Poorman’s Guide to Herbal Medicines:

The Poorman’s Guide to Herbal Medicines is intended as a

short & simple guide to what plants have a medical value. I am
not botanist or an academic herbalist. I’m a guy who learned
about herbal medicines at the hands of my family and via training
in martial arts; in specific mention of Koga Ryu Ninjutsu.
This guide is neither a martial arts book or PDF used to
teach an secret Ninja Skills. It is a basic guide to editable plants
and herbal medicines which can used in a natural setting when no
other medicines or aid exists and it can be used as a first step
guide to those who want to learn about medical herbs, botany or
herbalism. These are not folk remedies they are sources of raw
chemicals used for years, even centuries as medicines.

Preparation Methods:
Infusion: Cut and crush the herb, pour boiling water over the
herb, stir and leave to cool. Do Not strain, allow the herb to sink
and leave the to cool.
Note: If no boiling water is available, chew or suck leaves to
extract juices, then spit out the pulp.
Decoction: Cut, scrape and mash the herb roots. Soak the
mashed roots in water, about half an hour. Bring the solution to
boil and allow to simmer till about 1/3 (half a pint) of the solution
has evaporated.
Poultice: Mash the root, leaves or whole plant and compress the
plant into a flat pad. Add water to the pad if it is too dry. Apply pad
to the wounded area, cover with a bandage or large leaf and bind
the poultice into position.
Expressed Juice: Crush the stem and leaves into a juice pulp
with rocks, sticks or your hands. A commercial juice machine is
excellent for working within your home. Squeeze only the juice
into an open wound and spread the pulp around any infected
areas. Bind the pulp into position the same way as before with the
poultice.
Day-Time Identification:
 Oak:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores, Open Wounds,
Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Decoction of Bark (used as a
Gargle for Cough & Sore Throat).

Plantain:
To Treat: Bleeding
Preparation(s): Pound or Chew
leaves into a poultice.
Note: Images displays 2 different
breeds of Plantain.

Burdock:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Decoction of the root, crushed
raw and mixed with salt for animal bites.
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Decoction of the roots
To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore
Throat.
Preparation(s): Decoction of the roots

Willow:
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Decoction of the
Bark, Drink as Tea for Headaches
To Treat: Respiratory Infection,
Cough & Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Decoction of the
Bark
Note: Willow bark contains
aspirin. Willow Bark herbal remedies may be dangerous to those
allergic to aspirin, on blood thinners or “free bleeder.”
Chick Weed:
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Expressed Juice of Leaves.
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Expressed Juice of Leaves.

Comfrey:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Decoction of root as a poultice
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Decoction of the Roots, applied
to the area of swelling
To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore
Throat.
Preparation(s): Infusion of whole plant

Dock/Dock Weed:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Crushed Leaves
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Crushed leaves, apply leaves
to bruises
Elder:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Expressed Juice of Leaves
To Treat: Fever; Induce sweating to break fever
Preparation(s): Infusion of flowers and fruit

Lime:
To Treat: Fever; Induce sweating to break
fever
Preparation(s): Infusion of flowers
To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough &
Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Infusion of flowers

Mint:
To Treat: Upset Stomach & Ingested
Poisoning.
Preparation(s): Infusion of entire plant,
except root, with powdered charcoal and
water.

Horse Radish:
To Treat: Upset
Stomach & Ingested
Poisoning.
Preparation(s): Infusion of the root.

To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore Throat.

Preparation(s): Eat the root raw, stepped in a tea

Giant Puffball Mushroom:

To Treat: Bleeding
Preparation(s): Pack Spore as poultice.
Note: Can eat Rind if Boiled or
Roasted…

Night-Time Identification:
Here is a basic gray-scale list to simulate the appearance of
these herbs and plants under low light conditions.
Oak:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores, Open Wounds,
Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Decoction of Bark (used as a
Gargle for Cough & Sore Throat).

Plantain:
To Treat: Bleeding
Preparation(s): Pound or Chew
leaves into a poultice.
Note: Images displays 2 different
breeds of Plantain.

Burdock:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Decoction of the root, crushed
raw and mixed with salt for animal bites.
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Decoction of the roots
To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Decoction of the roots

Willow:
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Decoction of the
Bark, Drink as Tea for Headaches
To Treat: Respiratory Infection,
Cough & Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Decoction of the
Bark
Note: Willow bark contains
aspirin. Willow Bark herbal remedies may be dangerous to those
allergic to aspirin, on blood thinners or “free bleeder.”

Chick Weed:
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Expressed Juice of Leaves.
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Expressed Juice of Leaves.

Comfrey:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Decoction of root as a poultice
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Decoction of the Roots, applied
to the area of swelling
To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore
Throat.
Preparation(s): Infusion of whole plant
 Dock/Dock Weed:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Crushed Leaves
To Treat: Bruises, Aches & Pain
Preparation(s): Crushed leaves, apply leaves
to bruises

Elder:
To Treat: Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds
Preparation(s): Expressed Juice of Leaves
To Treat: Fever; Induce sweating to break fever
Preparation(s): Infusion of flowers and fruit

Lime:
To Treat: Fever; Induce sweating to break
fever
Preparation(s): Infusion of flowers
To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough &
Sore Throat.
Preparation(s): Infusion of flowers
 Mint:
To Treat: Upset Stomach & Ingested
Poisoning.
Preparation(s): Infusion of entire plant,
except root, with powdered charcoal and
water.

Horse Radish:
To Treat: Upset
Stomach & Ingested
Poisoning.
Preparation(s):
Infusion of the root

To Treat: Respiratory Infection, Cough & Sore Throat.

Preparation(s): Eat the root raw, stepped in a tea

Giant Puffball Mushroom:

To Treat: Bleeding
Preparation(s): Pack Spore as poultice.
Note: Can eat Rind if Boiled or
Roasted…

Complete Un-illustrated Simplified List:

To Stop Bleeding:
Giant Puffball Mushroom: Pack Spore as a poultice
Plantain: Pound leaves into a poultice

Cleansing Rashes, Sores & Open Wounds: Use externally to

bathe 2 to 3 times daily or, if indicated, as a poultice.
Burdock: Decoction of the root, crushed raw and mixed with salt
for animal bites.
Chickweed: Expressed juice of leaves.
Comfrey: Decoction of root as a poultice
Dock Weed: Crushed leaves
Elder: Expressed juice of leaves.
Oak: Decoction of Bark
Scurvy Grass: Crushed leaves
Shepherd’s Purse: Infusion of whole plant, except roots, as oultice
Sorrel: Crushed leaves
Tansy: Crushed leaves

Fevers: These plants will induce perspiration to break a fever.

Elder: Infusion of flowers and fruit
Lime: Infusion of flowers

Aches, Pains & Bruises: Use externally where indicated.

Birch: Infusion of leaves
Borage: Infusion of whole plant except for the roots
Burdock: Decoction of the Roots
Chickweed: Infusion of whole plant except for the roots
Comfrey: Decoction of the Roots, applied to the area of swelling
Cowberry: Infusion of leaves and root
Dock: Crushed leaves, apply leaves to bruises
Poplar: Infusion of leaf buds
Sorrel: Crushed leaves, apply leaves to bruises
Tansy: Crushed leaves, apply leaves to bruises
Willow: Decoction of bark to relive head aches.

Colds, Sore Throats & Respiratory Illness:

Angelica: Decoction of the roots
Bilberry: Infusion of leaves and root
Borage: Infusion of whole plant except root
Burdock: Decoction of the roots
Comfrey: Infusion of whole plant
Horseradish: Eat the root raw, stepped in a tea
Lime: Infusion of the flowers
Nettle: Infusion of leaves
Oak: Decoction of bark, to be used as a gargle
Plantain: Infusion of leaves and stems
Poplar: Infusion of leaf buds
Rose: Decoction of hips
Willow: Decoction of bark

Upset Stomach:
Bilberry: Decoction of fruit
Bracken: Infusion of leaves
Bramble: Infusion of leaves
Dandelion: Decoction of the entire plant.
Horseradish: Infusion of the root
Mint: Infusion of entire plant, except root, with powdered charcoal
and water.

Herbal-Medicines & Survivalism:

Survivalism has always been a philosophy and hobby of
mine from childhood; the most skilled and competent individuals
in Westerns and Action Movies where those skilled in survival, as
well as combat. It was no-wonder that I drew an interest in things
like Native American culture, the Boy Scouts, the military &
martial arts like ninjitsu where escape, evasion, stealth, survival
skills and martial arts were all connected. In ninjutsu there are
those who have a larger body of knowledge in dealing with herbs
and healing methods, this is knowledge I do not have and that I
am collecting from other sources away from just the world of
Eastern Martial Arts.
As such I write this PDF as basic guide to move away from
the “Gear Whore Philosophy” of survivalism; surviving by storing
and stocking gear, equipment and goods. More towards the “Skill
Whore Philosophy” of survivalism; surviving by having a wide
range of useful and needed skills that maximize the useful of
one’s collected gear, equipment and goods.
If nothing else this guide is a nice reference that can be
printed and store in one’s BOB (Bug-Out Bag), hiking or camping
gear as an extra “safety blanket.”