CoROM cast. Wilderness, Austere, Remote and Resource-limited Medicine. 170-Guerrilla Garden for MSIW – Medicine
Nov 21, 2025
Sam Kaufman, a former 18 Delta medic and herbalist, shares his wealth of knowledge on using herbs in austere medicine. He emphasizes the unique advantages of herbal remedies for tackling viral infections and discusses herbs that support gut, liver, and respiratory health. Kaufman highlights specific herbs like yarrow for wound healing and turmeric for inflammation. He also shares practical tips for growing kitchen herbs that can enhance health outcomes, making herbal medicine accessible even in resource-limited settings.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Stock Herbs By Systemic Needs
- Stock herbs by medical need (respiratory, gut, urinary, skin, lymph/immune) rather than by specific microbes.
- Choose overlapping herbs that treat multiple systems to maximize utility in resource-limited settings.
Include Berberine Herbs For Antibacterial Use
- Include berberine-containing plants (barberries, Oregon grape, Chinese coptis) for strong antibacterial use.
- Use water extracts of berberine roots/parts for treating severe enteric or bacterial infections.
Plants Offer Multi-Target Medicine
- Plants have hundreds or thousands of constituents that produce broad, multi-target effects unlike single-molecule drugs.
- That complexity lets one herb be used across body systems by changing application and formulation.
