Homesteads & Herbals

By N.A. Broadley

Discover some of the ways that herbals can come in handy on the homestead.

Homesteads & Herbals Resources for Learning and Using Nature's Gifts offers some great insights, recipes, and information.

From the kitchen to the medicine cabinet these time-honored remedies, brought to you in one place form a resource every home should not be without.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angry Eagle Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Nov 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223008460

Book preview

The Beginning:

Wow, can you say I am absolutely delighted to be writing this book. I have been following this herbal path for a very long time, not to give away my age, but years of reading herbal books and learning (self-study and formal study). Many of you have taken this journey with me through herbal stories and recipes and remedies I’ve shared. You’ve asked me to put together a collection of these things so here we are. We are starting this journey together and although this can’t possibly cover the plethora of herbal information out there, we can start here and hopefully this will inspire you to start your own plant path. So, if you’re inclined, jump right in and grab a notebook.

Each chapter is a focused area of body systems and dis-ease that can affect it. This by no means is medical advice. Always check with your doctor before using any form of herbal treatment especially if you are on prescription medications or have chronic conditions that you are under the care of a doctor for.

And lastly, seek medical advice for acute/critical health conditions. But this is a good starting point for anyone wishing to learn a bit more about herbs and herbal remedies. Now, I have to say this, and you may not like it. If you think herbs are a quick fix, then this book is probably not for you. Herbs work gently over time, as they should. It took years for us all to wreck our bodies with shitty habits, shitty actions, shitty diets, and it will take time to repair. Unlike conventional medicine, it’s not a one pill and done, it is lifestyle changes along with supporting herbs.

I am by no means an expert at anything, and I don’t claim to be. What I can say is that I’ve studied herbals for many, many years and still have yet to reach the bottom of the barrel so to speak. Does that make me an herbalist? I believe so. But in the United States there are no boards of health that recognize the alternative therapies. No licenses, no regulatory so-called experts handing out certificates or diplomas.

Herbalism is not a recognized therapy among the so-called medical experts. Practicing medicine without a license is illegal according to the ABC agencies. So, having said that, hundreds of years of herbal practices and plant medicine cannot be discarded lightly. Like any herbalist worth their salt, I know there is so much more to learn and each and every day I add to my knowledge through listening, learning and practical hands-on experience from other herbalists in the field.

Now, this project is going to be a new adventure for me because not only am I going to try to teach a bit about herbs, but I am also going to try and write about the homestead as well, which hopefully will work and bring you some laughs. You will be the ones who can tell me at the end if this is successful or an utter failure.

Now, about me. Hot damn, I am a homesteader, a mother to two grown children and a grandmother. I live a somewhat perilous life up here on my mountain...perilous meaning each and every day is an adventure. Sometimes things work out just grand and other times, well it is a complete shit show. I have animals. Lots of animals and if they aren’t getting hurt, scratched, scraped, or injured in some freakin fantastic way, then I am. It is what happens when unpredictability meets somewhat loose preparation. And it's always surprising that I keep on with this homesteading life. Because believe me, there are days when I want to sell it all and move to some apartment and become a crazy introverted cat lady.

I started my love of wide-open fields and deep woods as a child, something that has carried me through to my adult years. Although I didn’t really start working with herbs until later in life, I never lost my passion for the feel of the earth under my feet, the smell of the woods teasing my senses. On my homestead I raise animals and vegetable gardens along with a few herb gardens, living as simply as possible and as self-sufficient as possible.

I stepped out of the rat race and decided that my life was worth more than the standard nine to five where my senses would be dulled and eventually numbed. Where I would get in my car every day and go to a job I hated so I could just keep up with this standard that was set by those I don’t even know. Nope, I wanted simplicity, I wanted to write, to tend to my critters and work by the morning sun until it set in the evening. I wanted to need less and have more. More of life and less of this craziness that society has driven us to.

Now recently my life took a huge turn and I’ve found myself in uncharted waters. It’s okay, I’ve been there many times and have learned to tread water until I can find the solid ground under my feet again.

The homestead was supposed to always be a partnership, hubby laughing at me while I fumbled, stumbled, fell and picked myself back up as I tackled everyday challenges that only homesteads can bring. The partnership came to a sudden end, diagnosis in March, passing over in June. But... I know he’s still laughing at me and I thank God every single day that I can still find joy in the challenges of this little two and a half acres.

Now I find myself taking every opportunity available to hike, to forage for those plants I can identify and to just sit in wonder beneath the nearest pine tree and fill myself with the joy and contentment of the woods and life around me. I also enjoy being a writer and usually you’ll always find me with notebook and pen in hand when I am out hiking so I can jot down all those deep thoughts that the peace and silence of the woods bring forth. I am at the point now in my life where I feel called to deeply reflect on where my journey is leading me, including following my passions...herbalism, healing, and the chapter of entering a new phase of my life with watching my grandchildren grow and hoping to teach them about this good earth and what she it gifts so willingly to those who choose to listen and learn.

The Beginning:

Part One:

One: The Homestead

Two: Herbal Refence

Three: Salves or Oils

Four: Rashes

Five: Mishaps

Six: Tinctures

Seven: Oils

Eight: Day by Day

Nine: Liver

Ten: Fall in the Air

Eleven: Time to Breathe

Twelve: Colds & Flu

Thirteen: Gotta Go

Fourteen: It’s Nearly Winter

Fifteen: Inside We Go

Sixteen: Faint of Heart

Seventeen: Oh No! Snow

Eighteen: Winter Health

Nineteen: Immune Health

Part Two:

Twenty: Just Stuff & Herbal Monographs!

Twenty-One: Herbs/Foods

Twenty-Two: Spicy

Part One:

One: The Homestead

I woke up much earlier than usual today, the skies are still dark and the air still damp. I can hear the animals stirring about. The goats' calls will get progressively louder as the morning moves on, the chickens clucking about, the turkeys chirping and whistling, and the ducks just getting noisier by the minute. A cup of coffee in hand I watch and wait for the sky to lighten. Fall is sliding past summer and I can tell by the chilliness of the morning air. Damn it! I am not ready for it. Winter will bring its own set of problems, wood to stack and wood boxes to fill. I will grab this last bit of fall and be thankful.

It seems that summer has passed me by without my notice! So, I sip on my coffee and I listen to the stirrings of the homestead all the while muttering curses under my breath as my critters become more demanding and louder, disturbing my early morning peace.

We’ve got Covid here on the homestead and my little (well grown) girl is sicker than hell. If I listened to the news everyday I’d be afraid to be around her. On this homestead though, I do not let fear make my decisions for me. So as any mama does, I have been busy whipping up herbal medicine, chicken soup (yes, I still believe in the power of chicken soup), hot packs for the achy muscles and cool packs for the fever. This is what I have always been called to do...take care of those around me. The diagnosis doesn’t matter...whether it be covid or cancer, I have the tools to help...to ease...some pain, some suffering.

This morning I have to attend to a gimpy duck...and she gets special