Here are five essential items that serve many purposes that you may want to include in your natural first aid kit.
In June of this year, I launched NatureAid. NatureAid is the natural first aid course that I developed to help people identify what items they may need to put in their own natural first aid kits as well as how to use these items in a first aid situation. And participants get their very own natural first aid kit as part of the course! Today, I want to share with you five essentials that you may want to put in your natural first aid kit based on what I teach in NatureAid.
If you are new to natural first aid, you know that there are hundreds of natural first aid items on the shelf that look fantastic. The options can quickly get overwhelming! Initially, what you want to look for are items that can serve more than one purpose in your kit. After you have a few foundational products in your kit that are great multitaskers, you can start adding items that serve only one or two purposes to serve your needs.
Here are five essential items that serve many purposes that you may want to include in your natural first aid kit:
Arnica pellets. Homeopathic arnica pellets are indispensable in a natural first aid kit. Arnica in its homeopathic form is commonly used for tissue trauma that causes bruising. Of course, I use arnica for bruising but I also use arnica for concussions, sprains and strains, and emotional trauma. CAUTION: Arnica should only be taken orally in its homeopathic form. The whole herb can be toxic if taken internally and should be reserved for external use only.
Super Salve. Yes, our local superstar salve makes my list! Super Salve, if you’re not familiar with it, is a blend of herbs that addresses bacterial and fungal infections. It is also emollient, which means it soothes dry or cracked skin. The herbs in this salve also promote pain relief and healthy inflammation, which is particularly useful if you have sensitive skin that is prone to becoming over-inflamed when it’s injured.
T-Relief or Arnica gel/cream. These two items are homeopathic topical gels or creams that can be used for various types of tissue trauma. They provide pain relief for muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. T-Relief or Arnica gel also regulate inflammation, promoting a healthy inflammatory response. I use these topical gels or creams for sprains and strains, bruising, muscle pain, joint pain, and when an area (like your low back) gets tweaked. CAUTION: These products aren’t meant to be used on broken skin.
Curcumin. Otherwise known as turmeric, curcumin is a crucial item in many first aid scenarios. It is a modulator of inflammation and it is pain relieving, which makes it useful for musculoskeletal injuries like sprains and strains, muscle tears, concussions, and bruising. Curcumin can also be very helpful in acute illnesses, too, such as sinus infections, bronchitis and viral illnesses that create too much inflammation.
Calendula Salve. Another local superstar makes the list! Calendula is a flower, related to marigolds, that packs a skin healing punch. More specifically, calendula promotes growth of the top layer (epithelium) of the skin and does an amazing job. It also has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving qualities. Calendula can be used topically for scrapes, dry and cracked skin, rashes, burns and skin infections. CAUTION: Calendula does such a fantastic job at healing the top layer of skin that it shouldn’t be used on deeper wounds.
As I wrote earlier, once you have some basics in your kit, you can start layering in things that you know will work for you. If your household deals with a lot of nausea, you may want to add candied ginger or ginger chews to your kit. If your family is prone to a lot of musculoskeletal injuries, you may want to find a liniment that works for you or have some pain-reliving corydalis, a Chinese herb, in your natural first aid kit. It becomes more clear how you need to customize your kit once you have the basics covered.
Now that you have these five fantastic natural first aid essentials ready to put in your kit, I’d love to invite you to take the next NatureAid course if you want to learn more about natural first aid! I’m planning on teaching another NatureAid course in mid- to late August and I’d love to help you build your kit and teach you some natural first aid basics! You can visit my website to get notified when the course will start. FBN
By Amber Belt, ND
Amber Belt, N.D. is a naturopathic physician with sharp regenerative injection skills, a roller derby enthusiast, a business owner, an animal lover and a Flagstaff devotee. She has been performing regenerative injections for 12 years and can be contacted via aspenmedcenter.com or at 928-213-5828.
