Knowing which trees are good for treating different ailments could just save your life!

Hello my friend and welcome back!  Trees are good for more than just providing shade or producing fruit.  Many of them can treat and even cure different ailments, but do you know which ones they are?  In today’s post, we are going to look at just this subject, so grab you a cup of coffee and have a seat while we visit for a while.

If you are like me and many others in the prepping world, then you are well aware of the fact that the bark, limbs and berries of a tree can also offer excellent treatment and cures for just about any ailment you may get.  The trick is to know which trees and what healing properties they offer.  The thing is when I was a young man, and spent a great bit of my time roaming through and playing in the forest, I could probably tell you the name of each and every one of them.  Now, not so much! Oh sure I still know the different Pine trees and Oak trees when I see them, or even a Willow.  What I didn’t know back then was that many of these also had the ability to cure illness or works as a treatment for a wound.

At the time I did not know that a little Pine sap on a scratch or cut could stop the bleeding and it could speed up the healing process.  My Mom did not share this opinion with me and often made it very clear that I should come home to have any cuts properly cleaned and bandaged.

Once I became a Prepper, I once again found myself interested in these natural remedies that were there for the taking, if you only knew where to look.  Now, since I grew up in east Texas with its abundance of Pine Trees, we can start there.  There are also many kinds of Pines found around the US. There is the White pine, the Yellow pine, and the Ponderosa pine just to name a few and each one has its own particular properties.  As I mentioned above, Pine tar or sap is great for cuts and scrapes.  The sap, is a very sticky sap and is also has some natural antibiotic properties according to some experts, of which I am not one.  The sap can be used to hold the wound together and seal it while stemming the flow of blood in the process.   Because of this, it prevents germs and bacteria from getting into the wound by keeping moisture away from it.

The White Pine is also an incredible tree for treating the cold or flu symptoms.  You can boil the green or dried pine straw from these trees and make a tea out of it which helps open the lung passageways so you can breathe easier.

The Alder tree provides a natural astringent which can be used as a wound wash and healing agent, on deep wounds. Leaf and bark teas made from this tree are used to treat tonsillitis and fever as well.

Maple trees bark tea can be used to treat common colds, as well as bronchitis and colds as well.   Cedar tree bark tea is used to reduce fever, as well as chest colds and flu symptoms.  Other trees which are also a good source of treatments for common ailments are the Apple tree,  the Elm tree, the Beech tree and the list goes on and on.

The next thing is to be able to identify them when you see them.  Knowing that the pine needles from a white pine is great for making tea out of and treating colds is not much good if you can’t tell the difference between a White Pine, an Yellow pine or a Ponderosa pine tree.  Knowing however, could save your life when SHTF hits, so take a little time now to learn not only which trees you can make medicine from and what they are good for treating, but what they look like as well.  Make it a family game to learn and then identify each one as you drive down the street or go hiking in the forest.

While there is no doubt about the fact that Prepping is hard work, it can be made a little easier and fun by making a game out of it.  Teaching yourself and your children how to use what nature has given us to keep us healthy is a gift that will last a life time.

Well that is it for now and I hope you have enjoyed today’s post, so until next time, stay safe, stay strong and stay prepared!   God Bless America!

-The Sargent-