Off-to-College Survival Kit

Let's start off with my favorite natural remedies and home remedies.

Activated charcoal

While we don't keep activated charcoal on hand in our home currently, this is one that I would consider sending with a child going off to college.

Activated charcoal is a great substance to bind to toxins and get them out of the body. It can be a great option for tummy troubles arising from food poisoning. And while I don't even want to think about the possibility that some other person could poison my child (perhaps at a party) or that my child would binge on alcohol, it can also be very useful for poisonings and intoxication.

Bentonite clay

Bentonite clay can be used similarly to activated charcoal, but that's the not reason I would include it in this survival kit. I would include it because it's a great topical remedy.

It can be used for everything from eczema to insect bites to burns. Just mix some of the powder with water and make a poltice to apply to the skin for itch, sting, and burn relief.

It's also a great remedy to combine with activated charcoal to make a drawing salve. Perhaps you should just mix that up in a nice little container and stick it in the survival kit...because let's be honest, 80% of the college kids aren't going to do it themselves.

Castor oil

This one might be a stretch if your child hasn't grown up seeing castor oil being used or even used it themselves. But it can be a great addition to the survival kit if they have.

Castor oil helps with inflammation and swelling, circulation, and even stagnant bowels. Castor oil packs can be placed topically in the area of pain and tension to help find relief for things like menstrual cramps, joint pain, or tummy troubles.

Essential oils

We love diffusing essential oils and using them topically, so I wouldn't send my college student off to school without a diffuser and some of our favorite oils. They can be used for all types of physical ailments like headaches, tummy troubles, and respiratory issues as well as for mental struggles like anxiety, depression, and problems focusing. They can be used for A LOT more than just these, so they make excellent survival kit remedies.

Neti-pot

Does your child get upper respiratory issues, allergies, and sinus problems? Throw a neti-pot in that survival kit to have on hand for nasal rinses when issues arise that affect the nasal passageways.

Herbal teas

I personally love to sip on an herbal tea when I don't feel the best. Throat Coat Tea is one of my faves when my throat hurts and Chamomile Tea is one I use when I just generally feel under the weather. I have a couple of kids who also like to drink herbal teas, so I'd definitely add a nice variety to their survival kits.

I'm not a big proponent of taking vitamins daily. We're meant to get our vitamins in proper ratios from the foods we eat. And we're meant to digest them in a specific manner, starting in the mouth.

Most vitamins are synthetic and they are manufactured to be in tablets or capsules. This means they are not always in proper ratios and they completely bypass the digestive process that begins in the mouth.

That being said, in times of crisis, I will suggest a few supplements to use. These are the ones we use most often in our family and I would consider putting in a survival kit for my child if they were going off to college.

D-Mannose

If you have a female child who suffers from UTIs, D-Mannose is a must for the survival kit.

Up to 90% of UTIs are said to be caused by e-coli bacteria. D-Mannose is a simple sugar that makes it difficult for e-coli to attach to the bladder walls, thus they get flushed out of the bladder during urination.

Taking a scoop of this powder a few times per day starting at the first signs of a UTI can be a lifesaver for girls that tend to struggle with recurrent UTIs. Sometimes just one scoop does the trick.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of our must haves when we get coughs and colds where there is thick mucus deep down in the chest. Vitamin C to bowel tolerance will usually thin that mucus right up.

My kids love the Vitamin C drink we make using two specific forms of Vitamin C, so these would be some of the first few items I'd include in their college survival kits. I've listed them on My Favorite Things page for your convenience.

As a homeopath, I would always, always, always include homeopathic medicines in an Off-to-College Survival Kit. These are truly the medicines that you want your child to be reaching for instead of pharmaceutical OTCs or prescriptions.

But how do you know which ones to include?

My first suggestion is to include lots of polycrests. Polycrest medicines are those medicines that can be used for a wide range of issues.

But how do you know which ones are polycrests?

For those of you studying homeopathy, open up your materia medica. If you look at one medicine and it has 3 or 4 pages of information and then you look at another medicine and it has half a page of information, the one with 3 or 4 pages of information is likely a polycrest. It has many uses and therefore has way more information listed about it.

What potencies should you include in your survival kit?

Your best bet is to include 30c and 200c potencies. These are fairly universal, easy to find, and easy to use.

I could easily give you a top 100 list of remedies that should be included in a survival kit, but I'll list my top 45 below and just a few of their many uses:

If these single remedies seem just too overwhelming for your college kid or even too overwhelming for you to gather into a survival kit, I'd highly recommend just grabbing Boiron combination medicines from your local health food store.

They've made it super easy for anyone to use homeopathic medicines by clearly labeling what each medicine can be used for and exactly how to take them.