10 Must Have Herbs For Zombie Survival

10 Must Have Herbs For Zombie Survival

Tyler’s note: If you find yourself alone in the woods during the zombie apocalypse, use these herbs to keep yourself healthy until I arrive.  I like my meat fresh, not gamey and rotten.  Just saying…don’t judge me.
By Sean Fay

First aid and medical supplies are a cornerstone of any zombie survival plan. Without care, even minor injuries and infections can become dangerous, even life-threatening. Herbal medicine is humanity’s oldest form of medicine and is perfectly suited for survival outside of civilization. Nature provides us with a great many tools for caring for ourselves. A well stocked herbal first aid kit, and the knowledge to use it properly, can be an invaluable addition to any zombie planner’s preparations.

First, we’ll address 5 herbal products that any survivor would want to have on hand. These herbs, oils, and extracts are chosen because of their shelf life, versatility, and potency. They can all be stored for extended periods of time, treat a wide variety of health issues, and are small and light enough to carry without strain.

Oregano Oil

Essential oil of Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a potent anti-septic. A single drop on a bandage can prevent infection in an open wound. Diluted in water it makes an excellent mouthwash or hand sanitizer. Taken internally, Oregano oil will combat bacteria and viruses, supporting your immune system whenever an infection is present. Essential oils have an excellent shelf life, and are used in very small quantities. A single 1oz bottle of Oregano oil takes up minimal space in a bag or pack, and can provide hundreds of doses.

Echinacea Goldenseal Tincture

Tinctures are extracts of herbs in an alcohol base, providing a long shelf life and excellent bio-availability. The combination of Echinacea and Goldenseal creates a powerful immune-supporting and bacteria fighting blend. Take internally to fight fevers and infections of all varieties, or use topically to sterilize injuries or implements.

Osha Tincture

Osha root (Ligusticum porteri) creates a powerful action on the lungs, clearing up coughs and bronchial infections. Osha can also be used to reduce the effects of altitude sickness, and improve oxygenation of the blood. Topically, the tincture can be applied to spider and insect bites, including the dangerous brown recluse. Combined with the next herb on our list, Osha can even benefit aerobic endurance.

Guarana powder

Guarana powder (Paullinia cupana) is a strong source of natural caffeine. Traveling long distances or staying awake for extended periods of time can drain a person of valuable energy-leaving them vulnerable. As a natural stimulant, Guarana can provide a critical boost when you need it most. Guarana powder, when kept dry, will maintain its potency for a very long time.

Valerian tincture

Even with the boost from Guarana, survivors will eventually need to sleep, but stress and adrenaline can make this a challenge. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) tincture is a famous natural sleep aid and muscle relaxant, soothing to agitated minds and strained, sore, muscles.

In addition to a basic supply of herbal preparations, many valuable medicinal and edible herbs are available in the wild. Please note, that consuming wild plants can be quite hazardous, unless you can be absolutely certain of the identity of the plant. This list contains some common and easily identified herbs with excellent nutritional and medicinal benefits. However, this information cannot replace proper experience and knowledge when identifying wild plants.

Dandelion

The first of our wild medicinal herbs is the Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), one of the most under appreciated plants in our society. The leaves and roots are completely edible, packed with vitamins and minerals, beneficial to the liver, and quite palatable. You have likely eaten Dandelion greens before, possibly without realizing, as it is a common salad green in restaurant and grocery store spring mixes. The flowers can be used to flavor beverages, including homemade wine.

Red Clover

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) is a very common ground cover in the United States. It grows wild in yards, and is planted as a nitrogen-fixer in agricultural fields. The tea of Red Clover can be used to cool the body temperature in hot weather, or to break a fever. Add to your Dandelion greens for some protein rich variety to your wild crafted salad or tea.

Yarrow

Cuts, scrapes, and possibly more serious wound, will inevitably occur in a survival situation. The two most important first aid steps are to stop the bleeding, and prevent infection. Yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium) applied directly to a wound will slow and stop bleeding. Then follow with an anti-septics from the first part of the list. Yarrow tea can dry up fluid retention and mucus inside the body during colds and flus. That same Yarrow tea can be sprayed on the skin as an insect repellent. Yarrow is not as easily identified as Dandelion and Red Clover, due to its similarity to poison Hemlock, but an experienced herbalist or woodsman can learn to spot the difference.

Mullein

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is common sight along highways and in fields. The flowers can be made into an excellent expectorant tea, and can help to break up coughs and sinus congestion. This tall plant can also be dried, soaked with a small amount of oil, and used as a torch to carry fire or light the way. Do not eat mullein, as the plant material is irritating to the skin, mouth, and intestines. The large leaves can be used as “toilet paper”

Elderberry

Black Elderberry ( Sambucus nigra) is the fruit of the Elder shrub, which can grow well over ten feet in the wild. In addition to a source of nutrition, Elderberry is a valuable immune system support. Eat the berries, or cook them down into a syrup to concentrate their immune boosting properties. Elderberries make a rich and flavorful fruit base for wine. The flowers can also be used to make a restorative tea. An important caution: do not eat or steep the leaves! Elder leaves, especially young leaves, contain alkaloids which can cause nausea, dizziness, and other symptoms.

Without the benefits of modern civilization, survivors of a zombie attack will be forced to turn once again to the natural foods and medicines they find around them. Fortunately, these plant medicines can be easily acquired in many areas, and can have powerful healing proper for those who know how to use them. Learn your local plants, and you will never be deprived of food or medicine, even in the most dire of zombie-related crises. Good luck out there!

Written by Sean Fay

If you want to know more about these herbs and more please visit:
Phoenix Herb Company

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Can you get an STD from a Zombie?

Zombies and Syphilis – A Myth to Explain a Disease?

Zombies and Syphilis – A Myth to Explain a Disease?

By Renee Klepzig

Zombies have long been a fascination for Americans. From Night of the Living Dead to the Walking Dead to Dawn of the Dead, to Jane Austen and Zombies to Zombie Apocalypse, the zombie subculture is “alive” and kicking it in the millennium. Zombies have infiltrated everything from films to books to video games, cocktails, cartoons, and bands. Every October, Zombie Crawls are celebrated as people dress up as zombies in order to shuffle and stagger their way from bar to bar to drink zombies. This zombie phenomenon is not limited to Halloween. This spring, a 5K charity run is scheduled in which the runners have the added incentive to cross the finish line quickly as they will be chased by-you guessed it-zombies.

Zombies are believed to have originated in the Haitian African-American culture. Fueled by macabre voodoo rituals, dark magic revived the dead to do the bidding of those who summoned them. These walking corpses shambled forward with a stilted gait. Flesh rotted away from their bodies, and their minds could no longer formulate rational thought.

What does any of this have to do with sexually transmitted diseases? Good question. The answer may surprise you.

In 1492, Europeans brought small pox, bubonic plague, venereal disease, and religion to the New World. The New World returned the favor with syphilis.

Late stage, tertiary syphilis is syphilis that has not been treated. Spirochetes are wormlike microscopic organisms. Over the course of the disease, they multiply to the millions and lodge in most of the major organs including the brain. The human body becomes stooped and rapidly ages. Symptoms of late-stage syphilis include a jerky, stumbling step, large oozing sores, loss of tissue such as the end of the nose, and moments of euphoria followed by rage. In other words, late-stage syphilitics and zombies share many of the same traits.

Zombies originated in the New World as did syphilis. Myths develop in order to explain the otherwise unexplainable. In this instance, the zombie myth developed in order to explain syphilis, an incurable and deadly disease in pre-penicillin days. While syphilis is now treatable, it took more than 450 years to find a cure.

While the zombie myth may have arose as a way to explain a sickness, modern culture has embraced zombies. Michael Jackson’s,Thriller video of dancing zombies, remains the number one best-selling album of all time in the United States. In 2010, Asbury Park, New Jersey set the Guinness’ World Record Zombie Walk with an official 4,093 participants.

There are many ways to get an STD, and if you get one, find a location for STD Testing in Philadelphia.

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Zombie Tip of the Day: Turn up the Music

I’m surprised I haven’t seen other tips like this. In the episode of the Walking Dead in Season 1 where they are in that traffic jam on the highway, they turn on a car and the emergency broadcast starts playing. If that broadcast is still going, then the tower and station would still have power, most likely renewable. If they could find where this tower and station was then they can set up base there and tap into it’s power or whatever is powering it like a dam, or windmill, or whatever. No need to huddle around candles in a small house in the harsh winter while they could be relaxing in a station with central heating or A/C and send signals to other people, telling them it’s safe where they are. So long to the dark ages and hello to electricity.