by Jon E. Lewis
The easiest larder to make is an underground cache. Try to find a dry sheltered piece of ground – for example, under an overhanging bush or log. Dig a hole about two feet deep, and line the pit with bark slabs. Birch or cherry bark is ideal for this. Further line the pit with dried and, if possible, smoked grass. Place your food packages into the pit, followed by more grass. Then add some dried aromatic herb (such as marjoram) to disguise any scent from the food. Finally, seal the pit with bark and the soil you originally removed.
Take care to note exactly where you have buried the food, or mark the location so that you can find it again even after a heavy snowfall.
Scavenged food
No animal will stop itself stealing your food out of a sense of fair play. In the same way, don’t miss any opportunity to steal from a wild animal. You can turn even the rotting remains of a predator’s meal into a life-saving stew if you are hungry enough. Skin and gut the remains in the normal way, and then thoroughly boil the rancid meat for as long as possible. To eat the stew you will need to hold your nose, but it will keep you alive.
This emergency stew cannot be reheated. Discard what you don’t eat. If you reheat it, a dangerous botulism results.
MEDICINAL PLANTS
On the run from enemy forces behind the lines or stranded in the middle of nowhere with no resources apart from your personal skills, you have little access to modern medicine. You must learn how to use whatever is available.
The first lesson of survival medicine is not to get sick or injured to start with. This is not as silly as it sounds. Soldiers have the advantage of being young and fit, inoculated against some diseases and trained in hygiene, but over-confidence can undo all this. A Para once got his jaw broken after prodding a 600-lb black bear with a stick, and another squaddie on exercise in the UK was bitten by an adder that was sunning itself on a rock. He thought he was quick enough to catch it behind the head with his finger and thumb: when he woke up in hospital four days later, he knew he wasn’t!
Treat all animals with respect, particularly large, nasty ones and small venomous beasts. Generally speaking, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. All animal bites are dangerous. They easily go septic, especially bites from carnivorous animals whose fangs cause deep, narrow wounds that soon close, leaving bacteria behind.
Sensible precautions
As a lone survivor you have to take good care of your feet. Keep your shoes on and improvise some footwear if you haven’t got any. Your feet might be hardened against stones you tread on, but they won’t protect you against snakes.
Don’t paddle about in water with bare feet. Poisonous fish such as the lion fish lie motionless in the sand, with venomous spines waiting to be trodden on.
If you have to go barefoot through the shallows, shuffle along rather than taking proper steps, and prod the ground in front of you with a stick to clear anything nasty out of the way. This is not a problem confined to the tropics: on a recreational outing in Yorkshire, UK, someone stood on a weaver fish and within an hour was unable to walk. Imagine that in a survival situation.
Never wade, swim, or even walk through fresh water in the tropics. In much of Africa, South-East Asia and South America, the bilharzia worm is endemic. It burrows through your skin to lodge in your bladder, bowels, liver or intestines. If you have to drink water from such a source, boil it thoroughly, chlorinate it or leave it for 48 hours: any of these methods kills off the larvae.
It is wise to keep reasonably covered up to avoid insect stings, even in a hot climate. The vile-smelling leaves of the elder tree rubbed on exposed parts will keep the worst of the insects at bay. Peppermint and bog myrtle are also fairly effective, as is a decoction of pine bark or, in the tropics, camphorwood. None are as effective as chemical bug juice.
These commonsense precautions may seem obvious and even tiresome, but remember: it is the man who has the self-discipline and character to observe the do’s and don’ts, even when at the end of his tether, who is most likely to survive.
HOW TO USE HERBS
To get the maximum value from herbs you have to know the processes used to extract the goodies, how to apply them, and whether they may be used internally or externally. Different herbs and treatments require different methods.
Internal preparations
Infusion: An infusion is made by pouring boiling or near-boiling water on the relevant plant or parts of a plant. Leave for 3–5 minutes; longer for tougher plants.
Decoction: Boil the plant for as long as needed to get the goodness from the herb. The tougher its tissues, the longer you have to boil. Decoctions are usually necessary for bark, stalks, roots and seeds. A cup of tea is an infusion; a pot of non-instant coffee is a decoction.
Maceration: Chop or crush the plant and leave for several hours in water. Use within 12 hours.
Powder: Dry the plant and then crush it. Be careful; powders are very concentrated.
Preparations for external use
Poultice: Chop or crush the plant into a mash, then heat it. Contrary to popular belief, it does not need to be very hot. Apply the poultice to the appropriate area and remove after five minutes, then re-heat and re-apply. Several short applications are better than one long application.
Compress: Soak a piece of cloth or a chunk of suitable moss in a strong decoction or infusion and hold it in place for about 10 minutes.
Dressing: Dressings are simply compresses made from weaker mixtures. Change the first few dressings on a wound or ulcer every two hours, then gradually increase the time between changes to a maximum of 12 hours.
HERBAL REMEDIES
Like most worthwhile skills, learning about herbs takes time and effort. Don’t wait until you need them before you try to use them. The golden rule is: do not swallow anything unless you have made a positive identification. In the UK alone there are at least a score of plants that can kill you and many more that will make you very ill. The following are very safe, very effective and easily identifiable herbs which have preventive and curative properties.
Garlic
The onion family includes leeks, chives, shallots, garlic, garlic mustard (“Jack by the hedge”) and ramsons (“bear’s garlic”). Hedge garlic and ramsons are very common in temperate climates and the sub-tropics. They are safe to use: if it smells like garlic, it’s a member of the garlic family. Garlic was so revered as a heating plant by the Egyptians that they worshipped it as a god. As a lone survivor, you may come to appreciate their point of view.
Garlic contains an antibiotic (allicine) and vitamins A, B and B2. It is an intestinal disinfectant and helps protect you against food poisoning, amoebic dysentery, typhoid and other infectious diseases (which is why it was used by medieval grave robbers). It kills tapeworms and round worms if eaten in large quantities, relieves cramps, lowers blood pressure and fights fever. Garlic aids digestion and stimulates the appetite. It can also be used as a compress.
The most common garlic is garlic mustard, followed by ramsons. The latter is delicious: you will find it forming thick carpets in damp woods, ravines and riverbanks. The whole plant is edible and the seeds (which taste incredibly strong) can be kept for years.
Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
Wild thyme is common throughout the temperate zone and sub-tropics. It contains thymol, a very strong antiseptic with few side-effects: it is retained in the gut and released into the bloodstream to counter infection throughout the body. Thyme helps kill worms and cures diarrhoea, although not quickly. For the evader it has another advantage: it reduces your body scent, which can give you a valuable edge against tracker dogs. Delicious when added to stews (the best way to take your medicine), it can also be used to make a tea. Sip it for coughs and gargle with it to ease sore throats.
Comfrey
Comfrey is the best herb to help mend broken bones. The plant contains starch and suger, particularly in the roots, and it is rich in mucilage (a gum-like substance) and tannin. The old country names for it are “b
oneset” and “knitbone”, which describe one of its many uses. Its chemical action reduces swelling at the site of a fracture and fosters union of the bone, and the root can be used to help make a cast because it stiffens as it dries because of the mucilage, providing the vital rigidity.
The plant grows 3–5 ft (1–2 m) tall in ditches, by roadsides, on waste ground, beside riverbanks and in woods. It flowers blue, purple or white between June and October. The yellow tuberous comfrey flowers from March to June and lacks the thick root of the common comfrey.
Anaesthetics
Many plants in Europe can reduce the agonising pain of bone setting and other injuries. The snag is that they can also produce unconsciousness or death. Their chemical composition, and therefore their effects, vary according to the soil, weather and time of year, so never experiment with any of the following: hemlock, dropwort, thorn-apple, henbane, deadly night-shade, wolfsbane or yew. Some of their poisons are used as homeopathic remedies, but a little learning is a dangerous thing: unless you are thoroughly trained, leave these plants alone.
Feverfew is your best herbal anaesthetic. It is chemically similar to aspirin, but takes some time to have an effect. It is sometimes prescribed as a cure for migraine: you can buy it in tablets which cost less than the price of a prescription for similar controlled drugs, or you can eat it in its natural form – one leaf a day is the dosage. Unfortunately it tastes disgusting: roll it into a “pill” and knock it back quickly. Incidentally, don’t neglect the humble aspirin tablet in your kit – it is a very useful and effective drug.
Treatments
Because you can’t foresee the terrain where you will be injured, make yourself familiar with plants from many different habitats. The following cures are from 10 of the safest and commonest medicinal plants to be found in the temperate zone. Familiarize yourself with these before studying further.
Bleeding
A plant with haemostatic properties will help stop bleeding. You probably won’t have such plants readily to hand when you first find yourself in survival conditions, so prepare and store these herbs in your survival medicine chest. The dried and powdered root of Bistort (Polygonum bistorta) can be applied direct to external wounds.
Use an infusion of the green stem of Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) to wash the wound. It will help stop the bleeding.
Antiseptic
To prevent wounds becoming infected they can be washed with an infusion made with these medicines:
1 Greater plantain (Plantago major) leaves and stem. In an emergency, chew the leaf of this plant to a pulp and use it directly on the wound.
2 Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) flowering stems. This plant too can be chewed, for a quickly prepared pulp.
3 Dried burdock (Arctium lappa) root, made into an infusion. this is ideal to prepare for long journeys. The leaves can also be infused but are less potent.
4 Birch (Betula pendula) leaves when infused make an all-purpose disinfectant.
Digestive disorders
An excellent cure for diarrhoea is charcoal and a herbal tea. Remember to keep your fluid intake high when suffering from diarrhoea.
THE HERBAL COMPRESS
1 Open wounds are vulnerable to infection, especially as your body’s resistance will be low after a prolonged period in the field. A compress of an antiseptic plant like Greater Plantain is made by pulping the plant with a stone. Make sure you wash the stone beforehand.
2 Mop up the juice of the plant with the remaining flesh and gather it into a ball.
3 Apply the herbal pulp firmly into and around the wound. Do not attempt to stitch up wounds of a superficial nature as you may stitch in the infection, and pressure caused by the infection and the stitching may lead to restricted blood flow to the area and then perhaps to gangrene. Cuts left open that heal in this way do leave nasty scars, but in the absence of sterile conditions and antibiotics this is the safer course.
4 Keep the herbal pulp in place and maintain pressure on the wound with a wrapping of dock leaves held in place with strips of animal skin.
1 Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaves, washed and eaten raw, or cooked like spinach, are an excellent aid to digestion. Try to include some in your survival diet as a preventative.
2 Dog rose (Rose canina) petals and/or hip are a very good stomach settler. Before eating any of the vitamin-C-rich hips, remove the hairy seeds inside them.
3 Water mint (Mentha aquatica) leaves and stems can be used as an infusion. This plant is also useful to flavour survival stews. Don’t eat large quantities.
4 Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) roots and leaves in your daily diet will add digestion and help prevent problems. The scrapings from the root make a strong flavouring for stews.
5 Selfheal flowering stems, infused, ease upsets. You can also prepare the leaves like spinach and include them in your diet.
For severe digestive disorders such as dysentery, use an infusion of powdered bistort root.
Insect bites and stings
Insects are always an irritation for a survivor. Besides the diseases, such as malaria, that they carry, their bites and stings can quickly become painful festering sores if scratched. Use infusions of horsetail, burdock, plantain or birch to soothe the inflammations. You will probably find that after a couple of days of eating wild herbs insects will pay less attention to you, particularly if you include a small amount of plantain in your daily diet.
Deal with stings from stinging nettles by rubbing them with a fresh burdock leaf or a dock leaf.
Bruises and headaches
You are certain to suffer some bruises and strains. To ease these, make compresses from bistort, horsetail or plantain.
Headaches are often encountered by survivors in the first few days of being stranded. Effective cures are soothing teas of mint or rose hips and/or petals.
Toothache
Minor cuts, bruises and bites are relatively easy to deal with under primitive conditions. But when it comes to survival dentistry there is very little you can do. Rose tea can ease pain, but the best answer is to care properly for your teeth. This means regular visits to the dentist, and especially before going on extended operations. When stranded, clean your teeth with ash or alder (Alrus glutinosa) bark.
Jellyfish
Jellyfish and other sea creatures can give you nasty wounds. Stingrays, weaver fish, lion fish and zebra fish venoms cause excruciating pain, swelling, vomiting, and diarrhoea, and can slow your heartbeat. Box jellyfish and Portuguese men o’ war cause the same symptoms plus paralysis of your breathing muscles and fits.
Treatment for all these nautical disasters is the same. Apply a tight tourniquet between the wound and your heart. Remove tentacles or spines, but not with your bare hands. Any form of dilute acid, e.g. vinegar or lemon juice, prevents further releases of venom.
Fish venoms are destroyed by heat and the pain is eased greatly by the application of hot water. Also, the venom has a short-lived effect, so a casualty who is not breathing and has no pulse can be brought round by cardiac massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Snake bite
An old farmer in Texas who reared rattlesnakes for their meat and skin was bitten by them four times. He nearly died the first time. Later, when living with Navajo Indians, he was bitten again. They applied a tourniquet between the bite and his heart, which is standard procedure. But then they cut an onion in half and pressed it against the bite; when it turned green, they threw it away and applied the other half.
The procedure was continued with more onions until no green showed. Although he continued to feel ill, the worst of the sickness passed in two days instead of the normal five or six. The moral of this is that with a knowledge of both modern and folk medicine, you can adapt to find the best possible course of action in circumstances where most people would give up and die.
TIPS ON PREPARING MEDICINES
The secret of successful cures lies in how you choose and prepare your herbs. Try to collect only healthy
plants, from areas of unpolluted ground. In wilderness areas, the best places to search for herbs are by water sources and where forest meets grassland. In escape and evasion situations, the edges of fields and along forestry rides are the places to search.
Having gathered your herbs, shake them clean of dust and insects. Most of the cures involve infusions, which basically means preparing the herb as a tea. Never boil your herb. Instead, allow it to brew in water just off the boil. This will retain all of the goodness in the plant.
Make paste for poultices by grinding up the herb between two rocks, with a little water. Apply this directly to the wound and wrap with cloth or large leaves.
You will have to judge the strength of your herbal cures by eye, as each plant has its own character, depending on the season or its location. If in doubt, always under-medicate.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
SURVIVAL KNIVES
A civilian stranded after a disaster such as a shipwreck or a plane crash will not have chosen a survival knife. He will have to make do with whatever he’s got with him – perhaps a piece of sharpened fuselage, or at best a Swiss Army Knife. But soldiers and adventurers operating in remote regions of the world will almost certainly have a knife with them at all times, and they will have made a choice.
NOT A WEAPON
The survival knife is just that – for survival. The characteristics of a good survival knife are not those of a weapon. Besides, the law in many countries is strict and you may be committing a crime if you own one without good reason – and in some places if you own one at all. They are not for kids. When you buy one you also buy into a professional, adult level of responsibility in its use and security.
