Make Your Own Medicine and Save Big!

Sometimes folks think natural remedies are out of their budget, but my good friend Jill from Jill's Home Remedies shares how you can save money making your own medicine!

Several years ago when I began using natural remedies for my family during times of illness, I was impressed with 3 things:

1. How well natural remedies worked.
2. There were no harmful short-term or long-term effects on health.
3. How much money I saved by not going to the doctor!

Even with insurance, my co-pays 10 years ago were $25 a visit, plus the cost of medicine.  Today, my co-pays are $45 a visit, plus the cost of medicine.  Realizing I could purchase a bottle of natural medicine for $10-$20 that lasted us for several sicknesses, I really began to appreciate not only finding a healthy way to treat my family's sickness, but a much more affordable way!

About three or four years ago, I began making my own natural medicines for my family.  It used to seem quite a daunting task to attempt anything like making medicines.  I thought a person had to have a science lab to attempt such a feat.  However, after watching a few YouTube videos, reading a few herbal books, and making my own medicines, I was again struck with 3 things:

1. How well my own medicines worked.
2. How very easy and do-able it was to make my own medicine.
3. How I could save even more money by making my own!

While I make more medicines than what is listed below, I'm going to highlight the savings on 4 remedies I make.

1.  Elderberry Syrup

Purchasing: $19.75
Making: $10

Savings: $9.75 

Here's my favorite recipe for elderberry syrup:

2 cups dried elderberries

4 cups water

3 cups raw honey

1cup raw apple cider vinegar

Bring berries and water to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Mash berries and strain through a cheesecloth or a fine strainer.  Stir in honey and vinegar.  Pour into jar.  Store in the refrigerator for 3 months.

Dosage:

Child - take 1 tsp. daily 

 Adults - take 1 tbsp. daily

(Or hourly if sick)

2.  Cough Medicine

Purchasing: $8.50
Making: $3.50

Savings: $5.00

Cough Medicine Recipe:

2 large onions
Raw honey

Directions:
Cut 2 large onions and place in double boiler (if you have one).
Cover with raw honey at least 1/2 inch above the onions.

 Simmer on very low heat until the onions become translucent {about 3 hours}.  Strain the onions and store in a jar in the refrigerator up to 3 months.

Dosage:
Adults can take 1 Tbs. and children 1 tsp. of the syrup up to every 15 minutes as needed.  Allow the syrup to slowly trickle down the throat as you take it. 



3.  Echinacea Tincture

Purchasing: $16.49
Making: $2.25

Savings: $14.24

My favorite way to make an echinacea tincture is to purchase Double E Immune Booster from the Bulk Herb Store, and make a glycerin tincture with the herbal mix!  You can click here to watch me make this tincture!

4.  Calcium Formula

Purchasing: $11.04
Making: $1.40

Savings:  $9.64

For the calcium formula, I use the recipe found in Herbal Home Health Care.  This recipe uses equal parts of horsetail grass, comfrey {or nettle}, oat straw and lobelia.  These herbs make an excellent, easy assimilable calcium!  Once again, I made a glycerin tincture using the instructions mentioned in the video above.

Now I am one of those DIY, save-all-the-money-I-can kind of girls.  Making my own medicines is so easy and so much fun!  But, there are a lot of people that do not like to make their own things, but would rather purchase it already made.  This is fine!  Those of you that prefer this will still save a lot of money by treating your family at home with bought, natural remedies!

(As always, please remember that information on this blog is not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease. While many are able to use natural remedies in their home with success, please use your best judgment and seek medical attention if the need arises.)

Do you make your own natural medicines?  I would love to hear your favorite!

 

Jill is a child of God, a wife of 12 years and a homeschool mom of 4.  As a certified family herbalist, her passions include reading and researching health and home remedies, and sharing with others the knowledge she gains.  You can find her blogging at Jill's Home Remedies and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.