A Misleading Myth: only pharmaceuticals work in serious life-threatening situations and herbs are only for minor first aid issues
By the Seed SistAs
Herbs can act powerfully in acute situations. We are not just talking standard first aid here where some patching up or poulticing is needed. We are referring to acute situations where there is a serious threat to life. In our many years of travelling on the road with our mobile herbal clinic, often in remote places miles from emergency services, we have been required to act quickly with the herbs for emergency medical situations that we had on hand to support some pretty serious occurrences.
There is a myth that says that only pharmaceuticals can work in serious situations as a first port of call. You will often hear folk saying that herbs are great but we need pharmaceutical medicine for immediate powerful effects. We are not disputing this, but as medical herbalists in the field we have been required several times to have a knowledge of how plants can support quickly and powerfully.
Herbs, Pharmaceuticals and History
For centuries, herbs have been humanity’s primary source of healing. Long before the advent of modern pharmacology, plants were revered as powerful, life-saving medicine and still are in many parts of the world. An in depth understanding of the plants is needed to administer doses that are powerful enough to deal with the situation, but in themselves would not cause harm. Many powerful pharmaceutical and herbal medicines can have a fine line from when a therapeutic dose becomes toxic or poisonous.
Today, in the industrialised world, in an age dominated by pharmaceuticals, there’s a common misconception that herbal medicine is only for minor first aid issues and cannot be relied upon for serious medical situations. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, herbs have a long, rich history of treating people in serious situations. Early anaesthetics were herbal concoctions, sepsis, skin ulcerations, broken bones and many more situations have successfully been treated with herbs over the centuries, even millennia.
Emergency Herbalism in the Field
As medical herbalists, we have varied experience of supporting people with both short-term immediate support for first-aid type situations, as well as longer-term support. We have also had the privilege of seeing people in our clinical practices where folk come with much more long-standing health complaints seeking support, often after long periods of time on pharmaceutical medicine that hasn’t addressed the cause of the issue, only symptomatic relief.
We have run a successful first aid drop-in centre at events, fetes and festivals for many years where we’ve administered herbs for emergency medical situations. Inevitably, you get folk that over the period of the event, have flare-ups or episodes that relate to longer term conditions, but we have had the chance to see herbs work really well to act quickly and help stabilise some pretty hectic circumstances. It is these situations that we are interested in for the purposes of this article to debunk the doubt that folk have in emergency herbal medicine. The following examples of how herbs have supported some pretty serious situations are for your information only. They are by no means guidelines as to how to treat conditions and are written here for education and interest, an insight into some of the work we’ve encountered over the years, and examples of the power of plants.
1. Herbs for Strep and Staph Skin Infections
We have had numerous instances where there have been serious skin infections where bacteria can enter through damaged skin and can suddenly become very dangerous to the body. These can appear as small spots that start to travel from the initial site of a wound, a sign that infection is starting to travel and runs the risk of entering the blood stream.
Cellulitis is caused when bacteria, most commonly streptococcus and staphylococcus, enter through a crack or break in the skin. The skin starts to appear red and more fragile looking and can be very painful.
The incidence of a more serious staphylococcus infection called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is increasing.
We have treated all of these skin issues with combinations of powerful antimicrobial herbs, as well as lymphatic herbs, circulatory herbs, both internally and externally. They require perseverance but we have seen many a success story with the proper herbal support. Herbs for emergency medical situations are chosen on an individual basis but may include, elecampane, lavender, calendula, bilberry and also propolis. Garlic internally is a go to for powerful infections that have started to take hold.
2. Herbs for Fractures and Breaks
Cracked ribs, broken radius in the arm, serious injuries to feet, toes being crushed, bruises, ligament damage. We saw plenty of this travelling with extreme sports enthusiasts and with the circus for a while as their resident herb witches. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale),is a plant long valued for an ability to heal fractured or broken bones, and support damaged connective tissue too. If there is a break, comfrey is so powerful that the break could heal wonky so we always ensure proper splinting support, and where possible X-rays are done to ensure alignment is correct before applying any comfrey. This wondrous trait earned comfrey the common name of “knitbone.” Folk have commented on the surprising speed of healing for their fractures with the support of comfrey.
3. Poisoning: alcohol, overdose, accidental 
When someone has taken too much of something toxic to the system, the excretory organs become overwhelmed. Headaches ensue, sometimes loss of vision, digestive cramps. We have worked with a combination of kidney supportive juices, like celery and cucumber, collating agents like clay in water, and powerful liver detoxifying herbs, like milk thistle. When using herbs for emergency medical situations, this one takes careful monitoring to ensure symptoms are abating and don’t come back. If anything neurotoxic has been imbibed further tests may be warranted. We have seen miraculous results of people’s health improving in a number of hours with proper support.
Anaphylaxis Case Study
Many years ago, we had a miraculous experience with lifesaving herbs at a small festival. It was Sunday evening, the final moments of the weekend event, and the field was alive with the hum of activity. The last few sessions were winding down, and we were busy packing up our marquee and gathering our belongings. It had been a magical few days, where time seemed to stand still in the open countryside, far from the nearest village, town, or hospital, surrounded by nature and good vibes.
But amidst the packing, an unexpected crisis unfolded. We heard shouting for help- directed at us, as we were the on-site first aiders. A young woman was struggling to breathe, her face swelling, and she was clutching her throat, clearly in distress. She had unknowingly eaten curry that contained peanuts, and within minutes, it became clear that she was experiencing a severe allergic reaction—anaphylaxis.
We knew that time was of the essence, and we had to act quickly to give her the best chance of recovery. With no EpiPen on hand and no immediate medical help nearby, we turned to our herbal kit, filled with tinctures and natural remedies.
We administered our Digestive Delight Bitter Tincture, a blend of wormwood, berberis, rosemary, angelica, and meadowsweet. These potent herbs, known for their bitter, anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, digestive, and calming properties, would help counter the inflammation and soothe her system. We dropped a few drops of the tincture onto her swelling tongue. Along with that, we gave her capsules of milk thistle for liver-clearance and valerian root to ease her tension and help her relax. We also brewed chamomile tea to further calm her nerves and ease her physical discomfort and dropped a few drops of lavender E.O. onto her clothing.
As the tinctures and herbs began to take effect, we saw her condition gradually improve. Her breathing became less laboured, the swelling in her face began to subside, and she slowly regained colour. We maintained a calm, reassuring presence, offering her water and encouraging her to stay relaxed while we monitored her closely. Within 20 minutes, her condition stabilised, and she was able to sit up and speak without the panicked gasps that had previously signalled the severity of the situation. We advised her to lie down in bed and rest, and we stayed with her for about ten more minutes before instructing her partner to stay by her side and keep an eye on her.
We went back to packing up. About 30 minutes later, we checked on her again. To our surprise, she had gotten up and joined an ecstatic dance workshop! But after a few minutes of dancing wildly, she collapsed and all her symptoms restarted. Upon hearing about it, an ambulance was immediately called and we administered more herbs as the ambulance would have over 30 minutes to get there with the site being so remote.
When the ambulance finally arrived, the medics rushed in ready to administer an EpiPen. However, when they assessed her, they were taken aback, there was no need to administer the Epinephrine injection. The medics were astonished by the time that had passed since the initial reaction had begun. One of the medics looked at her, then at us, and asked, “What happened here? How did you keep the swelling and inflammation down for so long?”
We explained that we had used a combination of herbal tinctures, milk thistle, valerian, and chamomile to help stabilise her. They were astonished and commented, “I’ve never seen anything like this before. These herbs really helped. They’ve done something extraordinary.” Another medic, still amazed, nodded in agreement and said, “The herbs clearly saved her life today.” This was true especially with the distance from a local hospital, we truly got to witness the power of the herbs that day.
Why Pharmaceuticals Dominate Healthcare
Despite their proven effectiveness, herbal medicines often face an uphill battle in the healthcare system. One of the main reasons for this is the issue of patents. Pharmaceutical companies can patent synthetic drugs, giving them exclusive rights to sell these medications at a high profit.
However, since herbs are natural and cannot be patented, there is less financial incentive for companies to invest in researching and promoting them. As a result, herbal medicine is often overlooked or dismissed as less effective than pharmaceuticals, even when the evidence suggests otherwise.
The dominance of pharmaceuticals in the medical industry reflects a bias towards treatments that generate profit, rather than those that may be better for patients in the long term. This creates a “drug-first” approach in mainstream healthcare, leaving many patients unaware of the powerful potential of herbs.
Herbs as Lifesaving Medicine
Far from being just for “minor first aid issues,” herbs for emergency medical situations offer powerful, sometimes life-saving treatments. While these treatments will undoubtedly never reach the Accident and Emergency centres, we are grateful to have them in our lives to support people in emergency need out in the field and have the opportunity to witness their true powers.
These blog articles are herbal education resources, produced by the Seed Sistas. Gain insights and join us in the evolution of healthcare, please do leave a comment or question. Wellbeing empowerment for all…
This is really inspirational and interesting. Thank you!
Inspiring examples of herbal potency! Thanks for sharing.