EQUIPPING THE GUERRILLA FIGHTER, PART TWO (The Fighting Load)

(In the previous installment of this article, we discussed the implementation of a 1^st line “survival load” for the guerrilla fighter. The overwhelming theme was, and should be, to minimize the amount of weight and equipment that the guerrilla carries to the minimum necessary. In this installment, I will delve deeper on a couple of the items of the survival load that are also de facto parts of the survival load. Further, we will discuss tactical equipment load-out elements of the 2^nd line fighting load-out. –J.M.)

 

(The selection of tactical equipment in preparation for future social unpleasantness must be predicated on some major philosophical constraints. Among these is the recognition that the world and nation we have known is rapidly imploding around us. If this recognition exists, there are some critical issues that must be addressed.

 

The first of these is the degree of seriousness in one’s preparations. If it is simply a hobby, because you enjoy shooting guns, that’s okay. There is certainly nothing wrong with that in a free society. You don’t need to invest any more time or money than you fell like spending. You will get away with airsoft-quality gear and base-level, budget firearms and tools. However, if you genuinely believe that “bad times, they are a-comin’” then you have to look at your preparations in a far more serious light. In this brighter, more intensely focused light, then quality becomes a far more important issue. How much is your life actually worth? How about the life of your children and spouse? What about a successful restoration of the Constitution and the Republic?)

Keeping in mind the previously mentioned importance of maintaining the lightest load possible for the guerrilla fighter to operate in the woodsman-scout model, the foundation of the 2^nd line fighting load-out is the load-bearing equipment (LBE). While it for a guerrilla fighter to toss a spare rifle magazine in his pocket, a bag of lunch and a blanket in a knapsack, and traipse off to war, experiences and battle damage assessments (BDA) conducted in Afghanistan have demonstrated that this is far from an ideal way to go about the business (on numerous occasions, following airstrikes on Taliban/AQ positions, SF ODAs have conducted BDA, and found dead enemy fighters with this very load-out). Such a poorly equipped soldier, regardless of the depth of his religious motivation, is a lousy match for a properly-equipped opponent with good training. While the guerrilla may spend a great deal of time in nothing more than his basic 1^st line “survival load” while in secure areas or performing covert operations in denied areas, whenever possible, when conducting combat operations, the guerrilla should be wearing adequate LBE to complete his mission.

 

With the wide-variety of LBE available on the market currently, how does the concerned citizen or potential future guerrilla fighter determine the type of LBE set-up that might be ideal? Should he copy the equipment used by an infantryman of the 82^nd Airborne Division or the 1^st Marine Division? Perhaps a set-up like that used by a member of the Ranger Regiment or the SEAL teams would be more suitable? Considering the difference in missions, logistics support, and organization of all of these organizations, the argument should be obvious that none of these is an appropriate model for the guerrilla fighter.

The guerrilla fighter must base his load-out on the likely circumstances of his future operations. While it is obvious to most that future guerrilla forces will not possess the logistical support services enjoyed by conventional military forces, it is also important to realize that even many historical guerrilla models will not fit. The potential future American guerrilla cannot expect external support from friendly nation-states, such as enjoyed by the Viet Cong from the North Vietnamese and Chinese, the Iraqi insurgency from Syria and Iran, or that the Afghani resistance forces enjoy from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan via the services of the Pakistani ISI. Even during World War Two, the French Resistance, from whom this blog borrows its title, enjoyed a high level of material, moral, and technical support from the Allied Forces High Command. Instead, the American guerrilla will necessarily be forced to literally, “live off the land,” turning to his friends and neighbors, as well as battlefield recovery, for logistic support.

 

While the utilization of auxiliary support will facilitate the occasional use of vehicles for transportation of both personnel and supplies, the ability of the regime to utilize airborne and space-borne surveillance and reconnaissance assets for vehicle-tracking/pursuit, means that vehicular transport for the guerrilla combat force will, in many cases be extremely limited. The resulting necessary reversion to “primitive” light-infantry foot-mobile travel will act as a limiting factor in the fighting and sustainment load-outs of guerrilla fighters.

For several decades, the standard-issue load-bearing equipment of the United States military’s ground forces was the LC-1 and LC-2 “ALICE” system. Comprised of a wide, thick pistol belt with various equipment pouches and canteens hung off it, this system used a pair of suspenders to help hold the loaded belt around the soldier’s mid-section. The ALICE system was sufficient, if not ideal. Drawbacks included the fact that the ammunition pouches were cumbersome and slow to reload from, the canteens tended to result in occasionally disabling (and always annoying) chafing, and the general reality that the system was neither well-balanced on the soldier’s body, nor ergonomic.

In the middle 1990s, the Army’s Natick Laboratories, in cooperation with elements of the United States Special Operations Command and the U.S. Marine Corps (with the exception of some units in USASOC, the USMC amazingly adopted the MOLLE system before the Army did), began development of a new, modular, lightweight load-bearing system, referred to as MOLLE gear. This new system, and the advances that have been developed since, offered several distinct perceived advantages to the modern war-fighter. With MOLLE gear, equipment-carrying layout can be tailored to the needs of the individual war-fighter, rather than a doctrinal SOP, equipment can be spread more evenly over the fighter’s torso, reducing fatigue, and since it is held closer to the body’s center-of-gravity, the MOLLE gear offers considerably less of a hindrance to combat athleticism.

 

The current ready, inexpensive availability of the older ALICE gear on the military surplus market makes it an obvious, popular choice for many potential future guerrillas, as well as auxiliary support personnel to stockpile for future support of resistance activities. There is nothing wrong with this, but the reality is, for all intents and purposes, some variation of the MOLLE system is an effective leveraging of the currently available technology for the guerrilla to take advantage of.

The foundation of a MOLLE-based 2^nd line fighting load-out comes in one of three basic forms: the plate carrier, the chest harness, and the new, “War Belt” configuration, based loosely on the older ALICE system.

Plate carriers, designed to carry ballistic protection against small-arms direct-fire threats, as well as load-bearing (with a notable exception that will be discussed below), offer one huge advantage over the other two options: they can save the guerrilla’s life by stopping enemy bullets! The use of body armor in current conflicts has saved an untold number of American lives from small-arms fire, as well as shrapnel threats from IEDs and indirect-fire weapons.

For the guerrilla fighter however, there are several mitigating drawbacks to plate carriers that must be considered. First among these is the fact that the weight of body armor may be detrimental to mobility for the foot-mobile guerrilla. While no one who has ever been on a two-way firing range will argue the inherent value of body armor, there are some within the military who have questioned whether some of the lives “saved” by body armor were not in fact, “saved” because they needed to be saved since they couldn’t move fast enough to exit the path of incoming fire.

 

Certainly, the use of a ballistic-protection “outer tactical vest” such as the Interceptor vest, with groin protection, side plates, deltoid protection, and throat guards are best left to vehicle-mounted war-fighters. The weight of these systems and the resulting decrease in mobility is what led to the development of what are now termed “plate carriers,” designed to hold a single plate in front of the vital areas of the torso, and another in the back. Currently, there are plate carrier systems available that, combined with ceramic, multi-hit protection, NIJ Level Three rifle plates, weigh less than 15 pounds (I don’t know about you, but I can run pretty damned fast, even with an extra 15 pounds on if I’m scared enough! –J.M.). The applications of a plate carrier in fighter survivability should certainly be considered when developing the 2^nd line fighting load-out.

Chest harnesses, unlike plate carriers, are simply lightweight panels of nylon with MOLLE/PALS-compatible webbing straps, covering the front of the torso. While the chest harness suffers the obvious drawback of not offering any ballistic protection whatsoever, they do offer increased mobility due to reduced weight. The guerrilla can move much faster and possibly more quietly, with a loaded chest harness on than with the same load attached to, or over a plate carrier. In hot weather, the reduced weight and increased ventilation of the chest harness may be life-saving, due to the reduced risk of heat-related injury or death.

 

One major complaint about the chest harness MOLLE system in the recent past has been constant lower back strain as a result of the load being unbalanced towards the front of the torso. While this is correctly remedied by the addition of a small assault pack or filled hydration bladder on the back, a new model of MOLLE load-bearing gear was developed instead. The “war belt” or “battle belt” system involves the use of a MOLLE-compatible belt system, often (but not necessarily) supported by a set of suspenders with padded shoulder straps. This system has found a great deal of favor in the civilian tactical shooting world, and apparently among some contractors and special operations personnel.

One combination of these systems that has the potential to offer great benefits to the guerrilla fighter in the future is the use of a low-profile plate carrier, with no MOLLE webbing, that can be worn under a baggy sweatshirt or coat, for ballistic protection from rifle threats, with a chest harness that can be quickly donned if necessary, or the addition of a war belt system (while I currently train with a “normal” external plate carrier, and attached pouches for gear, I am seriously contemplating this idea, due to the theoretical ability to utilize the plate carrier, even during covert operations in denied-area, regime-controlled territory, that require no readily visible paramilitary signature. –J.M.).

The final decision of whether a plate carrier, chest harness, war belt, or combination system (or older ALICE system) is most suitable for a particular potential future guerrilla must be based on the needs and preferences of the individual, including physical fitness levels, preferences, perceived future missions, and of course, current budgetary limitations.

Regardless of the final choice of systems, if the guerrilla fighter selects a MOLLE-based system, the next important choice is the selection of a manufacturer. With the current demand for MOLLE-compatible LBE, for the war efforts, law enforcement militarization, and the civilian enthusiast, there are a vast number of companies producing MOLLE gear in one form or another. Unfortunately, this high level of demand also means the cost of quality MOLLE gear is still relatively high, especially when compared to older surplus ALICE gear. While it is possible to procure less expensive imported gear, it is imperative to remember that most of the imported equipment manufactured in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is intended solely for use by the recreational airsoft culture.

 

(While it looks, at first glance, comparable to hard-use gear, relying on equipment intended for a kid’s game in a life-or-death situation is stupid. If the guerrilla chooses the cheapest airsoft gear he can find, and dies because of an equipment failure, I will personally make it a point to laugh at his funeral. Yes, I am an asshole like that! –J.M.)

(Domestic manufacturers of quality tactical MOLLE gear that I have personal experience with include—but are not necessarily limited to:

 

·         Blackhawk Industries. Ironically, although much of their manufacturing now takes places in the PRC, the chest harness I have from them has had the ever-loving dog shit kicked out of it, and is still going strong.

·         Eagle Industries.

·         High-Speed Gear, Incorporated.

·         Special Operations Technologies.

·         Special Operations Equipment.

·         5.11 Gear. Although 5.11 is the least expensive of these manufacturers, I LOVE their gear.

 

 My 1^st line pistol mag pouches are 5.11, as are some of my PC-mounted rifle mag pouches, and my assault pack. Not a single complaint from me.

 

·         TAG/Shellback Tactical. –J.M.)

 

The guerrilla light-infantryman must consider the historical triumvirate of infantry duties: shoot, move, communicate. The necessity for mobility for the woodsman-scout paradigm of the light infantry leads to the oft-quipped line, “Travel light freeze at night.” While used as a self-mocking joke amongst infantrymen in the military, the humor is found in the truth. It is essential that the guerrilla ensure that every piece of gear on his fighting load is focused on the two tasks of shooting (fighting) and communicating.

 

The key phrase of “shooting” is actually intended to cover all of the actual tasks involved in fighting and killing the enemy. Primary among the logistical demands of this is, of course, ammunition for the primary personal small-arm, ideally a rifle. Opinions on how much ammunition the individual war-fighter should carry on his fighting load differs, based on who you ask and what their specific mission experience has been. Some tactical trainers insist that, for the armed citizen, no more than three or four rifle magazines will ever conceivably be needed. Former special operations sergeant-major Kyle Lamb (USA, retired) is an advocate of this approach, even for military special operations. As he explains in his excellent book “Green Eyes, Black Rifles,” three magazines of 30 rounds each, equals 90 rounds. Assuming it takes three rounds per bad guy to nail him to the ground, that still allows for 30 dead guys accounted for by each shooter before he runs out of ammunition. If a person is in THAT serious of a fight, then either he’ll have plenty of buddies around to borrow magazines from, or there will be plenty of rifles and magazines lying around to pick up. There’s quite a lot to be said for that argument, including the fact that such a minimalist load will do a great deal to ensure maximum mobility for the guerrilla light-infantryman.

On the other hand, unlike a military special operations soldier, the guerrilla does not have the option of counting on a regular re-supply of ammunition, nor the ability to readily call for a heli-borne quick-reaction force if help is needed. It is entirely possible, and far from uncommon, for every soldier in an unconventional warfare, small-unit element, such as an ODA, or a LRS team, to run through more than three magazines performing just one “Australian Peel” break-contact maneuver. Additionally, in the event of a contact, it is plausible that, while performing an exfiltration from the immediate battle area, a guerrilla unit could be forced into a further contact with pursuit forces, before having the opportunity to re-supply from a pre-positioned re-supply cache. It should be considered that the U.S. Army doctrinal “basic load” of ammunition, 210 rounds, could serve as a MINIMUM basic load for a guerrilla unit (As a young Ranger, I was blessed to have a squad leader who encouraged us to carry nine magazines on our old ALICE LBE, and one in the rifle. When I was an NCO, as an 18B, my personal rule was to carry 12 full magazines: one in my rifle, one in a “butt-cuff” pouch, and ten on my LBE. My current standard is 10 magazines: one in the rifle, one in a speed-reload pouch on my belt, and eight on my plate carrier or chest harness. All of my magazines are 30-round capacity, and all of my magazines are loaded to full-capacity. I’ve never suffered a malfunction due to the rumored propensity of 30-round M16 magazines to not function reliably with more than 28 in the box. –J.M.). While this certainly adds more weight to the load-out, the reduction in weight from other items that are unnecessary, attenuates this drawback. Considering the probabilities of being out-numbered and pursued by regime forces, it’s unlikely the guerrilla fighter will ever be carrying “too much ammunition.”

 

While a sidearm is considered part of the 1^st line survival load, it should be noted that there are various options for carrying it, once the LBE is added. The obvious method for carry of the sidearm solely as part of the 1^st line load is a concealed carry holster (Appendix, Inside-the-Waistband Glock 19 for me, since I know you were dying to ask, if I haven’t previously mentioned it. –J.M.). Once the guerrilla is carrying a fighting load, on LBE however, the facility of concealed carry holsters is greatly reduced. In these cases, any number of holsters might work, dependent on the preferences of the individual. It should be noted however, that it is important to remember that the sidearm is, ultimately a next-to-last-ditch weapon, followed only by the fighting knife and unarmed combatives. As such, it should remain attached to the individual, not the fighting load LBE (I have favored a drop-leg holster for as long as I’ve been able to carry a sidearm in the field. While some supposed internet “experts” deride these as suitable only for the airsoft crowd and “keyboard commandos,” this is ignorance speaking. Remember that this design was introduced to the world of gunfighting by none other than the British SAS. From the sands of North Africa in World War Two, to the Princess Gate hostage rescue, to the mountains of Afghanistan today, David Stirling’s boys stand second to no one as a fighting unit. The drop-leg holster is not intended to be worn hanging down to your knee like some Hollywood-mythic gunslinger, a la Angelina Jolie in “Tomb Raider.” It should be worn low enough to clear your body armor or LBE, but otherwise, as high as possible on the thigh. In such a position, it is more than adequately comfortable for long-term wear, and is still accessible when needed, as it will be when needed, in a hurry! –J.M.).

 

In addition to rifle ammunition and a sidearm (which is, ultimately, not to be considered any sort of mandatory item for the light-infantryman of any genre. While I would not forego my pistol to save a couple of pounds, there is legitimately, no reason for every war-fighter to “need” a sidearm…unless he feels he needs it), the 2^nd line fighting load-out should include spare ammunition for the sidearm (I keep two spare magazines on my trouser belt as well.—J.M.) and a combat/utility knife.

The combat knife, like the 1^st line survival load-out pocket knife, may very well see its primary usage for general field-craft and utility applications. On the other hand, it is far more likely than the 1^st line knife, to be used in an anti-personnel role, so it should feature more characteristics of a “combat” knife. One perennially popular example among special operators (in my experience –J.M.) is the classic Marine Corps stand-by, the Kabar. Developed during World War Two and in constant service with the Corps since, the Kabar has a well-earned reputation as a general utility knife, as well as an effective fighting weapon (On the other hand, my personal choice is a Cold Steel push-dagger, despite the lack of utility for general field-craft chores. I carry plenty of utility knives. Since I have boxed for over 20 years, the delivery system of the push-dagger makes total sense to me, requires no difference in my combatives training program to use efficiently, and, well…I just like a push-dagger! –J.M.).

 

In addition to the actual weapons-specific fighting gear above, the last critical element of “fighting” gear on the fighting load-out of the guerrilla fighter should be an individual first-aid kit/”blow-out kit.” A serious injury or wound can be the single most mobility-reducing issue to impact the combat effectiveness of a guerrilla fighter. With the development of the military’s Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC or TC3) protocols, first adopted by USSOCOM in 2000, there exists a single, doctrinal methodology for providing battlefield aid to casualties that makes complete sense and takes into account the necessities of actual combat (If you are unfamiliar with these protocols, I suggest you spend some serious time studying and mastering them. They do, and will, save lives in combat! –J.M.). Predicated on actually receiving training in how to perform this protocol of care and wound management (preferably before getting into a firefight), an individual blow-out kit should be based around them. The equipment required is minimal, weighs very little, but will prevent death from most small-arms fire wounds if treated properly and rapidly. The TC3 protocols require trained medical personnel to execute above the basic, level one “Care Under Fire” guidelines, but in essence, should be considered an integral part of planning for medical care for the guerrilla force.

Beyond the fighting portion of the “shoot (fight), move, communicate” aspects of the 2^nd line fighting load-out, the issue of communications within the guerrilla force should be considered. While there are ways to leverage the technology of two-way radios into the communications package of the guerrilla force/resistance effort, the communications security (COMSEC) protocols demanded are beyond the scope of this article. The use of two-way radios, especially FRS/GMRS radios (unlike many “survival” and “preparedness” writers, I recognize the weak transmission strengths of these line-of-sight radios as a strength, since it actually reduces the chance of successful signals intercept at any extended range. Further, in alpine environments, using ridge-top LP/OPs, the line-of-sight transmissions of these radios is more than sufficient for use in guerrilla base security networks. Additionally, their limited range is not an impediment for intra-unit communications needs. –J.M.) however, should never be allowed to overshadow the effectiveness and usefulness of written and/or oral communications, delivered via courier to the guerrilla force. There is a reason that guerrilla wars are referred to as “long wars.” Time ultimately, favors the guerrilla, if he maintains his security.

 

Ultimately, this is the fundamental load for the guerrilla 2^nd line fighting load. While there are numerous other equipment items that could be useful for the guerrilla fighter to add, from STANO to breaching tools, these should be assessed on a mission-essential basis, and only added to the load, when needed or warranted. The above load, when combined with a 3^rd line sustainment load, already exceeds the loads traditionally carried by historical guerrilla forces. The difference however, must be weighed.

Historically, guerrilla forces have not hesitated to “tax” the local civilian populace to support their efforts, as well as having been at a dramatic disadvantage due to the lack of available technological assets available. The potential future American guerrilla however, has no moral ground (in my opinion –J.M.) to tax the civilian populace, and should make every effort to leverage whatever technology he has available, as long as it does not in itself, become a burden by detracting from his field-craft skills and the application of true light-infantry tactics, techniques, and procedures.

 

Nous Defions!

John Mosby

Somewhere in the mountains.

Combat Rifle – Basics to help keep you Alive

I have always been a little wary of the term ‘gun fighting.’ I trawled YouTube and the internet in general before my training course to get an idea of what people were up to and therefore what may be in people’s heads when they showed up to my courses. There is a lot of ‘tacticool’ and a lot of ‘Hollywood’ out there. In my opinion, there is altogether too much standing on square ranges, engaging targets from a standing position, as if they are not shooting back and as if they are not potentially in depth or cover and able to take you out as you stand there. Some of it seems very impressive but in my mind much of it is almost in the category of ‘circus trickery’ carbine mastery - showing off. Although there is a lot to be said to being awesome with your carbine, most of this lacks tactical application and if you don’t have all day every day to practice, you will be missing out on good solid basics and putting yourself at great risk.

Some of the instruction also appears to incorporate drills almost for their own sake that appear to have been invented as ‘something to do’ on what are otherwise very limited ranges.

I see a lot of this training as an equivalent to boxing training by just punching a heavy bag. It’s not punching back, and I can stand there and hit it all day, looking good. When it starts to hit back, you need to think about moving, duck and covering….

What you need to focus on are very good basics. I will attempt to explain some of this below:

Reaction to Contact: This can be covered by RTR, which stands for:

Return fire

Take Cover

Return Appropriate Fire.

What does this mean? It means that once you come under fire, or see the enemy, you immediately bring reactive fire onto the target in an attempt to kill, disable or at the very least distract the enemies aim at you (if you miss close!) You then take cover. You then adopt a fire position and bring accurate fire onto the enemy. This is the first part of your reaction to contact and will be followed up depending if you are alone, or with others, and whether you are in an offensive or break contact mode. So, basically, what you do next all follows from your initial reaction of RTR.

When you train with me, I will drill into you not only the initial ‘R’, but also the ‘Take Cover’. This can simply be in the form of reaction drills where the target comes up (front. right, left or rear), you go from a ready to a fire position and engage with a controlled pair. But MOST IMPORTANTLY you then go into cover, which can be simulated on the basic range with a step to the left or right and taking a kneeling fire position, following up with a steady aimed shot from the kneeling, or prone position, to simulate the final ‘R’.

It’s a 360 degree battlefield. In any situation you cannot afford, if you can avoid it, to be hit by a rifle round. That is penetrating trauma and particularly in a post-collapse situation your ability to either fight the resistance campaign, or protect your family/tribe, or both, will be severely curtailed or over. Done. So let’s get away from standing ‘gun fighting’, however fast you can run your gun.

However the thing to note about the RTR procedure is that the initial ‘R’, the initial return fire, is also optional. In a close quarter engagement you will need to react fast and get accurate fire onto the enemy. That works in a situation where you both see the enemy and they are close enough for you to get a quick accurate shot or two off into them before taking cover. It’s a judgment call. Many times, either in a wooded or longer range or even desert environment, you will come under contact and not initially locate where the fire is coming from. In such a situation returning initial fire from the standing position may get you killed. You could fire into likely cover, but that is best done from the last ‘R’ i.e. Return Appropriate Fire after having taken cover.

Therefore, if you come under contact from an unknown location and cannot effectively return initial fire, to try to do so will leave you standing there effectively frozen on the enemy’s ‘X’: Far better to skip the initial ‘R’ and just move straight to Take Cover. Once you have done that, either alone or with your tactical element, you can scan and attempt to locate the enemy before going into your follow on drill as appropriate.

The most effective reaction I have seen of this unseen enemy situation  is exemplified by a team coming under fire from a range of 100-200 meters where the enemy was not immediately obvious, the team immediately bomb-bursting and zigzagging into cover, followed by locating the enemy, communicating this, and bringing accurate rifle fire down upon them.

If we go back to the initial ‘R’ then we will see that the reaction is a balance of speed and accuracy as ranges increase. You will train and know yourself what distance you are effective out to. At close ranges you will be best to use the point shooting method, looking over the sights, and immediately engage the guy before he hits you. As ranges increase, you will be moving to your sights with quick reactive controlled pairs, until you find that you need to hesitate and acquire the target for just that faction of a second longer. You will know where your skills are at and you can work to improve that. There will be a point, where you either don’t see the enemy after the first contact, or they are at a longer range, where you will know you are best to simply get into cover before returning fire.

So, second in importance to being a good reactive shot is the overwhelming importance of TAKING COVER. Russian conscript troops train to assault by exiting their APCs and running towards the enemy positions firing their AKs on automatic from the hip. And that is supposed to happen after a massive bombardment designed to leave no one alive to assault. I have seen pretty much that level of skill on the internet videos out there, the difference being that the standard US Civilian is firing from the shoulder as he does the Hollywood line walking towards the targets.

When you move from individual reaction drills to fire and movement, you are using a combination of cover and accurate fire to maneuver, either towards or away from the enemy. You may be crawling, moving in ‘dead ground’ out of sight of the enemy or conducting short rushes covered by your buddies. However, whenever you are not moving, you are in a fire position in cover. If you are not firing or moving, you are in cover. I always train from the very basic level that if you have any stoppage on your weapon, from an empty magazine to an actual stoppage/malfunction, you are at least getting down onto one knee to simulate taking cover. If you are on a movement lane then you will actually take cover.

If you happen upon a chance contact, let’s say it’s out there in the woods, and you deal with the first guy or two with your well drilled carbine skills, you simply don’t know where the rest of them are. Don’t stay up on your feet going all Hollywood. Take Cover. If you are with a team, at least two of you, which I hope you are, then you will go into fire and movement either to assault forward and clear, or to break contact back out of there.

This leads me onto a related topic, that of ‘bounding overwatch’. I take issue with how bounding overwatch is mistermed and also with some of the ‘tacticool’ madness that I see creeping in. Ok, so here it is:

Fire and Movement: This is the principle where movement under enemy direct fire is achieved through the combined use of suppressive fire and cover. If there is no cover (think billiard table) then you rely solely on your suppressive fire to allow maneuver. The principle of fire and movement (or maneuver) can be summarized by the words “no movement without fire.” This applies at any element from a pair up to a battalion. It’s not the size of the elements that matters, it that fact that they are fire and maneuvering.

Bounding Overwatch: This is where you are not actually firing at the enemy. There is no enemy seen but you believe the threat to be high. You are placing elements in position to provide potential fire support. So think of it like ‘dry’ fire and movement. Again, it does not matter what size elements you have, from two buddies up to two platoons. Think about having to move over some open ground and you think there may be enemy in the area: you place an element down in cover on the hill to give potential fire support. You then move an element across the open ground, they take up fire positions, and the original cover element then moves up. If at any time it goes hot due to enemy contact, you are immediately going into fire and movement. In this sense, bounds taken in bounding overwatch can be further than the usual “I’m up, he sees me, I’m down” short bounds usually done during fire and movement.

Ok, so now we have established the difference between fire and movement and bounding overwatch, we can now see the utility of being able to switch between the two and also use bounding overwatch as a way to conduct a high threat move or clearance through or towards an objective. Watching some of the prepper shows, I saw some tactical madness with buddy pairs ‘moving tactically’ in an exaggerated half crouch back to back. Front guy walking forwards, rear guy back to back walking backwards, moving slowly in the open. NO.

This is where this kind of madness creeps in. Nobody is supervising this and it just spreads because people think it is the thing to do. Let’s go back to our solid basics. If you and a buddy had to move through an area where you had to clear, or move to an objective where there was a high threat of enemy contact, what would you do? Bounding overwatch right? Yep.

But what about covering the rear, I hear you say? Well, you are moving through and over the ground so you are covering that ground and the rear is the ground you just covered. You check rear anyway as you are moving, but you don’t walk backwards. This was learned from years of experience on patrol: it used to be done, for example on endless long patrols by the British Army, but you just don’t walk backwards anymore. You will trip and fall. Turn and look, then resume. There is nothing wrong with coming together in your pair for a halt, and placing one covering front/flank, the other rear/flank. That is a basic security formation for a halt.

So in summary, what has this article been about? It’s been about the need to build a good solid foundation of basic skills. I have said this before, and I chuckle to say it again, but that's all there really is: good solid basics, practiced until they become slick second nature drills. Don’t be misled by tacticool snake oil salesmen. Learn to run your gun in the standing, kneeling and prone positions, learn to use cover with your fire positions; learn the importance of taking cover.

One final thing: PT. PT is crucial. Fire and movement under enemy direct fire is an anaerobic activity – you will not be able to suck in enough oxygen to make it comfortable. However we are all training to survive here and you may be older or in not such good physical condition. This does not disbar you from these techniques. Yes, when conducting rushes during fire and movement the faster you can cover that ground the less likely you are to be hit. But there is an important distinction between speed and momentum.

Momentum is keeping up the pressure on the enemy by the use of accurate suppressive fire that is killing the enemy or making them keep their heads down in cover, allowing you to maneuver. If you can locate the enemy and generate such suppressive fire you will allow yourself to move. You may be able to move in a steadier fashion, talking account of your slower speed and utilizing adrenalin to spur you through it. On my ranges, if you are less physically capable, I will not exhort you to efforts beyond your capability. At the very least, this would compromise safety. You will do the techniques at a steadier pace, and take away the fact that you need to work harder on your PT.

Max Velocity

Live Hard, Die Free

When Injustice Becomes Law, Resistance Becomes Duty

Lee Daiber
Activist Post

The entire world is waiting – watching for your signal, your cue. They wait for the call of your voice, the announcement of your arrival. This sleeping giant grows restless with unease. The silence breeds madness in the desperation of so many set in the very ways that inspire their own hopelessness – too dependent on the system around them to make the first steps toward liberation; too afraid to leave the comforts of miserable domestication by the state. It’s your voice they wait for, your initiative to take heed of your responsibilities to the world around you should you have the courage to take a stand in the face of overwhelming odds. After all, this is your future we are talking about.

Many of you may be students – some preparing to begin college, others perhaps already in the midst of pursuing a “higher education”. Regardless, you have no doubt noticed the unacceptably, unjustified high cost of tuition – the price you pay for a promising and semi-successful future. Yet, that promise (or illusion of promise) has become increasingly less convincing in a world where a high percentage of college graduates not only fail to find a career in their field of study, but a growing percentage end up so financially strapped from student loan debt and lack of sustainable income that they find themselves moving back in with their parents after four or more years of college education. What is the sense in accumulating massive amounts of debt pursuing a degree that provides absolutely zero certainty of financial well-being? You do not need a college education to wait tables or prepare fast-food orders, and yet a growing percentage of college graduates find themselves doing just that.

This is the new age - same as the last. War, poverty, violence, corruption and injustice plague our world and continue to spread throughout.

The system – this system in which we live has become destructive and violent. The machine that drives it is composed of the planet’s most powerful financial, governmental, and corporate entities pursuing even more power and profit. We have used our most incredible technological discoveries and scientific breakthroughs for means of destruction and financial gain, meanwhile suppressing advancements to free society from controlled resources. Domestic surveillance programs are expanding at a rapid pace by governments around the world with the United States seemingly taking the lead. All forms of digital communication are subject to being monitored without warrant or reason through programs like Trapwire, Stellar Wind, ARGUS and more. Your privacy is now a thing of the past all in the name of state-sanctioned “security” from the very threats that the state propagates and encourages you to fear.

This imperial system is racist, violent and murderous. Profit outweighs fairness and ethical practices. The financial growth and expansion of multinational corporations and institutions rests upon the shoulders of the people of this planet – crushing our backs beneath the demands of the system. Our livelihoods are minimalistic in comparison to the top echelons of big-business and world banking – a struggle that has encompassed the globe. We spend our lives pursuing fiat-currency – paper that holds no value other than that which is dictated by the very system that preys upon the common person.

These entities have infiltrated governments around the globe and impose great influence on policies and decisions; their interests pushed ahead of the interests of the people and often cause further suffering and/or injustice. Your livelihood, your quality of life and in many circumstances, the longevity of your life is dependent on your financial well-being – binding you to commit your obedient consent to the system which denies you of your basic human needs without first paying the price. Any decent, sensible human-being can understand the problem this entails. Chances are, deep down you already know something just isn’t right in this world.

The fact that this is the harsh reality is not your fault. The events that have come to pass that have led to our current situation were beyond your control and set in motion before many of you were even conceived. However, if you continue to stand idly by and allow these occurrences to take place without standing for what is right and just, without standing for a better future, then the truth of the matter is you will be all there is to blame. Stop settling for “just the way things are” – it does not have to be this way. Only in our own apathetic dismissal and inaction do we restrict ourselves to such confines. Do not make the same mistakes as previous generations. Resist society’s push to conform you into a set path that is clearly failing. Stand up for what is right – strive for a better world where fairness, justice and equality are doctrine, and compassion, empathy and sustainability are paramount.
Think outside the box. Question everything. Begin thinking in revolutionary ways. Forget everything you have been told. Is the current modus operandi the best way? The only way? What can you do to impact the world around you? Take the lead – set the example. Become actively engaged in the world around you and begin educating yourself not only with current world events, but look to history for lessons. Discover ways to become less dependent on the system and promote a much more self-sufficient lifestyle. Utilize technology in ways that empower you, your community and the world. Vast resources and information are at your disposal and the only thing that has prevented you from utilizing these materials is society’s push to focus on distraction and entertainment. Find enjoyment in dissent. Take pride in your activism and encourage others to do the same. Stop the mindless pursuit of self and instead practice empathy and compassion. Do what you can to make life better for others and find reward in your actions. After all, is a life lived for yourself more gratifying than a life lived for others? Will you be remembered for selfish, material success or for selfless commitment?

Where do go from here?

When one begins to recognize the faults and fallacies of our modern world, it is quite easy to become overwhelmed. You want to make a difference; you desire a change, and yet the concept of changing the world becomes such a large task that many simply choose to give up on the idea altogether. It is easy to see how we ended up where we are today when you realize this. However, with the advancements in technology and the opportunities brought to the table via the Internet, many of the traditional barriers and obstacles encountered by previous generations of activists and concerned citizens are a thing of the past. With the capability to bring people together from all over the planet and present ideas to the masses, the Internet provides us with nearly infinite possibilities, resources, tools and potential if only we utilize it properly and efficiently. Coupled with the efforts of traditional activism, i.e., flyer hanging, pamphlet disbursement and good old-fashioned demonstrations, marches and protests, we the people are capable of making a substantial impact - perhaps more so than we even give ourselves credit.

The true power in this world belongs to the people. We are the gears in the machine, the cogs that keep this system in motion. Our hands built the roads, buildings and other infrastructure. Our daily lives finance the operation of the machine. Simply put, we are holding all the keys and the only obstacles in our paths are ourselves. Our own manipulated perspectives of reality are holding us back, preventing us from stepping through the doorway to a more peaceful, reasonable existence. Never doubt the power of an informed people, actively engaged and fearlessly standing against injustice. The power that the people hold with civil acts of defiance are simple, efficient and effective and in the face of injustice, it is the duty of the people to stand firmly in opposition. Where do we go from here? Ultimately, we are the answer to our own question. We must turn to one another, recognize our common fate, our shared and equal existence on this planet and our shared duty to establish a more stable, sustainable way of life in harmony with our surroundings and with respect for our planet. We the people will either become our salvation from destruction, or our own demise.

A simple solution needs only commitment, organization, a plan of action and consistent momentum. Certainly nothing is ever accomplished without first making a commitment to not only become involved, but to stay involved through the process. We do not have the luxury of dismissing our own individual responsibilities, lest we ourselves become a part of the problem. Organization is key to success in most circumstances and certainly helps activists become more effective in their efforts. Obviously, if a movement of any variety lacked organization it would merely become a chaotic and ineffective mess. Strategy, planning and organization will provide a sense of solidarity and a clear direction for action. Most importantly, without continued dedication and momentum, even the most organized and planned out movements are doomed to stagnancy. To prevent this from happening and to assist in the first steps to addressing the problems, I will break down a simple plan for us to begin our path to true effective change in three basic steps.

Step 1: NETWORK
This is the most crucial step in the process and the foundation of everything that follows. Many of you may remember “show and tell” from your days in elementary school. This step is essentially just that, although a more appropriate name might be share and learn. In this step not only should you continue to actively pursue knowledge of the events unfolding in our world and be aware of elements of corruption and injustice, but share that information with others and in turn, listen to the knowledge others can share with you. Begin networking with like-minded individuals near and far (with a focus on those in your region for effective group-building). Organize flyer posting campaigns and head out on the streets to hang informational flyers and hand out pamphlets that will directly influence your local networking ability. This is your hub - your community. Those who join the cause with you locally will only further benefit your efforts in your region and provide further assistance on a large scale. As time passes, you will be able to build a closely-knit, efficient and organized local chapter of the world wide effort for change. Your group will be able to contribute both to your community and surrounding communities and to the global movement as a whole. All that is required of you is some of your time, commitment and a dedicated effort.

• Post flyers in your area: Inform others of the cause for concern. Encourage their involvement.
• Social Sharing: Never underestimate the power of social networking. Share information often and everywhere. This will help you locally and the movement as a whole.
• Utilize informative resources: Provide yourself and others with up-to-date news/events.
• Establish a communication point: Create a group for your area and direct those who join your local efforts to your group for quick and easy organization. This will benefit greatly as efforts begin to expand beyond local borders.
• Network and build your local group: Meet others in your area, join efforts and team up.
• Learn self-sufficient alternatives: Discover ways to become less dependent on the system.
• Assist with local community needs: You and your group can effectively help by assisting with local problems. Help with shelters, food banks and more.Learn to effectively work together to achieve goals that you set together.

Simply put: research all that you can. Share what you know and be sure to listen to others as well. Broaden your horizons and open your mind to new possibilities, ideas and suggestions. Get active by posting flyers and handing out pamphlets as often as you can. Make it easy to build your team by including a link or qr code on your pamphlets or flyers to direct others to your group. Begin working with your group to organize efforts locally. Develop new relationships with others and learn to work as a team. Develop or utilize alternative methods/practices, such as urban/guerrilla gardening to reduce your dependency on the system. Most important, have fun! Be creative in your activism, find enjoyment in your actions, and take pride in knowing you are standing up for your rights!

Step 2: ORGANIZE
Once you have established your local team/group, begin reaching out to other groups to organize your efforts. Broaden your reach and your objectives. Begin working with groups around the world to formulate a (non-violent) course of action. As momentum grows not only should your local group continue to expand, but more groups will begin to launch and expand globally. As this occurs, we will begin to organize this growing community as a whole by implementing tools for an online polling system where we can each have our say and cast our vote on decisions pertaining to the direction of our movement, objectives to pursue, event planning and more.

Our efforts to expand our movement and our reach will continue with increasing momentum and effectiveness. Throughout this process we will host events, contests and more to encourage and reward achievements and efforts. Planning for the next phase of the process will begin as an open-forum discussion where input, ideas and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.

• Continue local group efforts: Strive to set a leading example of teamwork and leadership within your community. Inspire change through action.
• Establish joint efforts: Begin networking with other groups and collectively working together to develop new events, campaigns and ideas.
• Protect yourself with knowledge: Become familiar with your rights.
• Establish representation: Implement an online polling system allowing for voting.
• Plan for the future: Begin planning and organizing mass acts of civil non-compliance. Simple, effective, non-violent demonstrations of our unanimous disapproval and our refusal to continue to participate and allow this current destructive system of operation.

Step 3: MOBILIZE

The on-going efforts that result from our work and progress up to this point. Determined by vote and community planning, we take action as a global voice that is truly for the people and by the people. Whether it be mass boycotts or global protests, now is the time we stand together, united for a better world and a more promising, sustainable way of life - free of the violence, oppression and greed that exists within our world at present.

The ball is in our court

Where we go from here is entirely up to us. Now is a time that we need to take a step back and take a good look at the state of the world around us, the path we are taking. The big picture. We must ask ourselves some tough questions and search deep for the right answers. Can we continue down this same path much longer? Are we ready to stand together? Can we achieve far greater than this? Or are we doomed to our own destruction? We are free to decide our own destiny.

Albert Camus once said “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

No authority can neither give nor take your freedom. The truth is, you are already absolutely free. It merely comes down to a simple choice: Do you choose to live free, or submit to the unjust rule of a governing few?

** Lee Daiber is the creator and administrator of the Freedom Informant Network. He is an undergraduate student majoring in digital media production with a minor in journalism. Lee is a veteran of the US Navy and is dedicated to pursuing a better world free of the corruption, injustice and control that exists today.

40 Statistics About The Fall Of The U.S. Economy That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

Michael Snyder
Activist Post

If you know someone that actually believes that the U.S. economy is in good shape, just show them the statistics in this article. When you step back and look at the long-term trends, it is undeniable what is happening to us. We are in the midst of a horrifying economic decline that is the result of decades of very bad decisions.

30 years ago, the U.S. national debt was about one trillion dollars. Today, it is almost 17 trillion dollars. 40 years ago, the total amount of debt in the United States was about 2 trillion dollars.  Today, it is more than 56 trillion dollars. At the same time that we have been running up all of this debt, our economic infrastructure and our ability to produce wealth has been absolutely gutted.  Since 2001, the United States has lost more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities and millions of good jobs have been shipped overseas.

Our share of global GDP declined from 31.8 percent in 2001 to 21.6 percent in 2011.  The percentage of Americans that are self-employed is at a record low, and the percentage of Americans that are dependent on the government is at a record high.  The U.S. economy is a complete and total mess, and it is time that we faced the truth.

The following are 40 statistics about the fall of the U.S. economy that are almost too crazy to believe...

#1 Back in 1980, the U.S. national debt was less than one trillion dollars.  Today, it is rapidly approaching 17 trillion dollars...

#2 During Obama's first term, the federal government accumulated more debt than it did under the first 42 U.S presidents combined.

#3 The U.S. national debt is now more than 23 times larger than it was when Jimmy Carter became president.

#4 If you started paying off just the new debt that the U.S. has accumulated during the Obama administration at the rate of one dollar per second, it would take more than 184,000 years to pay it off.

#5 The federal government is stealing more than 100 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day.

#6 Back in 1970, the total amount of debt in the United States (government debt + business debt + consumer debt, etc.) was less than 2 trillion dollars.  Today it is over 56 trillion dollars...

#7 According to the World Bank, U.S. GDP accounted for 31.8 percent of all global economic activity in 2001.  That number dropped to 21.6 percent in 2011.

#8 The United States has fallen in the global economic competitiveness rankings compiled by the World Economic Forum for four years in a row.

#9 According to The Economist, the United States was the best place in the world to be born into back in 1988.  Today, the United States is only tied for 16th place.

#10 Incredibly, more than 56,000 manufacturing facilities in the United States have been permanently shut down since 2001.

#11 There are less Americans working in manufacturing today than there was in 1950 even though the population of the country has more than doubled since then.

#12 According to the New York Times, there are now approximately 70,000 abandoned buildings in Detroit.
#13 When NAFTA was pushed through Congress in 1993, the United States had a trade surplus with Mexico of 1.6 billion dollars.  By 2010, we had a trade deficit with Mexico of 61.6 billion dollars.

#14 Back in 1985, our trade deficit with China was approximately 6 million dollars (million with a little "m") for the entire year.  In 2012, our trade deficit with China was 315 billion dollars.  That was the largest trade deficit that one nation has had with another nation in the history of the world.

#15 Overall, the United States has run a trade deficit of more than 8 trillion dollars with the rest of the world since 1975.

#16 According to the Economic Policy Institute, the United States is losing half a million jobs to China every single year.

#17 Back in 1950, more than 80 percent of all men in the United States had jobs.  Today, less than 65 percent of all men in the United States have jobs.

#18 At this point, an astounding 53 percent of all American workers make less than $30,000 a year.

#19 Small business is rapidly dying in America.  At this point, only about 7 percent of all non-farm workers in the United States are self-employed.  That is an all-time record low.

#20 Back in 1983, the bottom 95 percent of all income earners in the United States had 62 cents of debt for every dollar that they earned.  By 2007, that figure had soared to $1.48.

#21 In the United States today, the wealthiest one percent of all Americans have a greater net worth than the bottom 90 percent combined.

#22 According to Forbes, the 400 wealthiest Americans have more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans combined.

#23 The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have as much wealth as the bottom one-third of all Americans combined.

#24 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 146 million Americans are either "poor" or "low income".

#25 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 49 percent of all Americans live in a home that receives direct monetary benefits from the federal government.  Back in 1983, less than a third of all Americans lived in a home that received direct monetary benefits from the federal government.

#26 Overall, the federal government runs nearly 80 different "means-tested welfare programs", and at this point more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one of them.

#27 Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid.  Today, one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid, and things are about to get a whole lot worse.  It is being projected that Obamacare will add 16 million more Americans to the Medicaid rolls.

#28 As I wrote recently, it is being projected that the number of Americans on Medicare will grow from 50.7 million in 2012 to 73.2 million in 2025.

#29 At this point, Medicare is facing unfunded liabilities of more than 38 trillion dollars over the next 75 years.  That comes to approximately $328,404 for every single household in the United States.

#30 Right now, there are approximately 56 million Americans collecting Social Security benefits.  By 2035, that number is projected to soar to an astounding 91 million.

#31 Overall, the Social Security system is facing a 134 trillion dollar shortfall over the next 75 years.

#32 Today, the number of Americans on Social Security Disability now exceeds the entire population of Greece, and the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the entire population of Spain.

#33 According to a report recently issued by the Pew Research Center, on average Americans over the age of 65 have 47 times as much wealth as Americans under the age of 35.

#34 U.S. families that have a head of household that is under the age of 30 have a poverty rate of 37 percent.

#35 As I mentioned recently, the homeownership rate in America is now at its lowest level in nearly 18 years.

#36 There are now 20.2 million Americans that spend more than half of their incomes on housing.  That represents a 46 percent increase from 2001.

#37 45 percent of all children are living in poverty in Miami, more than 50 percent of all children are living in poverty in Cleveland, and about 60 percent of all children are living in poverty in Detroit.

#38 Today, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless.  This is the first time that has ever happened in our history.

#39 When Barack Obama first entered the White House, about 32 million Americans were on food stamps.  Now, more than 47 million Americans are on food stamps.

#40 According to one calculation, the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the combined populations of "Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming."

This article first appeared at the Economic Collapse.  Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog.

MEPRO 21 Reflex Sight

This is a very good option for those looking for an optic for their SHTF, WROL, or TEOTWAWKI weapon system. It is a really high quality reflex sight, that requires NO BATTERIES!!!

Now that in of itself is a great thing in a SHTF scenario, but team that with a very high quality, durable combat sight, then you have the whole package.

Here is a link to the sight for a very reasonable price: http://astore.amazon.com/thetactpatr-20/detail/B004O6GFQE

Here is some information from their website:

The Need
Soldiers in the modern battlefield require weapon sights which facilitate quick and instinctive accurate shooting. The need for advanced optical sights is especially vital in close quarter combat where the use of both eyes is critical.

Users
• Military
• Law Enforcement
• Civilian Market - Hunting

Our Solution
The MEPRO 21 provides instant, all-light aiming capability, without batteries. Designed through close collaboration with Israeli Special Forces, the MEPRO M21 is battle proven, simple to use accurately and totally reliable.

MEPRO 21 offers a large 30mm diameter lens which allows rapid target acquisition with both eyes open. This was the first reflex sight in the world designed for close quarter combat, and it can be ordered with optional reticles – dot, triangle, open-x and bullseye.

Illumination of the aiming point is achieved by a fiber optic collector system during the day, and by a miniature self-powered tritium light source at night. Transition between the two systems is instantaneous and automatic to assure good contrast between the aiming dot and the target area.

The MEPRO 21 reflex sight offers users the ability to acquire targets accurately at any range, in any situation, with both eyes open.

The MEPRO 21  is also designed to work in tandem with a magnifying scope like the

MEPRO MX3 - mounted behind it for ultimate accuracy.

Advantages- Always ready for action – no batteries or switches.
- Aim & shoot faster than ever - with both eyes open!
- Self-illumination means always available
- Operates under all weather and temperature conditions
- Large 30mm diameter lens assures large FOV

- Rapid target acquisition means quicker shooting in urban areas

- Quicker shooting in urban areas and rapid target acquisition
- Can be ordered with optional reticles – dot, triangle, open-x and bullseye
- Effective use of sight under extreme conditions such as bad weather,
   firing after physical stress and firing under pressure

I have used this sight, and it works great, I love it and would reccomend it to anyone who needs a top of the line optic that will take the stress, and anything else you can throw at it and keep on going. It is the ultimate for a SHTF sight due to not needing any batteries. It is my opinion that you can not go wrong with this sight.

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Click here for all your prepping/tactical needs: The Tactical Patriot Store

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Herbs and their medicinal uses

 This post is long, but well worth the read. It is a little off of the norm for this blog, but I feel that in an extended SHTF/WROL/TEOTWAWKI scenario, there will not be many forms of traditional medicines. We will have to resort to herbalism to remedy ourselves. Normally I would have said this is some hippie tree hugger stuff, but it is for real, and will be our only way we have of healing ourselves and our loved ones. I feel this information is worth the read. I did not write this myself, and I have given my reference at the bottom of the article, I just felt that I owed it to my readers to post this up and maybe open their eyes to this concept.

Enjoy...


USING MEDICINAL HERBS 
 
Using medicinal herbs should be educational, fun and why not magic. You can treat some of your minor conditions as well as your families, but remember safety comes first.
All you need is a teapot, and a couple of pots or sauce pans, herbal tinctures can be purchased in a herbal store or you can make some with vodka.

Herbal medicine was born at home out of necessity, to treat conditions many thousands of years ago and is as old as humans. It is the medicine of the people, for the people, by the people, available to all anywhere and has evolved from an empirical art into a scientific art. As a trained medical herbalist I use traditional family knowledge, historical information as well as modern scientific information to work with my clients.

Even though most the herbs are safe most of the time, there are some with potential toxicity and it is advisable to consult with a trained medical/clinical herbalist when in doubt, remember that self diagnosis and self medication with herbs is not recommended. If you have a condition that you would normally treat with over the counter medication and would not go to the doctor with, probably can be treated at home with herbs. Any conditions that are aggravated or persistent required professional help.

INTERACTIONS - remember that there are certain risks associated with the combination of herbal remedies and prescription drugs, normally anybody taking a prescription drugs should consult a qualified herbalist before taking herbal remedies, and please never stop taking prescribed drugs without discussing the particulars with the prescribing physician.
 
The following are some of the conditions that can be treated safely at home.
Indigestion, constipation, colds and flu, mouth ulcers sore throats, lack of energy, yeast infections, bladder infections, scratches, minor skin infections, boils and pimples, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue, stress, menstrual cramps, aching muscles, stiff joints, tension headaches. 
 
Some conditions which required professional assistance are:
 
Severe pain in the abdomen and chest
Severe pain in the limbs
Severe headaches
Blood in urine or stool
Coughing of blood 
Fainting
Shortness of breath without cause
Injuries caused by accidents
Persistent diarrhea
Persistent weakness
Persistent coughs
Eye injuries

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT  HERBS
Some type of selection criteria is a must to choose the right herb for the specific herbal remedy required. There are over half a million plants that can be used in  healing remedies, medical herbalist usually use about 350 different herbs in their practice. Some set of guidelines has to be used  to whittle down from half a million herbs to a more realistic number, but how?
 
HERBAL CLASSIFICATIONS
 
Medicinal herbs can be classified in different ways according to needs. They can be listed by:
Alphabetical order - Marigold, Chamomile, Echinacea, etc.
Botanical family (Taxonomic) - Compositae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae, Laminaceae, etc.
Constituents (Biochemical)- alkaloids, tannins, coumarins, iridoids etc.
Plant parts (Morphological) - whole plant, seeds, root, flowers etc.
Therapeutic effects - tonics, astringents, diaphoretics, diuretics etc.
Geographical - American, Asian, European, etc.

When choosing your herbs for medicinal purposes, the constituents and therapeutic effects are the most important. 

ACTION BASED - it is the easiest way for anyone to begin using herbs. All the herbs have biochemical action/s and specific effects in the body. Knowing these actions and the specific pathology will help you decide which actions are required and then which herbs will deliver these actions.
 
Some of the most used actions are:

Alteratives
 
Herbs that will slowly restore the proper function of the body increasing health and vitality. This may sound  unclear, but their value is certain. They act by altering the metabolic body's processes so tissues can be dealt with a range of  processes from nutrition to elimination. E.g.. Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia), Blood root (Sanguinaria canadensis), Golden seal (hydrastis canadensis).
 
Anti-microbials 

Anti-microbial herbs can help the body to destroy or resist pathogenic micro-organisms, topically as in skin infections and internally for systemic infections. E.g. Garlic (Allium sativum), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Sage (Salvia officinalis).
 
Anti-inflammatory

Herbs/constituents that aid the body to fight inflammation in different areas. E.g. Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), Turmeric (Curcuma longa) White willow (Salix alba), Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa), Marigold (Calendula officinalis).

Astringents

Remedies that contain constituents that have a binding action on mucous membranes, skin and other exposed tissue. They contract blood vessels and some body tissues (mucous membranes) with the effect of reducing secretion and excretions. Astringents are sometimes used to stop external or internal bleeding. E.g. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Couchgrass (Agropyron repens), Tormentil (Potentilla tormentilla), Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Bitters
 
Very important to the digestive system, these are remedies that have a bitter taste which triggers a sensory response in the mouth that is directed by the nerves to the central nervous system. From there a message goes to the stomach increasing the digestive hormone gastrin, leading to a great range of ramifications of value to the digestive process and general body health. E.g. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), Gentian (Gentiana lutea), Centaury (Erythraea centaurium).

Anti-Spasmodic

Anti-spasmodics help by preventing or easing spasms or cramps in the muscles, they also reduce tension in the body, and many of them are also nervines, sometimes they will also ease psychological tension. E.g. Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata), Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), Cramp bark (Viburnum opulus), Lobelia (Lobelia inflata), Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)

Carminatives

Carminatives are herbal remedies that have a high content of volatile oils, they are used to stimulate the digestive system to work properly. They are very effective to expel gas and easing griping pains from the stomach and the intestines, they also tone the mucous surfaces and increase peristaltic action (esophagus, stomach and intestine movement, which propels its contents onward). 
They are also used with other herbs to make formulations more palatable, carminatives are also known as aromatics. E.g. Aniseed  (Pimpinella anisum), Caraway  (Carum carvi), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Fennel  (Foeniculum vulgare), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Peppermint (Mentha piperita).

Demulcents

Demulcent are herbs rich in mucilage which can soothe and protect irritated or inflamed internal tissues (mucous surfaces). If they are used on the skin, demulcents are called emollients, which have a protective and soothing action upon the surface of the body. E.g. Corn Silk (Zea mays), Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis), Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva), Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Diuretics

Diuretics are herbs that increase the flow of urine from the kidneys, excreting excess fluid from the body, they will not cause potassium depletion or stress the kidneys. As these are herbs which offer some beneficial action in the urinary system, they can also include urinary demulcents and anti-inflammatory herbs. E.g.  Dandelion leaf (Taraxacum off. folia), Celery (Apium graveolens), Corn silk (Zea mays), Couchgrass (Agropyron repens), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

Expectorants

Expectorants are herbs that aid the body to remove excess mucous from the lungs by stimulating the cleansing activities of the lungs. E.g. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Elecampane (Inula helenium), Marshmallow (Althea officinalis), Pleurisy Root  (Asclepias tuberosa), Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina).

Nervines

Nervines are plant remedies that have a beneficial effect/s in the nervous system, some of the different types of nervines are: tonics, relaxing, stimulating, antispasmodics, antidepressant, analgesic.
 
Nervine tonics - Oats (Avena sativa), St. Johns Wort (hypericum perforatum), Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora).

Nervine relaxants - Vervain (Verbene officinalis), Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia).

Antispasmodics - Valerian (valeriana officinalis), Viburnum (Viburnum opulus).

Anti-depressants - Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis), Oats (Avena sativa), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Analgesics - Jamaican Dogwood (Piscidia erythrina), Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa), Wild Yam  (Dioscorea villosa).

Energy enhancers

Energy enhancers are herbs that strengthen, and tonic herbs which support the adrenal glands, thyroid and nervous tissue. E.g.. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), Kelp (Fucus vesiculosis), Ginseng (Panax ginseng).

Circulatory stimulants

Herbal remedies which dilate the blood vessels, strengthen the heart and enhance circulation. They can direct the action to a specific area of the body, limbs or central organs, these herbs could be warming in nature.  E.g. Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum spp.), Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis), Cayenne (Capsicum minimum).

Uterine tonic 

Herbs that strengthen and tonify the uterine muscle and lining, some will improve the circulation to these organs, useful to restore normal menses. E.g.. Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium), Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Ladies Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) 

BUILDING YOUR FORMULA
Building formulas is educational and fun. Normally we use more than one herb, as the synergy of the herbs will be stronger acting for the condition, at the same time don't use too many herbs in a formula as it is more effective to give more quantity of a few herbs than very small amounts of many herbs.

In most cases you will find that between 4 or 6 herbs will accomplish the objective, and will give you the herbal actions required for most cases.

The first step would be to find the herbal actions required for the condition, remember don't treat the symptoms, try to find the causes of the problem. If you want to treat the symptoms they can be treated parallel to the cause ( with a second formula), specially if you need to take care of some relief, while the main formula works.

Once you have identified the actions required, make a list of the herbs that you know have these actions, if you see herbs that appear in more than one category those will be ones to use. There will be other herbs that are more specific to the condition or body area required, these specific herbs are also good candidates to be used in the formula.

Traditionally a herbal formulation should contain:

• 2 to 3 parts of specific herbs particular for the condition 
• 1 part of herbs which are relaxing/soothing for the affected area or to the nerves in general 
• 1 part of herbs which are tonic & strengthening to the affected area or system. 
• 1 part of herbs which will aid the eliminative/alternative/depurative areas concerned.

Proportions in the formulation can be adjusted to provide more potency to some herbs, you can also enhance actions by the herbal synergy's of the formulation, usually the herbs have several actions that will help clear the condition and to give more versatility while making formulation.
All you need is some practice and interest and you will see how the formulations can be made without too much problem. Remember you can have fun while doing it.

EXAMPLE OF FORMULA BUILDING
 
Your brother will be  going through final exams soon at the university, he has anxiety, is tired, and is lacking concentration, he also has stomach acidity from the tension, and needs help to be at his best for the approaching exams. 
 

You could use the following actions: Energy enhancers - Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)  Nervine relaxants - Vervain (Verbene officinalis)  Nervine tonics - Oats (Avena sativa)  Circulatory stimulants - Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis)  Demulcents - Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Formula Amounts 20% 25% 20% 15% 20%

DOSAGESThere are important factors to take in consideration when trying to establish the dosage for a herbal medicine. 
 

• The first factor is: Type of herbs used in formula , potency, toxic levels if any?
• Type of condition, is acute?, severe?, normally the worse or acute the condition the more medicine you will give.
• Body size, weight, height, we will not give the same dosage to a football player weighing 250 pounds, as we would give to a frail older person.
• Absorption, distribution, elimination, are very important, an older person will required less dosage than a 30 year old, as age slows the absorption, distribution and elimination. Also the digestive condition will affect the dosage, constipation and sluggishness will require lower dosages as herbs will remain longer in the system just like with older people.
• Diarrhea will require larger dosages as herbs will not remain long in the system therefore absorption may be limited. HI metabolic rates and fevers may require also higher dosages. 

Usually the best time to take herbal medicines is half hour before meals, to maximize absorption. Remember that dosages may vary from herb to herb.

TEAS: usually 3 cups a day of tea will be a normal dosage. For preparation use 1 teaspoon of total  herb/s per each cup of tea to be prepared. Try to prepare the tea daily, rather than a big batch to last for several days, as teas tend to get mouldy very quick.

TINCTURES: the strength of the tincture is important here, normal therapeutic strength for medicinal herbs is 1:3 to 1:5, if so use i tsp. (5 ml) three times a day.

CREAMS/SALVES/INFUSED OILS: these can be applied often during the day, unless the area to be applied is painful.

CHILDREN DOSAGES:
 
Babies 1 to 5 years old, 1 to 5 teaspoons for a tea.
Children 5 to 12 years old, one quarter to half adult dose, after 12 year old they usually get adult dosages.

The above dosages are suggestions for normal conditions, please read the instructions of the herbal medicines to be given to children and provide the dosages recommended, when in doubt consult a qualified Medical/clinical herbalist. Also consult the children section in this site for more detailed information about herbal tincture dosages for children.
 
 



HERB'S QUALITY
In order to have an effective herbal medicine, the quality of the product is of the upmost importance, whether dried, tincture, salve, cream, or infused oil, if the herbs are not of excellent quality the medicine is not going to be as effective as expected.

The herbs should be organic if possible, sometimes it is very hard to find all the herbs required organic, so do your best to find them. If not available, non-organic herbs have to have the proper characteristics of the herb, such as:

The color of the dried herb should be the same as when the herb was fresh, brown herbs may denote improper drying process and may be oxidized. The smell of the herb should have the same characteristics of the smell of the fresh herb. Herbs should look clean and free of debris. If processed (powder, cut) the herb should look clean and properly processed.

Buy your herbs from reputable stores that have a quick inventory rotation to make sure that the herbs have not being sitting in the store forever, when in doubt question the store staff as to origin and quality of the herbs to be purchased. Prepacked herbs may have been in a bag too long, buy  bulk herbs when possible.

The same goes for other medicinal products like tinctures, salves, creams, and oils, buy from reputable companies, check for the expiry dates before purchasing, if in doubt ask questions about quality and products ingredients.

Tinctures should always be marked on the label for strength (ratios of herb to alcohol) as well as alcohol content, which is the alcohol % that is the best to extract the active constituents of the herb, so it should look something like this on the label (example):

Marigold
(Calendula officinalis)
1:5 (strength)   90% (alcohol)In tinctures the strength is very important as it will determine the effectiveness of the product for medicinal use as well as the dosage, therefore always follow the label instruction for dosages or the advice of your medical/clinical herbalist.

HERBAL REMEDY'S STORAGE
DRIED HERBS
 
All dried herbs are sensitive to heat, light, oxygen and water. Herbs have to be stored in airtight glass containers to retain their freshness, to stop humidity (molding), and to stop the dissipation of the herb's constituents into the air.

Amber glass jars are excellent to store herbs, if you can not find any, store your herbs in any glass jar, paper bags or plastic bags that are not airtight as plastic fumes will contaminate your herbs. As soon as you place your herbs in a glass container put a sticker with the name of the herb and the date.
I don't like my herbs to touch metal during storage or while making a tea, as they may react with the metals and oxidize, thus I don't recommend tin cans to store them. Regardless of the way that you store your herbs, they will slowly lose their potency and ultimately become worthless, don't use any herbs that are more than 8 months to a year old.

TINCTURES
 
Normally tinctures are purchased in dark glass bottles, so store them away from the sun light in a dark cool place, as they contain alcohol they do not need refrigeration, if your tincture is not made with alcohol, follow the recommendation on the label.
Alcohol tinctures last 4 to 5 years if stored correctly, but refer to the expiry date on the label to be sure.

SALVES, CREAMS AND INFUSED OILS
 
These types of herbal remedies are more prompt to loose their properties or become rancid or spoiled, be sure to refer to the labels expiry date, if there is no expiry date use your sense of smell and look at the product to see if there is any separation of the ingredients.
If unsure do not use it and buy a new one, the following is a basic time table for normal expiration time of well made products. Remember ultimately, the ingredients, quality and the manufacturing process of the product determines the shelf life.

SALVES - 2 years
CREAMS - 2 years
INFUSED OILS - 1 year

HERBAL REMEDIES USAGE
 There are many ways to use herbal remedies and they vary in strength and ease of use, also the condition to be treated and  the purpose of the herbal medicine may dictate which type  of  remedy should be used.

There are internal and external herbal remedies, the strongest and fastest way to get herbal remedies into your systems is by using tinctures, teas are generally not as strong as tinctures but occasionally are necessary as we shall see.

INTERNAL REMEDIES
There are many ways of making internal remedies, but as with all of them, it is very important how you make them so you can end up with a high quality herbal medicine.
Types of internal medicines:
1. Tincture preparations
2. Water-based preparations
3. Syrups, lozenges, elixirs and other liquid formulations
4. Fresh or dried herbs

TINCTURES
 
Medical/Clinical herbalists use this type of medicine more often, as it is stronger than water extractions, easier to take, and they have a long shelf life, if store correctly they can last up to 4 years. 

They are made by macerating (soaking) a dried or fresh herb in a mix of water and alcohol for 2 weeks, it is shaken daily for those 2 weeks and then is strained and placed in a dark bottle. Normally tinctures are made with alcohol but occasionally glycerin or vinegar  can be used.
Tinctures are made according to descriptions in a Pharmacopoeia, different plants have different requirements for the alcohol strength required to extract the active constituents of the plant, most of the herbs use 25% (e.g. Dandelion), some need 45% (e.g. Echinacea), 60% (e.g. Boldo) or up to 90% (e.g. Myrrh, Marigold).

In Canada, due to taxation, alcohol is very expensive so Vodka can be use to make tinctures, vodka’s alcohol content is 45% so most of the tinctures can use it.
Tinctures may also be made with vinegar as the acetic acid in the vinegar will act as a preservative and solvent similar to alcohol.

Glycerin based tinctures have several advantages,  are child friendly, can be taken by people that can not take alcohol, and are easy on the digestive tract. There are a few disadvantages: resins or oily materials don’t dissolve as good as in alcohol, and the strength of the tincture is not as good as in alcohol based one. 

 The standard strength of a tincture is 1:5, (one part of died herb to 5 parts of the water alcohol mix), other tinctures are made at a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3, or a weaker 1:10. I prefer a tincture that is, 1:3 or 1:4 as this is the best therapeutic strength for most herbal medicines (except for restricted herbs).
A herbal prescription is usually made with 4 to 6 herbs,  which synergistic-ally work better than a single tincture. A normal dosage of a herbal formulation is 5 ml taken 3 times a day (depending on the herbs used).

WATER BASED PREPARATIONS
INFUSIONS 
 
If you know how to make tea you can make an infusion, it is the easiest way to prepare a herbal medicine at home. You use this method to prepare leaves, flowers and any soft part of a plant 
Place 1 teaspoon of the dried herb or 3 three teaspoons of the fresh herb in a cup, and pour over 1 cup of freshly boiled water. Steep it 10 min. then strain off and drink. Lemon and honey may be added but don't use milk. 

Take 3 cups of the tea a day, the cooled infusion can also be used as a skin wash, for skin infections or inflammations, or as a mouth wash and gargle for sore throats, mouth ulcers and oral infections. 
If  you are combining 2 or more herbs to make your infusion you would generally use equal parts of each herb to give a total of 1 teaspoon to 1 cup of water, unless otherwise indicated. 

DECOCTIONS
 
When the herbs to be used are hard such as, roots, seeds, barks, stems and particularly thick or tough leaves, it is better to make a decoction as the cell walls are very strong and they required a stronger method to extract the active constituents.

The proportions are the same as for the infusion (1 teaspoon to 1 cup) but the herb is placed in a glass, enamel or stainless steel pan, covered with the cold water and brought to a boil. Keeping the pan tightly covered allow it to simmer for 5 to 15 min then strain off and drink. 

You can use a decoction and infusions in the same way, and dosages are usually the same. If you are making a mixture of soft and hard herbs, make a decoction of the hard herbs first, then use the decoction to pour over the soft part to make an infusion.

USAGES OF INFUSIONS/DECOCTIONS 
 
As a tea taken internally. 
As a skin wash for inflammations, infections or blisters. 
As a douche or enema. 
As a hair rinse for scalp conditions. 
As a mouth wash or gargle for sore throats or mouth infections. 
As a hand or foot bath. 

JUICES
 
This is one of the most effective ways to take herbs internally, as you are getting absolutely all the goodness from the plant. Juices are made from fresh plants, and a good juicer is essential (and they are not cheap): I recommend the Champion. The main drawback with juices is that they start oxidizing as soon as you make them and lose their potency. They can be preserved in the fridge for a few hours but the best way to preserve them for longer periods is to combine the juice with an equal part of glycerin (available from the health food store). This will give them a shelf life of around 6 months. 

Dosages of juice required will vary according to the herbs used, a general guideline is one 5 ml. teaspoon 2 - 3 times a day for the juice and glycerin mixture, or proportionately less for children.

CAPSULES 
 
If you don’t like to be bother with making teas, or if the tea taste is not very good, you can make capsules. They are very easy to make by grinding the herbs to a fine powder (a mortar or a coffee grinder works well). This guarantees that the cell walls are largely broken down, and helps in the digestion and absorption of the herb, then use the powder to fill empty vegetable or gelatin capsules. 
The size of capsules should be “00”, holds about 0.5 grams, they are available in health food stores, normally you can take 2 to 3 of these capsules a day.

Capsules should not be used for children, nor where the action of the herbs is to promote and enhance digestion, many of the digestive herbs are bitters and work by reflex responses to their bitter taste. 
How to make a capsule:

 Place the powdered herbs in a small flat dish and take the halves of the capsule apart.
 Move the halves of the capsules through the powder, filling them in the process.
 Push the halves together and close them.

EXTERNAL REMEDIES
The skin is the largest organ of the body, and one of the great abilities of this organ is absorption, several methods of herbal medicine have been developed to take advantage of this fact.
There are creams, salves, baths, liniments, oils, compress and poultices. These remedies are very effective and versatile to treat innumerable conditions, as a sole remedy or combination of internal and external therapy.

CREAMS
 
You have to start with a good cream base, preferably unscented and able to accept the herbs in liquid form without loosing its consistency, then you can add up to 10 or 15% (total amount) of tincture, essential oils or infused oils desired, a little at a time while stirring the mix well and then store in jars.

SALVES /OINTMENTS
 
Semisolid preparations, which can be applied to the skin. There are many ways of making salves depending  on the final use intended, they may vary in texture, from very thick and greasy to softer more cream like texture.

Any herb can be used for making ointments, the following are only some examples of great value for external use.

Marigold (Calendula  officinalis)
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) 
Arnica (Arnica montana) 
Plantain (Plantago major)
Chickweed (Stellaria media) 
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) 
Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) 

The easiest way to make a salve is by using Vaseline or a similar petroleum jelly as a base. This easy method has a disadvantage of being an inorganic base, but the advantage is that it is very easy to handle and available anytime, so it can be made very quickly.

The simple method to make a salve with Vaseline is to simmer 2 tablespoons of the desired herb/s in 200 grams of Vaseline for about 15 minutes stirring well, sift  it through a cheese cloth or fine gauze, pour the liquid into a jar and seal it after it has cooled. 

To make a more professional salve, use 500 ml of an herb/s infused oil, place in a stainless steel pan and gently warm the infused oil, add aprox. 60 g. of bees wax (grated), once it is melted place in jars, if you have time this is the preferred method to make a salve properly.

BATHS
 
Any herb that can be used internally can also be used in a bath. Herbal baths are very effective for babies as well as adults. Baths are very relaxing, healing and soothing, you can prepare an infusion and poured it into the bath water, or you can place the herbs in cheese cloth and place it in the hot water, usually 30 grams (total) of herb/s is enough. You can also use Essential oils in your baths.

Bath suggestions
 
To aid your sleep - Hops (Humulus lupulus), Linden flowers (Tilia europea), Lavender (Lavandula off.), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis).
General tonic - Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). 
Hyperactive children - Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) , Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Rheumatic joints - Mustard, (Brassica nigra) (2 teaspoons)

For a relaxing and exquisitely scented bath, infusions can be made of:
Linden (Tilia europea), Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Rosemary  (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Other ideas are :
Relaxing bath – Lavender (Lavandula off.), German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Linden (Tilia europea) 
Children relaxing bath -  Roman Chamomile (Matricaria recutita),  Linden (Tilia europea), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

INFUSED OILS
 
Infused oils can be used directly on the skin, as a massage blend, or to make salves or creams, they are very versatile and easy to make.

Use a clean dry glass jar, pack the herbs to be used loosely inside of the jar, if using fresh herbs make sure that they have being picked when there is no dew or rain on them, they have to be dry.  Fill the jar to the brim with a carrier oil such as almond oil or olive oil, tightly close the jar, and leave it to stand on a window sill (facing the daily sun) for about 2 weeks, shake it and turn it daily.

At the end of this period strain the oil and store it in a tightly closed bottle/jar and placed it in a cool dry place (don't forget to put on a sticker with the herb/s name and the date).

Use these oils to treat skin afflictions, by using different herbs you can make oils useful to treat conditions such as shingles, arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, scars, etc.

POULTICE FOMENTATIONS AND COMPRESSES
 
Very useful when you have to apply herbs directly onto the skin, to treat a skin condition, to soften tissue, to alleviate pain or inflammation. Specially effective in treating joint problems such as arthritis, as they will increase the blood supply to the joints which sometimes can not be reached by internal medicines. 

They can be made from a piece of cloth, compresses can be applied hot or cold, poultices are always applied hot. 

Compresses are made using an infusion or decoction of the herb/s, in which you soak a piece of flannel or towel,  you can bandage it around the area to be treated, normally a compress is refreshed every 15/20 minutes, the application can last from 1 to 4 hours. Herbs commonly used for compresses are : Chickweed, Comfrey, Marigold, Mullein, Plantain, Slippery Elm, Chamomile.
Poultices are made by packing fresh or died herbs in a muslin bag or folded flannel soaked in boiling water, then bandage it in place (make sure that it is hot but not burning), as poultices have to remain in place for 1 to 4 hours, keep it warm by using a water bottle or heating pad. Herbs commonly used for poultices are: 

Comfrey (fractures ulcers), Chamomile and Hops (muscle pains and neuralgias).

Article from: http://www.infoherb.com/Using_herbs.html

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HK91 and PTR91 review

Personal - My personal first choice for caliber, inexpensive magazines and reliability, UGLY but funky-retro space-gun cool. Made for large individuals with large hands with heavy winter clothing on (short butt stock). My favorite trick with the HK91 here at the heretic abode is to add a bit of braided para cord to the charging handle, it makes a quick grab even with thick winter gloves.


Function - Reliable function second only to the AK, so reliable that it is often referred to as the "Kraut Kalashnokov" or the "AK of the West". I have personally fired my HK91's in sub-zero temps, and also sopping wet with slime in 100 plus temps with the only malfunctions based on ammo. Weak charges will stove pipe, and bullets over 190 grains can cause excessive recoil and shake the next bullet out of the magazine in front of the bolt causing a double fed or have a cartridge folded in half by the bolt face as it turns sideways.

Design flaws - No bolt hold open, poor ergonomics for small hands and arms, poor heavy trigger (without modification), fluted chamber engraves brass this does not make it un-reloadable contrary to stories you hear on the internet. The PTR91 “GI/Special edition” will have the odd brass chewer that dents the side of the case - an ejection port buffer fixes this and changes the direction of ejection to forward 2-3 O’clock.

Rifle has extremely violent fired case ejection - woe to anyone on the right of the shooter to catch one on the noggin! (I have a scar on my forehead from a friend who moved while shooting from a bench).

Felt recoil is higher with this delayed blow-back system.

Press-formed sheet steel construction is heavier than some other metals (and stronger) and because it is formed into shapes a large enough blow or crushing force to the steel can cause deformation that can lead to malfunctions, most knocks can be “ironed out” some with common tools and severe dents with special internal forms. With decades of military service including Africa, the design holds its own in even the worst of conditions and care, including possible dents.

There is some debate that states it is possible that the G3/HK91 was specifically designed to work with brass cased cartridges, and that firing steel cased ammunition can damage rifle parts and excessively wear the throat of the barrel. It is possible that if the steel case shows signs of excessive amounts of hot gas jetting past the flutes in the chamber and into the case shoulder this could erode the metal in that area. There was some indication that the German engineers actually designed the G3 rifle to handle not only full power cartridges but also cheep steel cased ammo with a very wide range of acceptable powder burn rates in the 4895 category.

Quality - While the construction of the frame is of relatively inexpensive precisely formed steel, contrary to internet ignorance "stamped steel" does not equate to low quality but rather inexpensive production, most car frames are made of formed steel, even the "muscle cars" of US production were of formed steel. Both the HK and PTR clone's internal parts are very high quality construction, interchangeable and examples of first world production. The last of the PTR rifles to arrive in the collection had a Rheinmetall AG bolt carrier!

Caliber/Ammunition - .308 an accurate and effective cartridge, one of my favorites, easy to reload, but is a large full power cartridge and some consider it excessive in recoil (this recoil is heightened in the HK system). .308/7.62 is one of the most popular cartridges for rifles in the US and high quality commercial and surplus ammunition is widely available. While on a related subject the HK91/G3 uses one of the best designed and reliable .308 box magazines ever produced, currently there are several high quality choices the older steel (heavy but very tough), aluminum, and then the polymer magazines (the only magazine from this company I would recommend and the Thermold magazines count for US compliance parts).

Use - Accuracy out of the box will be good to excellent (suffering somewhat from the heavy "drop proof" pull of the original trigger), the trigger can be adjusted or worked by companies like Williams Trigger Specialties (an excellent "set trigger" I use is available) and Bill Springfield. There are services available where the action can be stiffened and attachments such as the SuperTune to dial in loadings. The HK91 uses the least expensive detachable magazine available in the US market, there are steel, polymer, and aluminum magazines readily available. I am on my original locking rollers and have cooked off thousands of rounds (over 7k) on my current original HK made rifle. A must addition to this rifle on top of the para-cord handle is the Tac-Latch to replace the removed magazine release from the back of the magazine well (the Tac-Latch returns the rifle to the easy either-hand/two hand operated magazine release).

Current production - PTR is considered the highest quality clone in current production, repair parts are widely available, but HK stopped official production years ago forcing the existing HK produced rifles in circulation into the "collectable" market.

I consider this rifle a first and primary choice for a current MBR, high price is a possible concern with the true HK build collectable rifles, but when considering the inexpensive magazines, the total price can be lower than expected (I consider 8 a minimum of magazines per rifle). Because the Special Edition “GI” PTR91 clone is the least expensive .308 except the .308 AK from Saiga and the used magazines are so inexpensive it is difficult to find a better deal.

By Mountain Prepper