06/23/2026
🥾 An Herbalist’s Quick Response on the Trail 🌿
An experience from Master Herbalist, Tara Christopher Eyre:
It’s finally warming up! Our family recently enjoyed a quick trip down to Capitol Reef for some hiking. The scenery was amazing, but toward the end of our first day, I developed bright red, raised welts around my entire waistline.
As herbalists, we are trained to look for the root cause. It wasn't a sunburn or a bug bite. A quick check of my new hiking pants revealed the culprit: they were 100% nylon. (A great reminder of why I usually stick to natural fibers!)
I had found the cause; now I could get to work. Here is exactly what I used from my herbal first-aid kit to soothe the allergic reaction:
✨ Complete Tissue & Bone Ointment: Applied frequently to the welts. This ended up being the most deeply soothing remedy for the pain and itch!
✨ Nettle Tincture: Taken internally and rubbed directly onto the skin to calm the allergic response.
✨ Kid-e-Soothe: Taken internally for extra support.
The combination worked so well that I was able to sleep through the night and comfortably hike six to eight hours a day for the rest of the trip! Within a week of continuing the Complete Tissue & Bone oil at home, my skin was fully healed and back to normal.
I love that as an herbalist, I naturally think about what the body needs, look at what I have on hand, and put it to use. I am so grateful I completed the Master Herbalist program through the School of Natural Healing. It trained me to be a detective, to reach for the most needed herbs, and to trust the body to heal itself. That kind of confidence is priceless!
Have you ever had to use your herbal first-aid kit on the fly? Tell us your success stories below! 👇
