Learning to Forage is activating primal intuitions.

The Medicine We Almost Forgot

The other night, I got a reminder. A sharp one of how easily the body calls

for care. It was after a beautiful day paddle boarding with my kids. As I was

unloading the boards from the back of my truck, I tugged on a strap that

had gotten stuck. Instead of climbing into the truck bed to unhook it

properly, I gave it a good pull. It snapped loose, and the metal clip whipped

forward, smacked me in the face, broke my glasses, and left a painful sting

on my forehead.

In some ways it felt like a reminder to pay attention to what is right in front

of me. Metaphors are rarely lost on this old woman.

Not long ago, people wouldn’t have gone to the doctor for something like

that. You’d step inside, rinse it off, and reach for what you had.

What I didn’t want to do was drive 45 min to town, wait at urgent care, pay

$100 for a visit, then evaluate if I trusted the conclusions or medication a

Dr. would probably prescribe, or try to have a conversation with them about

my own body and if tests were necessary. In the last 15 years this process

has changed so drastically It truly is nothing but industry.

Yes, there are times I must go, but more and more I choose not to.

That night, what I had were dried yarrow, calendula, and comfrey. These

plants I’d harvested over the past seasons and tucked into my herbal

cabinet. The more ridiculous our system gets, the more import this seems

to me. And so it’s become a habit for me to keep around the plants I trust.

I made a strong tea with the three herbs, let it cool, and used a cloth to

bathe the area several times. Yarrow for circulation and inflammation.

Calendula to gently disinfect and soothe. Comfrey to help rebuild the

tissue.By morning, the swelling was almost gone. And I was reminded: healing

doesn’t always mean turning to the system we’ve been taught to depend

on. Sometimes, it just means being in right relationship with your body, your

instincts, the plants, the land, and the wider web of the natural world.

The phrase right relationship has taken on much broader meanings for me.

Not just with herbal medicine, but with horses, people, and places. It’s

something I explore deeply through my local businesses.

The Cultural Memory of Home Healing

There was a time when nearly every household had its own form of

medicine chest—not a cabinet full of prescriptions, but a basket of dried

herbs, a salve tin passed down through generations, a knowing of what to

do when something hurt or swelled or broke the skin.

It wasn’t “alternative”—it was just how people lived. There was pride in

knowing how to tend a fever, soothe a cough, or dress a wound. It wasn’t

about rejecting modern medicine; it was about not needing it for every little

thing. It was about relationship, resourcefulness, and rhythm.

Today, more and more people—especially those who feel unseen or

disillusioned by the medical system—are reaching back for those old ways.

There’s a growing hunger to reclaim what was never meant to be lost: the

understanding that healing can begin at home, with your hands, your heart,

and what grows around you.

For many, especially men, this path isn’t just about herbs. It’s about dignity.

About autonomy. About caring for oneself without entering the role of

“patient,” which can sometimes feel disempowering. These small

remedies? They are cultural medicine too.

One of the quiet miracles of the natural world is how generous and

overlapping it is. In herbalism, redundancy isn’t a flaw, it’s grace. Many

different plants can support the same types of healing.Here in southern Oregon, that generosity is all around us. Even a short

walk can reveal plants that support wounds, inflammation, digestion, the

lungs, or the nervous system. It’s as if the land is saying, “You won’t be left

without what you need.” Below is a beginners list of herbals that you can

easily look up and identify

I find it ironic, that our culture has reached a place where I must put some

sort of warning or liability statement, that I am not giving medical advice

and this isn’t a substitute for trained medical industry, regarding something

that not that long ago was common knowledge for most children.

For Wounds and Skin Healing

• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Stops bleeding, reduces inflammation,

and supports circulation.

• Plantain (Plantago major/lanceolata) – Soothes burns, bites, stings;

draws out splinters and toxins.

• Comfrey (Symphytum spp.) – Supports external tissue repair. Best for

closed wounds.

• Calendula (Calendula officinalis) – Promotes gentle, antimicrobial

skin healing.

For Coughs, Lungs, and Immunity

• Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) – Soothes dry, irritated lungs and

encourages gentle expectoration.

• Usnea (Usnea spp.) – Tree-dwelling lichen with potent antimicrobial

properties, especially for the respiratory system.

• Elderflower (Sambucus spp.) – Calms inflammation, opens pores,

and supports fever release.

• Oregon Grape Root (Mahonia aquifolium) – A bitter tonic with

antimicrobial and liver-supporting properties.Herbal Wisdom & Responsibility

The plants shared here have long histories of use in folk and traditional

medicine. But as with all medicines, context matters.

Before you forage or use any plant:

• Make sure you’ve correctly identified it—many have look-alikes.

• Check with a trained herbalist or trusted guide for safe preparation

and dosage.

• Start gently, and listen to your body.

Starting Your Simple Home Apothecary

You don’t need to be an expert to begin. You only need curiosity, care, and

a willingness to work with what’s nearby. Many of the best remedies come

from plants you already know

Start with just a few familiar plants. Choose herbs that grow near you.

• Yarrow – cuts, bruises, fevers

• Calendula – skin support

• Plantain – bites, drawing poultices

• Mullein – lung support

• Lemon balm – calming and antiviral

• Elderflower – fevers

• Comfrey – external injury healing

Only harvest what you can confidently identify and harvest in dry weather,

mid-morning after dew lifts.Take no more than ⅓ of a plant or patch. Always

offer thanks, relationship includes gratitude.To dry and store herbs follow these instructions. Many of these herbs can

also be used fresh. Hang herbs to dry in shade with airflow. Crumble when

crisp and store in labeled jars out of direct sunlight. Check for mold before

sealing.

There are several ways to prepare the herbs.

• Tea (infusion) – Steep in hot water 5–15minutes.

• Tincture – Soak in alcohol 4–6 weeks, strain.

• Salve – Infuse herbs in oil, blend with beeswax.

• Poultice – Mash fresh plant and apply to skin.

One plant you know well is more valuable than twenty you’ve read about.

Let your apothecary grow through experience, and tested

knowledge.There’s something deeply empowering about realizing you can

care for yourself and others with what’s already around you. A sting, a

bruise, a fever, a moment of grief or overwhelm these don’t always require

a system or a specialist. Sometimes they just call for a tea, a walk, a

breath, a bit of yarrow and time. Or a the comfort of another gentle human.

This remembering isn’t just about healing. It’s about being in right

relationship. With the land, your body, your choices, and the wider web of

life. There are teachings that don’t promise a cure. Yet offer something

older and deeper: the space to reconnect, rewild, and remember that your

body already knows how to heal when it feels safe, seen, and supported.

Come walk with us in the woods. Come sit by the fire. Come meet the

plants that have been waiting for you.

Ishe Abel

Host of The Horsehuman Connection Matrix (podcast)

Founder of In Rewilding Together Nature-based, neuroscience-informed

gatherings for restoration and reconnection

info@rewildingtogeher.net