Healing Plants Found in the Wild
Look For These Wild Healing Plants
When you go hiking you may be concerned with just the hike itself. You may be wanting to get to a specific location on the trail. One thing that you can add to your goals is to keep an eye out for healing plants that you can use at home. Here are a few of the most common plants you will find on your hike that you can harvest and use at home in a number of medicinal applications.
Dandelion
Dandelion roots as well as the flowers can be used in a number of applications from teas to salves. The dandelion flower can be incorporated into salads and syrups or as a dressing. The flowers can also be dried and used in teas to help with digestive issues.
The leaves of the dandelion can be used as well for assistance with digestive issues and help with speeding up metabolism. If you do find this plant on your hike, you should consider carrying a produce bag to store the leaves and flowers in. This will keep them safe without causing them to wilt too badly like they would in a plastic bag.
Yarrowroot
Yarrowroot is part of the sunflower family and can be used to help with chronic pain.
Though it does not stop the pain, it can help to reduce inflammation and pain related symptoms throughout the body. The yarrowroot is often used in a tea or as a tincture and rarely used as a directly eaten root. Though it can be dehydrated after harvest it is best used as soon as possible. 
Elderberry
Elderberry is the one plant that you want to keep an eye out for. The main reason is because elderberry is used to help with colds and flu. It can be used in a syrup and taken orally, in tinctures, and in teas. The elderberry is one of the most effective and versatile options for alternative cold and flu assistance. The plant looks like a normal bush with small blackish blue beads of berries growing in clumps. You can harvest the berry directly and place into a bag. The berries can be used easily and stored once they are in syrup or tincture form. You can also dehydrate them and create a fruit tea from the berries.
These are just three of the most common and most useful plants to look for while you are in the wild or on a hike. Remember, if you decide to look for these while hiking, carry something with you that is suitable for storing the plants on your way back home.