This natural First Aid kit is a suggestion based on my experience and is something that I’ve built over time, after some experiments during the past 20 years on myself, my husband and my daughter (They experimented willingly, by the way, no husband or daughter has been harmed in the making of this kit!) and on wider family and friends.
I have to say that these are the most helpful remedies to stock into your shelves to make sure you can easily deal with the most common incidents of our day-to-day life, and treat yourself in a gentle way, whilst avoiding collateral effects that allopathic medicine might bring.
Natural healing works to enhance our body capabilities to recover and heal
If you are new to them, you might be surprised at how quick and swiftly these natural remedies work on your body, and work towards the root of the problem. Instead of only treating the effects of it, they make a wise must-have Natural First Aid Kit, as an addition to your standard First Aid Kit, enabling you to use the “heavy weapons” only when it’s really needed.
Echinacea to strengthen our immune response
- Echinacea drops (Echinacea Purpurea Mother Tincture) – Oral use
The use of this plant is something so ingrained in our family, that it has become a common phrase for me to hear on a regular basis on the cold months:
– Hey, I have a tickle on the back of my throat, I might need some echinacea today…-
Then, if it’s my husband speaking it will mean that I have to remember and give it to him, if it’s my daughter, as of lately she then goes on and takes them herself. But still, is a mental equation for all of us: I might come up with a cold = echinacea can stop it.
That’s because Echinacea has an unrivalled property to fight viral affections like colds, flu, sore throats, it’s a great ally to reinforce the immune response, with anti-infective and antiviral properties. If you take a few drops (40-50) of Echinacea as soon as you feel a cold coming on to prevent it, (usually once per day for a couple of days) or anyway to ease the symptoms, and reduce its duration, helping as well to reduce the incidence of respiratory illnesses overall.
Thanks to its immune boosting and infection-fighting actions, it has a powerful effect on a sore throat too: the decoction or better the tincture used as a gargle and then swallowed, help numb the pain and fight infection and inflammation.
Furthermore, what is really good is that it actually helps your immune system itself to fight the cold, and not simply ease the symptoms of it but please consider that due to this particular property it cannot be taken if you suffer from an autoimmune disease!
St. John’s Worth Oil and Calendula to repair the skin
- John’s Worth (Hypericum Perforatum) Oil – External use
This rich and intense ruby red oil is a real skin saviour when it comes to treat small burns, bruises or wounds, so much that I actually keep it in the kitchen, to have it handy when cooking shows its hazards.
Its repairing and soothing properties act quickly on the skin, relieving the pain, reducing the inflammation and protecting the burn/wound with a layer that will help the natural healing process of the skin (encouraging the repair of the epidermic layer). In addition, it has an antiseptic action, and a bland but constant local anaesthetic effect, this additional pain relief benefit makes it the perfect ally to ease sciatic pain and back pain, to be massaged gently on the sore area.
It can be used in case of sunburn too.
It works really well as a balm too, as the consistency helps to make the application easier, I use the Weleda Hypercal salve which combines Hypericum and calendula and works really well on cuts and grazes and small skin irritations, providing immediate relief.
- Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) cream/ointment – External use
This beautiful and orangey flower provides great natural help, is a gentle healer who nurtures and repairs the skin, precious in case of dermatosis, contact dermatitis, eczema, skin rash of various origins, diaper rash, and acne.
Thanks to the flavonoids present in the plant, it has a soothing and refreshing action on the skin, and it is great for all minor wounds too. I find it really helpful when there is the need to avoid that moisture gets in the way of the healing process: it can isolate and protect the affected area, whilst controlling the humidity, so really great if you have any rush or wound in a crease of your skin. Calendula can be used even for a long period of time as it is usually very well tolerated and does not cause any irritation, so it is perfect for sensible skin too.
Aloe Gel – the solution for sunburns and sensitive skin
- Aloe (Aloe Vera) gel – External use
Another winning product for its powerful effect and versatility too, Aloe gel is the go-to remedy for sunburn, due to its incredible cooling and soothing properties, it helps the skin recover and calm the burning sensation.
The gel can actually be directly squeezed directly from the aloe vera plant, and applied directly on the skin. The only thing to remember is that it can’t be conserved, (some suggest it can be frozen, but I’ve never tried it, so not sure how it would affect the gel consistency) and it surely best used fresh, otherwise you can use one of the many aloe gels available. Just be careful to buy 100% natural gel with a maximum of one excipient to stabilise it and possibly organic.
You can use it in many DIY emergency remedies to which it will add its anti-inflammatory and cooling properties.
Arnica for traumas and sport injuries
- Arnica gel/oil – External use
Arnica is the queen herb for contusions and muscular pain. Repeating frequently the application in 48 hours following the trauma help to control the swelling and the bruising, and keeping the pain under control. I find it better on a gel formulation for these type of injuries, as it absorbs fast and does not require manipulating the sore part for long.
It’s great for sports injuries too, massaged on the muscles on the painful area, on a regular basis it helps the recovery while easing the pain. (In this case I much prefer an oil formulation)
Weleda offers a useful selection of Arnica products, I particularly appreciate the Arnica massage oils for its versatility, but there are as well gel and creams that can be used on different occasions.
The precious help of essential oils
- Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia/Officinalis) – This is can be applied in a single drop as an antiseptic on small burns or a few drops of St. John’s Worth and Lavender oil (prepared 20 drops of Lavender Essential oil to 50ml of St. John’s Worth oil). It is great on insect bites as it minimises the swelling and eases the burning sensation and the itching.
- Eucalyptus – Perfect for all cold related affections, a few drops in a diffuser when help purify the air thanks to its anti microbic effect, and great to help improve your breathing. Great for its antimycotic properties too, helping fight bacteria, fungi, viruses and yeasts.
- Tea tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) – This is an excellent antimycotic oil, with very good antiseptic properties too. Perfect to use for many different incidents, due to its very strong and peculiar scent, I limit its use to all the mycotic affections that might occur on the crease of the skin or on the nails. It has the same antiseptic properties as Lavender and Eucalyptus, so it could be used as well diluted as the other 2 essential oils, and it is just as powerful, if you don’t mind the smell.
Please consider this as a suggestion for creating your natural first aid kit, and by all means do your own test and trial! If you never have, I’d go for Echinacea drop first, as it is surely the most widely helpful remedy to start your kit, and then maybe try aloe gel and calendula salve with an addition of essential oil, and you’ll have the basic natural first aid kit to start testing it!
Leave a comment if you already know these remedies, and if they work for you.
If you fancy discovering something else about starting with natural remedies, find it here.
Oh, and of course… Happy natural wellbeing journey to you!