The list below are items that I commonly keep in my own First Aid kit. I keep the tinctures in 1/2 bottles. I keep the salves in small tubs enclosed in ziplock bags to prevent leakage. My kit contents have varied as my kids have grown and my medical skill has developed. Don’t bring an item with you that you don’t know how to use. Please take a first aid class. All herbalists should at least take 1 or 2 first aid classes.
First Aid kits can be housed in a variety of containers: tackle boxes, cosmetic bags, over-sized purses and plastic bead boxes all work wonderfully. It doesn’t have to be an official Red Cross box. Be creative. As long as you can distinguish it easily in a crisis.
Different kits should be different sizes. The place that you spend most of your time, should have the biggest first aid kit. The car kit should be made with fluctuation in car temperature. Keep it small and rotate the contents seasonally. Keep a few favorite herbs with you on hand. I keep lemon balm in my purse to get me through hectic staff meetings. Just a dropper full in my water bottle and my tolerance increases along with my problem solving skills. First aid indeed.
- Gauze
- Scissors
- Gloves
- Hand Sanitizer
- Thermometer and Probe Covers + extra batteries for Thermometer
- Eye Drops
- Chamomile Tea Bags for treating styes or pink eye
- Cinnamon Sticks and Sugar Packets for Blood Glucose Levels
- Aspirin (Don’t mix aspirin and ibuprofen; You may mix aspirin and Tylenol.)
- Non-Aspirin Pain Reliever (Tylenol, Ibuprofen)
- Wound Cleaner Wipes
- Wound Cleaner (squeeze bottle)
- Topical Antibiotic or antibiotic salve
- Bandages
- Safety Pins
- Antacids or Ginger-based Tummy Medicine
- Dixie Cups
- Non-stick Pads and Squares (for larger wounds)
- Medical Tape
- Monthly Moon Pads (In a pinch, these can be used to absorb large amounts of blood from a wound as well.)
- Ear Protection
- Cotton Swabs, Cotton Balls and Hankies
- Witch Hazel
- Lavender Essential Oil
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Aloe Vera for burns
- Calendula-based Salve
- Bug Repellent
- Tweezers
- Berberine-rich Tincture (Oregon Grape, Coptis, Goldenseal) for treating infections internally
- Yarrow Tincture for treating treating tooth injuries or increase wound healing
- Homeopathic Poison Oak Tabs or Poison Oak Ointment
- Flashlight
- Ziplock Baggies
- Basic 1st Aid booklet
This is my basic list which I change depending on the situation and the crowd that I am going to be with. I do not prefer conventional medicine but I stock it because it is unwise to try to talk someone into medicine that they are uncomfortable with in an emergency situation. Remember that our job as healers, as humans, is to help, not to convert.
If you’d like to design your own custom herbal first-aid kit, check out our article Build an Herbal First Aid Kit in the Herbal Nerd Society!
