Now that our household is back to living on a tight budget, we're like a lot of people out there who would be in big trouble if we got sick.  Not that we haven't lived on the edge of things before--I grew up poor like many people did, but it wasn't as scary when I was a kid and figured other people would take care of things.  Now I'm "other people."

Fortunately I know a bit about herbal medicines, nature's equivalent of the over the counter treatments you don't have to have a medical degree to use.  Lots of them are as effective as any pills you can get, plus being nourishing and tasting good.  Many people don't know how potent they can be, or that you probably have several of the best ones already in your kitchen.  Let's take a walk through the local grocery and see what wild herbs we can harvest along the trail.  No grazing allowed, sorry--it all goes to the checkout counter first.

Sure, you could go to the vitamin section or look for patent cold remedies, but any citrus is a great source of Vitamin C, one of the most favored natural treatments for head colds and essential for overall disease resistance.  We all love the juice, but in Asian medicine the colored part of the rind is considered equally potent.  Trim it away from the pulp and add it to tea for an extra burst of flavor and a vitamin boost.  Look for fruit that isn't garish orange if you want to avoid artificial coloring.

If you're one of the many who have reacted to modern chemically saturated life by developing asthma (like me) the apple is your friend.  Unlike inhalers, there are no harmful side effects.  An hour before a run, eating an apple will give you a noticeable and lasting foundation of energy, while it eases inflammation of the lungs.  It's not a cure, but it definitely helps.  No particular variety is best, so just choose what you like.  There's always something to fit the budget--sometimes organic or local crops are the best buy.

Although chili pepper's main ingredient, capsicum, is a little rough on a sore throat, a daily dose is both good for discipline and a preventative antiseptic.  Capsaicin, the concentrated form used in sinus medicines and cough syrup, also goes into self defense sprays and bear repellant, so don't rub it in your eyes.  The natural product comes in many shapes, flavors and strengths--stay away from the Thai chilis and Habaneros unless you need a good story to tell your grandchildren.  It will definitely clear your sinuses.  A tiny bit in broth, when you're sickly, is enough to get things flowing again.

Domesticated plants are sometimes fat and frail compared to their wild cousins, but kale and its rough and ready cousin, collard greens, pack a lot of nutrition into those green leaves most of us walk right past.  Chopped fine and cooked in a vegetable stew it's a great tonic food--the juice is sold in Japan as a dietary supplement, but it's better for you if you don't toss out the fiber.  Vitamins of all sorts, and a good dose of calcium, for a bargain price.

The antibiotic qualities of the aromatic oils in this much maligned and much enjoyed herb are uniquely potent in more ways than you think.  The raw form is best for home remedies, so plan to stay out of public life for awhile if you take a garlic cure.  Cooking reduces the amount of garlic oil (that's what makes the kitchen smell so good) so if you have a head cold, the flu, a sinus infection, lung congestion or more, peel and slice a large clove of raw garlic.  Eat it with a cracker and a bit of cheese or it'll go down pretty rough; a wonderful but adventurous version is peanut butter on toast with raw garlic slices laid on top.  Delicious stuff.  The oil goes nearly immediately into the bloodstream and circulates into places you wouldn't believe possible, loosening pockets of infection and mucus and doing a general housecleaning of the body.  Also, you'll reek of garlic for at least 24 hours.  Expect to buy a new toothbrush as well.

Lots of us only know this herb from ginger cookies, ginger ale, and ginger candy, but in many countries it's not only a popular culinary herb but a reliable home remedy for many common ailments. Officially recognized in the U.S. for it's anti nausea properties, ginger is an effective cure for motion sickness and a treatment for morning sickness. It's pretty hot if you chew on a small slice, but crushed and brewed as tea with a little honey it's a tolerable and effective treatment for the unpleasantness of colds and flu. Ginger is also helpful with some types of diarrhea.

Everybody knows chicken soup is good for what ails you--but it's probably because there's usually sage in it.  This old Native American remedy is naturally antiseptic and mildly clearing in effect.  Take it in a tea if you like, without the chicken, or put a healthy dose in the soup.  The fresh herb is best and most groceries carry it almost year round.  Dried herb retains some of that good flavor but most of the aromatics, very important to any medicinal qualities, have long since faded.

Next time you have a throat so sore you can't swallow, cut a celery stalk and chew on it a sip at a time.  You don't have to swallow the pulp to get the effect.  Celery juice, taken raw, is very soothing and has an immediate pain relieving action you probably won't expect from a vegetable.  The effect isn't permanent, though, so you may need a supply of sipping stalks at close hand until you're on the mend.

If you're ever caught with an asthmatic episode and no emergency inhaler, try a cup of coffee.  Although caffeine is thought to be part of the reason the brew helps, coffee is a complex herb containing many beneficial oils and trace elements.  The closer to the natural product, the better, so grind your own beans, and choose a medium roast.  That way the good stuff won't be cooked out.

The longer you brew tea, whether it's green or black, the more bitter it gets.  That's because the tannic acid slowly leaches out of the tea leaves; a little adds distinctive flavor to the caffeinated drink, but a lot is undrinkable.  Tannic acid, found naturally in many plants like American Oak, does have medicinal use.  A strong solution of high tannic acid oak leaf tea was a frontier remedy for poison ivy, causing the blisters to dry up and heal more quickly.  Black tea is another good source. 

Edgar Cayce is said to have recommended tannic acid as a healing cure for various problems but I can't vouch for that in any way.  For pure comfort, if you have a stye on your eye lid (or if you stuck your thumb in your eye while you were sleeping, which I did very recently), a cooled tea bag placed on the closed eye definitely helps.  Cayce said it was the tannin.  I think it was the cool.

Most people know about the healing qualities of Aloe Vera, that familiar potted plant with the scaly succulent leaves.  Break off a piece and squeeze out the gel as a burn treatment--it's cooling and dries like a natural bandage.  Problem is, I tend to use Aloe Vera faster than it grows.

Flax, or Linseed, may not be available in every grocery, but it is usually stocked in natural food markets and health food groceries, as well as Asian groceries full of mysterious products that look like bargains.  Boiled, flax released compounds that form a gel with much the same texture as egg whites, but with the flavor of furniture polish.  Probably because the oil of the flax seed is used as furniture polish.  The taste of the boiled tea is not great, but not overpowering.  The real issue is that it's all in one piece, so if you start, you'll need to follow through on that.

There has to be some benefit to this or no one would do it, and it is true that there is some reward.  The tea is very soothing to injuries of the digestive system, covering wounds and irritations and allowing healing time.  If you have problems dealing with stress and are reacting physically with strange internal ailments, try a mix of two teaspoons of sesame seed and two tablespoons of flax seed boiled in two cups of water for ten minutes.  Partway through the process toss in two teabags of black tea for two or three minutes; the tannic acid will break up the gel and make the mix more palatable.  Don't leave the tea bags in for the full cooking time. 

Home remedies are no substitute for medical treatment, but for everyday minor ills they can be very effective and economical.  Sometimes, they might be the best you have, so the old treatments are good things to know.