as a poultice to relieve the pain of gout and arthritis.

Cayenne tinctured, made into a liniment with rubbing alcohol, or used as a powder has been employed to great effect to treat problems like heart attack, stroke, bleeding, heartburn, arthritis, headache, common cold, and shingles.

Eggplant made into a vinegarite works well on many kinds of skin cancer and the fruit itself is effective against hypertension and high cholesterol. 

Garlic tincture or aged extract has been shown effective against Alzheimer’s.  It can also eliminate worms and other parasites from the body and reduces the risk of blood clotting.

Ginger juice treats a number of gastrointestinal complaints, including cholera, while the powder (in capsule form) is almost as effective as ibuprofen in managing the pain of arthritis without the risk of adverse side effects.

Oats added to a bath treat a number of skin conditions.

Onions in the form of raw slices or juice have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetics.  An alcohol extract has been shown to prevent or reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes. 

Pomegranate juice is available year-round, while the fruits themselves should be showing up in the grocery store anytime now.  The best part is that you get to eat the arils (the pomegranate “seeds”) and then dehydrate the rind which is used to treat cholera and typhoid as well as shigella and dysentery.

Pumpkin seeds treat a number of urogenital conditions, while the flowers address cataracts and skin issues.

Apple cider vinegar helps manage high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and is also effective for treating ingrown toenails. 

Baking soda is well-known for relieving the pain of insect stings and bites and is an essential component of Dakin’s solution, which is used for killing pathogens. 

Chocolate—dark chocolate—has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as help with gout and constipation.

Coconut oil improves brain function in Alzheimer’s patients and reduces the incidence of epileptic seizures.

Cornstarch  helps prevent athlete’s foot and heat rashes and is perfect for dusting a baby’s bottom to keep him dry.

Cream of tartar is used to relieve constipation and prevent urinary tract infections. 

Gelatin helps relieve the pain of arthritis and may reverse alcohol-induced liver damage.

Honey is a multi-purpose medicinal wonder, treating everything from asthma to ulcers.  And no, it doesn’t need to be ridiculously over-priced (and over-hyped) manuka honey.  Any raw honey will do. 

Molasses, combined with reconstituted powdered milk, makes an incredibly effective enema.

Moldy bread has unfortunately found its way into my grocery cart at least once.  Historically, it was applied to the skin to heal wounds and prevent infection.

Sugar, a natural antibacterial with anesthetizing properties, heals wounds incredibly well.

To convert many of these substances into a medicinal treatment, you’ll also need vodka or other alcohol, rubbing alcohol, or vinegar, and basic kitchen appliances and utensils.

And remember, it’s not just enough to have these supplies on hand—you have to know how to use them!  You can’t just have cayenne powder and vodka on the shelves and then expect to make a tincture when someone’s having a stroke.  It has to be done beforehand.  That’s why they call it preparing.

Links to related posts:  Click on the substances above to take you to a detailed article on its use.