herbs for healing

[livingforthelord]

I belong to a secular homesteading group out of Denver Co.  They have offered some great stuff and I have learned a lot all free classes. How to make  soap,  raising chickens,  making cheese, etc..The one thing I want to learn more about is using herbs for salves and tinctures. I have missed the class twice.  When I search the Denver area for herb identifying classes or classes related to using herbs for medicinal purposes.  All I run into are classes run by either witches  (no thank you please)  or women who mix the herb teaching with other far out Goddess spirituality.   Like crystals or meditations.  Does anyone know of some basic books,  that tell how to make burn creams,  boil salves from herbs?

Thank you

[debm]

I have been studying herbal medicine for several years now.  My favorite book is "Herbal Medicine" by Dian Dincin Buchman.  It was given to me by an elderly friend (no longer with us) who used it to teach herbal medicine at a local college.  It is quite basic and practical, but also a bit old, so I don't know if it is still in print. 

The best advice I got was to pick one herb, learn all about it and how to use it and then add another.  It takes time, but it is best to learn slowly when dealing with medicine.  I started with Oregano.  It is antibiotic, antiseptic, and tastes good!  I make a strong tea and soak a compress that I use on childhood owies and wounds, breathe the steam for sore throat and colds, drink it for an antibiotic to fight infections.  And too much will not hurt you.  I would hesitate to use it in place of a doctor's prescription just because I do not know enough. 

Another good place to look is on the internet.  I google specific herbs I want to learn about and usually avoid the "spiritual" sites that way.