>>>If you are educated in herbology and lucky enough to be in an event where the herbs grow and in the season for them to be growing then this may help.<<<<br><br>Proceed with caution!<br><br>Approx. 1/2 of medications today are either directly derived from plants or are synthesised from research on herbal cures. But very few people are skilled enough to treat illnesses in the wild using herbs. <br><br>I have a Peterson Field Guide on Medicinal Plants. I bought it primarily as an identification guide when I used it to ID Sweetfern, which is not a fern BTW. I chuckle whenever I read the entries on most of the plants listed as they seem to have been used at one time or another as a cure for almost every ailment under the sun.<br><br>As I mentioned above, most of our medicines were originally derived from plants, so many of the potential uses in the wild may be valid. But it takes a lot of training and research and shared knowledge to be able to use them approprietly.<br><br>Digitalis, for an example, can be used for heart trouble, and is the basis for prescription drugs for the same. But if improperly used or dosed using the wild plant, it can be harmful or even fatal. And it's not a simple means of simply identifying the plants. Often the season, time of day collected, preparation or combiation with other plants have an effect on the herbs effectiveness. <br><br>I remember an article about an anthropologist who worked with a rainforest indian tribe, noticed an interesting plant in the "medicine" man's kit bag used to cure various ailemnts. The medicine man gave him a sample, which he forwarded to a scientist in Europe for analysis. It turned out to be very effective in killing cancerous cells of some type. So the scientest asked for more. The anthropologist asked the medicine man for more, and he refused, fearful of the intentions and/or potential results. The anthropologist took detail notes so he was able to identify the and collect more of the plant from the forest. But this sample had negative results in the lab. Something the medicine man did or how he did it had an effect on the plants effectiveness. <br><br>Sweetfern, BTW, is an astringent, which means a poltice applied to a wound will help slow or stop bleeding and aid in healing. Although I have never tried it myself so I can't vouch for its effectiveness.