Firstly when I was young, we used to visit every school holiday Knowle Park in Sevenoaks, from bright sunny days to snow and upturned trees one half term, it is a wild and pure place to visit and a great way to be with nature. It is also a place where a first aid kit could come in very handy...My mum was sometimes mocked (in a nice way) for always having her kit on hand, but how useful it was when someone small scraped a knee running way too fast down a steep hill, those little legs just could not keep up! when rolling or falling in horse chestnuts prickles really was a call for the tweezers and when hiding out in the bracken playing hide and seek and being caught out by that sneaky stinging nettle which soon gave the game away, needed something to take the soreness away.
Wild and Pure first aid kit is small and compact, housed in a metal tin with waterproof labels it makes a great companion to a nappy bag, rucksack or buggy.
Contained in the tin are:-
Upcycled cotton muslins - great for face and bum wiping (in that order), blood mopping, ice cream drips and tears. You can wash them hot and re-use them again and again and when there done, you can get more from me FREE of charge!
Plantain salve - is great for bites, stings, chapped lips, anything that needs soothing. It helps to 'draw out' so useful for splinters and possible dirt in wounds. It is anti-microbial too to help stop infection
Yarrow salve - this salve is great at clotting blood, so maybe it's more than a graze, apply Yarrow to stop the bleeding. It is anti-septic and has a more astringent benefits.
Insect repel salve - insects dislike this blend of neem, yarrow, coconut and citronella essential oil, apply to wrists and ankles to deter the little nippers.
Mallow salve - soothes irritation, burns and itchy skin.
Comfrey salve - for sprains and muscle aches or for that massage when you get home!
Lavender 'keep calm' balm - lavender has so many healing benefits but it's most admired talent is too help us relax, so whether a factious child, nervous stressed out headache, this salve will come in handy. It can be applied on babies to relieve wind by rubbing in circles on their tummy or applying to temples for a relaxing relief from tension.
Sun cream - approximately SFP 20 (untested) it will give you protection from the sun, is small enough that you don't have to carry a big bottle and contains no nasties. Perfect for children and adults alike.
Now if you don't remember all that information while your out and under the pressure of a mild emergency I have included a double sided picture I.D card which fixes to the inside of the lid and gives you all the information you need to choose a salve.
Now the first aid kit my mum would have brought out would have been a little different, her favourite item of which was liberally applied to any injury was TCP and probably still is her 'go to'. Along with plasters, tweezers, tick remover, absorbent pads, bandage and safety pin/tape and more I am sure...
Btw all this can be added to your kit as I have done, there is enough space to customize and make the kit your own.
The kits are refillable too and available from my website, so when you are finished I will send you another, each one is £4, the tin can then be recycled.
My hope is that when you purchase one of my lovely kits, you will start to identify with the plants around you and there wonderful gifts, see for yourself that they work and encourage self-exploration of the plants/weeds, show the children, our natural world with regards to healing has been overlooked and now we find that it is not only dock leaves that are good for nettle stings.
An important fact that I want to share with you is how the salves are made, sometimes (this did include myself) we are often worried about applying unusual matter to our skin, we are far more confident in buying something from the chemist full of things we have no idea about which are made in a factory, but that is our society, at the moment... when your sold something by a man in a white coat we put our trust in them. Nature seems outdated, like going back to the wind-up car and we feel we have advanced from those humble beginnings and scientific progression has taken over our health needs...but I feel a revolution happening, there is a change in our mindset coming and by taking baby steps we can become confident again in our natural surroundings, like we have done for milllenia before big pharmaceutical companies extracted little bits of plant matter, patented it and sold on.
When I infuse the plant matter in cold pressed olive oil, I am extracting all the benefits of the plant, not just one, those plant gifts go into the olive oil. Firstly I dehydrate the plants, this then reduces the risk of the salves spoiling because of a lesser water content, the plants are immersed in the oil and simmered slowly in a bain-marie, alternating between warm and cooler a few times. This oil is then put through a nut bag to remove the plant content. This oil is then used with beeswax (locally sourced) to harden and create a salve or various fats and oils to create a cream or butter. Essential oils are added which are applicable to the condition but only in recommended aromatherapy amounts.
The 100% naturaL WILD & PURE First Aid Kit costs £30 to buy (unless you would like to trade something of similar value :)) Just contact me to discuss.
Elaine
Stay wild!
'In harmony with nature, not costing the earth'.