| MEDICAL CHORE Level 2 Module 3 |
| MEDICAL Read through the Medical Section of the Camp Pages. Take particular note of the Contents of the Medical Kit. Also where in the Camp you might find the kits. There are several tasks listed in the Medical Section that can be completed as a Medical Chore, for example::: WAYS OF PREPARING HERBS FOR USE Note: The water in the following preparations is brought to boiling then poured over the herb, the herbs are NOT boiled in the water, for that would cause a breakdown of the vitamins and minerals in the herbs that are so vital to the healing process. Making An Infusion This process draws the properties you want out of the herb for healing. An infusion is basically a strong tea. The normal mixture is 1 pint of warmed water to ounce of herb. It takes experience to learn how long each herb needs to steep, some take longer than others, the average length of time is hour but with practice you'll learn which take longer and which take less time. Making A Decoction This is much the same as an infusion (tea) except you are working with a much more solid herb such as thick pieces of root or bark which can't be ground up or the remedy calls for a much stronger dose.. This is the one case where you should BOIL THE HERB. In fact that's the whole process. Make sure that no steam escapes or the vital oils will go away with it. Also (of course) never use any metal when doing ANY herbal remedies. If you have more than one ingredient in the decoction begin by boiling the toughest then work down. Start with cold water and after boiling for what you consider long enough allow it to steep usually for at least 30 minutes. Making A Poultice This is used when you need to apply the herbs externally such as for a burn or for wound. Yes it's messy but often essential for healing. Pour boiling water over the herbs using just enough to dampen them or evenly cover the plant matter, you're not trying to extract anything from the herb only to moisten it. When it is all evenly wet remove it with a strainer and place between 2 pieces of rence or rep cloth. You then apply the rep cloth with the herbs inside to the affected part and allow the moisture with the herb essence to pass within the person. Making An Ointment/Salve This process involves mixing the herb(s) with a fixative such as animal or vegetable fat. This is done by heating the fixative until it is quite warm and adding the ground herbs to it. Once mixed up the mixture can be heated more than once and allowed to cool, Once you are satisfied that all the goodness has been removed from the herb the whole mixture should be strained and put into a storage container then allowed to cool. This is the same procedure used to make salves. Making A Wash This process draws the properties you want out of the herb for healing. As you done when making a infusion. An infusion is a strong herbal infusion used externally. The normal mixture is 1 pint of warmed water to 2 ounces of herb. As with infusions, to do a was takes experience to learn how long each herb needs to steep, some take longer than others, the average length of time is hour but with practice you'll learn which take longer and which take less time. This is the easiest method. Making A Tincture/Extracts These are used when long term storage is required. It requires alcohol of at least a 75% grade which can be safely ingested such as paga. Place the following in a jar which can be tightly sealed. 1-4 ounces of the herb 8 ounces of alcohol (drinkable!) 4 ounces of water Seal the jar and keep it safely out of the light for 2 weeks. Each day at least once, check it and make sure that you loosed the mass of herb inside the jar by swirling it about. Continue this process until at the end of the 2 weeks the alcohol has extracted all the constituents without need of heat. This process is best begun on the new moon and completed on the full. Choose two herbs and be prepared to describe their use. Do some research on which herbs may be used for minor pain relief. (Research means reading the pages, but also asking questions of the Healer in Camp) When you feel ready to test on this section, please speak with the T/trainer. |
| Testing guidelines:: The Medical chore should be posted to the appropriate section of the Message Boards. Where are med kits logically available in Camp. Two herbs and a brief description as well as naming herbs for minor pain relief may be posted to the medical chores board |