I've threatened to do it long enough so here goes. Several threads have got me thinking about what we could do if normal medical services are disrupted long term for whatever reason (call it TEOTWAWKI or whatever) or if you just want to explore alternatives to modern medicine. Marduk's thread on stockpiling two year's worth of medical supplies is what really triggered this thread.
So here it is; If you have any home remedies, no matter how trivial, what are they? Also include any medicinal uses of herbs, wild or cultivated. If you have any recommendations for books on the subject, what are they? Books or tips on edible plants would be welcome as well.

Here are my own:
Home remedies:
Brown paper bag soaked in vinegar for sprains
Gargle with salt water for a sore throat
Honey and whiskey (hot toddy) for a cough
I knew that willow tree bark could be used for pain relief but wasn't sure how until I looked here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5697944_use-willow-tree-bark.html

Pine needle tea can prevent scurvy (ewww)
Baking Soda or salt paste for stings

Local edible plants:
Dandelions
Sour Grass
Wild Onions EDIT: Not actually wild onions, but onion grass
There is a local plant that comes early spring (March or April I guess) that gets a purple bloom on it. The greens are edible (my Grandpa taught me this one but don't know what the plant is called - I will try to find out)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I know locally we have access to ginseng, yellow root and blood root but have not looked into what they can be used for other than making tea with the ginseng.

Books:
Reposting what I had in Marduk's thread;
Peterson Field Guides Series:

"Medicinal Plants and Herbs"
There are two versions, one for Eastern/Central North America, one for Western North America.

"Edible Wild Plants"
Again two versions, one for Eastern/Central North America, one for Western North America. Not as relevant to the topic but thought I would mention these as well.

The Green Pharmacy series by James A Duke
There are several versions of these. Note that James Duke contributed to the Peterson Field Guides as well.

"The Doctors Book of Home Remedies" by the editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books
I believe this is the home remedy book I was thinking of.

There are many many other books available but as I am just getting into this I can barely vouch for the ones I have already mentioned. As I said the Peterson Field Guides are always reputable.

Look forward to hearing other suggestions.

A reference I reallly like is "Medicine for Mountaineering," by James Wilkerson. It assumes an isolated, potentially hostile environment, and goes well beyond standard first aid measures. I had the pleasure of meeting the author on Denali, where he monitored and critiqued our handling of a pulmonary edema victim. He is the real deal.

There are similar books produced for yachtsmen and long distance voyagers, but I don't have the titles at hand.

A variation of your cough remedy - equal parts of tea, honey, and bourbon. This was given to me by an MD years ago. He said it was as good as any cough medicine on the market. It has always worked for me.

Good thread, Mark! Two of my favorite herbal remedy books are
Stalking the Healthful Herb by Euell Gibbons and The New Age Herbalist by Mabey, McIntyre, Michael, Duff, and Stevens.

Gibbons' book is very useful once you can recognize the plants as it's focus is more on what to do with it once you find them. It covers a large number of plants and how to use them as medicines, but it is done with a sceptical eye. He say something might have a particular effect but that it did or did not work for him when used in the traditional manner. He doesn't let superstition over-rule experimentation.

Don't let the title "New Age" in the second book throw you off. This other book isn't crystal power and pyramids! Like Gibbons' book, it to stickes (mostly) to confirmed treatments. It also has the best pictures ever of any plant guide. I was leery at first when I bought it but it has become one of my favorite books.

The next big update to my plant blog will be medicinal uses, but that will take a while to complete. I will add assorted plants to this thread though.

Plants that remove the sting/itch of insect bites:
1. Plantain
2. Curled Dock
3. Wild Lettuce
4. Horsetails
Make a mash/poultice of any of these leaves (older wild lettuce leaves work better than young ones) and smear it on the bite. The astringent chemicals in the plant will neutralize the bite.

-Blast

Herbs, spices, and essential oils can come in real handy. Here's a few off the top of my head that I've used regularly over the years.

Tea Tree Oil

Fennel Seed (fresh seeds or extract)

Oregano Oil (alcohol-free super concentrated works best)

Peppermint Oil

Cayenne Pepper (powder or extract)

Ginger

Cinnamon

Clove Oil

Black Pepper

I also have the PDR for Herbal Medicines 4th Edition which I highly recommend.

Great input already. Thanks for the contributions so far and thanks in advance for others. I have a few questions and comments.

For starters, the unidentified plant I mentioned appears to be a common blue violet. My yard is left au naturale (no herbicides) so a lot of wild plants grow there. The blue violets (and others) grow and do what they do.

Hikermoor, will any tea do?

Blast, I was pretty sure you would like this thread and really hoped you would contribute (and glad that you did by the way ).

LED, what do you use the different oils for. IIRC, DR mentions using tea tree oil for stings and such but what about the others? Same thing (stings) or anything different? I believe my sister uses peppermint oil as an ant repellant.

Great stuff. Continue please.

Honey itself is a cough suppressant. Everything else is just flavor.

I thought it was the alcohol that acted as the cough suppresant and the other was for flavor. Interesting ...

You are very lucky, wild violets are considered a "super food" as they are LOADED with both vitamin and minerals (normally you get just vitamins or just minerals).

In many cases a lot of the effectiviness of herbs comes from their help treating malnutrition.

-Blast

To be honest Blast I am not 100% sure that is what they are. It will be another month or two before I can verify. My Grandpa had these growing in his lawn (au naturale) as well. Because they grow in the yard and are mowed they remain a very-short-and-close-to-the-ground type of plant. They grow in large clusters and have a flower of exactly the same color. The clustering and the flower leads me to believe they are wild violets.

EDIT:
The reason I remember these plants, other than my Grandpa pointing them out to me, is because of the story that went with them. My Grandpa grew up in very hard times. The family nearly starved to death at times. For that reason my Grandpa was an avid gardener. Year after year, he planted large gardens with row after row of corns, beans, tomatos, cabbages, turnips, and so on. My Grandpa would always point out those plants with the purple flowers on them to me and tell me about those hard times growing up and how they always looked forward to eating the greens from those plants. Apparently they were among the first edible wild plants to come up in the spring. Sorry for rambling. My Grandpa died last summer and just experiencing some fond and sad memories.

This isn't meant to be an accurate or comprehensive guide or anything even close. Just sharing some info from my long term personal use, and research of course. Oh, I know it goes without saying but if you're going to ingest anything make sure its quality, food grade extract from a reputable manufacturer. As always YMMV.

Tea Tree Oil - (Antifungal/antibacterial) Use for athletes foot, jock itch, etc. Also a main ingredient in BurnJel® BTW. Make sure to dilute it before applying to skin.

Fennel Seed - (commonly used in the east to help calm the stomach and aid digestion) I grind fresh seeds and make tea or put some extract in a little water and drink it. Tastes like licorice and seems to help with my acid reflux. You'll notice Indian restaurants always serve fennel seeds as an after dinner condiment. And they know a thing or two about spicy foods!

Oregano Oil - (antibacterial/antifungal) Unlike tea tree oil it can be used in concentrated form on the skin without irritation. Of course YMMV. Apparently a lot of research is being done on oregano oil at the moment.

Peppermint Oil - Good for sinus congestion, natural insect repellent, etc.

Ginger - Helps with nausea, settles the stomach, aids digestion, etc. Cut into thin slices and eat raw or add some hot water and make a nice tea. And of course its ubiquitous in asian cuisine.

Clove Oil - Used for toothaches. Its usually included in emergency dental filling kits like the one's sold by Dentek®, and others. Thats actually how I found out about it.

Cayenne Pepper - I've read it was good for keeping intestinal nasties in check and helps prevent colon cancer. Lots of other benefits. Although I'd eat it anyway cause I love hot stuff.