When treating yourself or someone else with first aid, always remember to use your common sense and seek professional help when needed. This would include possible broken or fractured bones, a severe blow to the head, severe pain of any kind, constant head pain, difficulty in breathing, and fever of or above 39 degrees celsius or 102 degrees farenheit. Remember if you are pregnant there are quite a few herbs that you cannot take. Please refer to a herbal book for this information.

Dosage:

Adults:

1 cup of herb tea 3-4 times a day, or 1 cup of decoction 2-3 times a day, or 1 teaspoon (5ml) of herbal tincture 2-3 times a day. Essential oils should always be diluted in oil except lavender and ti tree, and should be no more then 3% of the total e.g. 60 drops essential oil in 100ml of oil. For a bath add only 5 drops maximum in a carrier oil.

As we get older, the capacity of our bodies to break down and remove medicines decreases, so if you are over 70, take only 1 cup of herbal tea 2-3 times per day, 1cup of decoction 2-3 times per day, or 1 teaspoon (5ml) of herbal tincture 1-2 times per day.

Children:

Under 1: the dosage is 1/10th of the adult dose.

1-6 years old: the dosage is 1/3rd of the adult dose.

6-12 years old: the dosage is 1/2 of the adult dose.

For essential oils, those under 4 years old use up to 1% max so 20 drops of essential oil to 100ml of oil. For thhose from 6-12 years old, use half the adult dose.

A-Z of common symptoms and how to treat

You should include the following herbs in your first aid kit:

Aloe Vera Gel

Useful for sunburn, burns, cuts, wounds, itchiness, bites and stings. Apply the gel by soaking in cotton wool and applying this to the sore area. Better yet, have a plant in your house or near vicinity, and break the leaf off and open to reveal the gel inside and use this.

Arnica Cream

Caution: do not use on broken skin or open wounds. Do not take internally.

Useful for bruises and sprains, muscle aches, back or joint pain. If you apply the cream or ointment straight after a sprain or injury, it will quickly reduce pain and swelling. You can also take homeopathic arnica internally to help with the same problems.

Calendula (cream, tea, or tincture)

For allergies, bites and stings, any inflamed skin problem including cuts and wounds and itchy skin, sore gums, digestive infections, splinters, sunburn - the list could go on.

Calendula, also known as Marigold, is the antiseptic and healing herb for