Prairie Oak Homestead

 Unfortunately, the medicine I was started on for my Rheumatoid Arthritis has caused a reaction--itchy, small rash, etc. so I had to stop taking it. I cannot take most of the other treatments for RA, so we decided to go natural and try that. With conventional medicine or natural, RA will still be there. It's getting the inflammation to stay at bay. So, because I seem to react to most conventional medicine, I started using food grade DE (Diatomacous Earth) for my RA. If you've been around a farm at all you will know what that is. :) I used it for my chickens when I had them, dusted them and the coop and added it to their feed. I also use it for my dogs. I won't go into all the benefits of food grade DE, but I encourage you to google it (make sure it's food grade) and see what's great about it. It is 85% silica and that's what is beneficial for the RA. Instead of going to the health food store and buying silica to take, this is MUCH cheaper ($37 for 50 lbs) and I...

I have a video I made on how to make herbal tinctures. It's my first one and is kinda wonky, but I hope it gives you a general idea. :)  You have to turn up your speakers due to our lovely cicada invasion. :) Oh and I know there are words on my face in the beginning. Came from where I edited the video. I'm not savvy and I don't know why they are there. Hopefully the next ones are better. :)  I was so nervous! LOL

We have Japanese Honeysuckle growing here. :) I decided to make a cough syrup. It is very easy.  Here's all you do... It's a bit blurry, but you get the idea. Harvest the blossoms of the honeysuckle and put in a half-pint or pint jar to a light pack. Get some good honey locally, preferably raw and fill the jar covering the honeysuckle.  Give it a stir. It will be sticky. I use a chop stick. This is what it will look like when honey is added.  Don't worry if the honeysuckle begins to float to the top. Just keep a lid on it real tight and one day store upside down and the next right side up, etc for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, strain out honeysuckle and store the honey cough syrup for later use. :) If you'd like to learn more about herbs and their uses, click on the facebook badge on the right. You can follow my herbalist page that way. :) Enjoy!

Yesterday, I made up some herbal tinctures.  I started elderberry, echinacea, and feverfew.  They will be ready in 6 weeks. :)  I use the folk method for making my tinctures.  I fill the jar half way with dried herbs and fill up the jar with 80 proof vodka.  Give them a good shake daily for six weeks and then strain out through a cheesecloth and add to medicine vials with droppers. If you'd like to learn more about herbs and their benefits, click on the facebook button on the sidebar. :)

New Lip Balms available...Cool Peppermint and Summer Honey.  These are all natural. :) You can find them here... http://wiseleyusedherbs.weebly.com/purchase.html

Garlic Overview: Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to when the Egyptian pyramids were built. In early 18 th -century France, gravediggers drank a concoction of crushed garlic in wine they believed would protect them from the plague that killed many people in Europe. More recently, during both World Wars I and II, soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene. Today garlic is used to help prevent heart disease, including atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries that can block the flow of blood and possibly lead to heart attack or stroke), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and to improve the immune system. Garlic may also protect against cancer. While the science is not conclusive, research shows promise for garlic in the areas of cancer protection and heart-related risk factors for patients. Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals -- particles that can damage cell memb...

I know this post is a little early as there are no flowers growing this time of year.  But, did you know you can eat some of those flowers?  What a great way to use some of them up! Flowers can brighten anyone's day. :)  I like them in salad.  For a quick pick-me-up this spring and summer, give these flowers a try....but make sure they are not sprayed with any pesticides! Daisies Roses Hibiscus Dandilions Violets Pansies Nasturtium Honeysuckle Lilac Clover Sunflowers Daylilies and Zucchini and Squash blossoms

Overview: Feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium ), a member of the sunflower family, has been used for centuries in European folk medicine as a remedy for headaches, arthritis, and fevers. The term feverfew is adapted from the Latin word febrifugia or "fever reducer." Feverfew is also used to treat menstrual irregularities, labor difficulties, skin conditions, stomach aches, and asthma. Plant Description: Native to southeastern Europe, feverfew is now widespread throughout Europe, North America, and Australia. Feverfew is a short perennial that blooms between July and October, and gives off a strong and bitter odor. Its yellow-green leaves are alternate (the leaves grow on both sides of the stem at alternating levels), and turn downward with short hairs. The small, daisy-like yellow flowers are arranged in a dense flat-topped cluster. What's It Made Of?: Feverfew products usually consist of dried feverfew leaves, but all parts of the plant that grow above ground m...

This is another one of my favorite herbs.  We use this herb when any of us get bronchitis or upper respiratory infections.  This is our "antibiotic." Oregano is an aromatic herb that belongs to the mint family, it can grow to about two feet in height. It is native to the Mediterranean region but is cultivated worldwide. The leaves as well as the volatile oil of oregano are used medicinally, but must be carefully distinguished as they are quite different. There is a common oregano that is use for cooking and the oregano that is use to make oil. Origanum Marjoram is the common oregano used for cooking. Origanum Vulgare is the wild oregano used for making oil. Oil of Oregano is a highly potent purifier that provides many benefits for human health. The two important compounds that are responsible for the many health benefits of oregano are carvacrol and thymol . Studies have shown that both of these compounds can inhibit the growth of bacteria, virus and fungi...

      Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale) Ginger Root benefits Ginger is well known as a remedy for travel sickness, nausea and indigestion and is used for wind, colic, irritable bowel, loss of appetite, chills, cold, flu, poor circulation, menstrual cramps, dyspepsia (bloating, heartburn, flatulence), indigestion and gastrointestinal problems such as gas and stomach cramps. Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb and there has been much recent interest in its use for joint problems. It has also been indicated for arthritis, fevers, headaches, toothaches, coughs, bronchitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, to ease tendinitis, lower cholesterol and blood-pressure and aid in preventing internal blood clots. Ginger has been well researched and many of its traditional uses confirmed. It is well known as a remedy for travel sickness, nausea and indigestion. It is a warming remedy, ideal for boosting the circulation, lowering high blood pressure and k...

 This is one of my favorite herbs :) Used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, improve vision, boost the immune system, improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. Elderberry juice was used to treat a flu epidemic in Panama in 1995. Elderberries have been a folk remedy for centuries in North America, Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, hence the medicinal benefits of elderberries are being investigated and rediscovered. Elderberry is used for its antioxidant activity, to lower cholesterol, to improve vision, to boost the immune system, to improve heart health and for coughs, colds, flu, bacterial and viral infections and tonsilitis. Bioflavonoids and other proteins in the juice destroy the ability of cold and flu viruses to infect a cell. People with the flu who took elderberry juice reported less severe symptoms and felt better much faster than those who did not. Elderberries contain organic ...

I am studying to become an herbalist.  Here in my state there is no licensing, only certification, but you don't have to be certified either and can be self-educated.  I have been studying herbs for a long time, but I decided I wanted to really get into it.  Of course, I won't be working outside the home.  I just wanted some more knowledge and to be able to help friends. So every once in a while I will post something about an herb.  Today is Turmeric.  I really like this herb.  It does so many great things... Turmeric is one of nature's most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Turmeric has been used for over 2500 years in India, where it was most likely first used as a dye. The medicinal properties of this spice have been slowly revealing themselves over the centuries. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the tre...