Did You Know These Siberian Survival Secrets?

In today’s world, Vladimir Putin is one of the most controversial leaders and Russia is starting to flex its geo-political muscles, 25 years after the collapse of the USSR. 

But regardless of what you think about Putin and the geo-political landscape, Russia is a very old civilization, with a rich culture and a long history of trials and tribulations.

We can learn a lot from the Russian people in terms of survival. Hence, today’s article is focused on survival recipes Made in the USSR, more precisely, ones originating from Siberia.

You know, if you think about vast, uninhabited lands, scarcely populated, extremely cold and filled with wild beauty and natural resources, Siberia is the first thing that comes to one’s mind. Siberia is the substantial equivalent of Alaska and Siberians are hard-working, tough people, who manage to survive in a very hostile environment. Therefore, if you want to learn about survival, you can look to Siberians and see how they’ve done it for centuries.

Holistic medicine is still practiced on a large scale in Russia and there are dozens of medical-scientific expeditions sent annually to Siberia to research old-school healing methods practiced by the ancient Siberian civilization.

The very harsh Siberian climate requires extraordinary efforts from its inhabitants to stay in shape, and today’s article will present you with some of the best holistic survival recipes and remedies.

These have been proven to boost health and energy time and time again, so pay attention and keep reading folks!

Relying on Nature for Medical Survival

Let’s begin with a well-known plant – almost a cure-all herb (or panacea).

They say it purportedly increases longevity, boosts your energy level and sex drive, promotes vascular health, improves memory, and prevents dementia in older people.

It also reduces the risks of getting cancer, reduces stress, increases insulin production and reduces blood sugar levels (excellent news for diabetics).

Ladies and gents, say hello to the Siberian Ginseng.

The Siberian variety is somewhat different from the regular Panax Gineseng (the Asian species) but it works just the same.

Siberians use it mainly for preventing colds and flu and for increasing their energy levels during the extremely cold winter months.

Rhodiola rosea, also known as Arctic Root, King’s Crown or Golden Root is another magic herb used extensively in Siberian holistic medicine for its extraordinary properties which are very similar to the ginseng’s, minus the hyper-activity ginseng may induce to certain persons.

Basically, in the holistic world of healing, Rhodiola is considered excellent for treating depression and chronic fatigue, also works miracles with stress-reduction.

Russian athletes and military personnel frequently use Rhodiola and ginseng supplements for staying in shape and improving their physical and psychological fitness.

Old people also appear to benefit from Rhodiola’s anti-aging properties, and the plant is also used as a great treatment for neurasthenia, depression and hypo-tension. Small doses of Rhodiola are great as stimulants (200 to 600 milligrams/day) while bigger doses have the opposite effect, being almost sedatives.

Saltbush, orache, or mountain spinach, aka Atriplex Hortensis is a plant species which originates from Central Asia and Siberia and it’s very similar to regular spinach. Saltbush is widely used in traditional Siberian medicine for treating liver, kidney and gynecological disease. The seeds are natural emetics and purgatives while the plant itself is used as a diuretic. It’s filled with minerals and vitamins, and works wonders for pancreatic dysfunctions. It’s also believed to be a cardio-tonic. Overall, saltbush is said to be excellent for digestion and circulation, and it should be on your menu regularly (remember Popeye the Sailor Man, right?).

The Healing Power of Ash

The ash resulting from burning wood in the oven is a basic ingredient for a lot of traditional Siberian survival recipe. It’s been used for hundreds of years to treat digestive problems, wounds and for stopping hemorrhages. It’s also used as a remedy for headaches and toothaches. Actually, Siberians consider wood-ash as a real panacea, especially the ash resulting from burning specific mixed wood essences.

According to Siberian holistic medicine, combining the ashes of different types of wood essences dramatically increases the power of the “medicine”, with the best wood combinations being linden, oak, birch and poplar. The ash resulting from the burnt wood must be sifted before being used in recipes or stored (in glass jars) for best results.

Let me enumerate 12 ancient Siberian recipes based on wood-ash for treating various diseases/conditions:

• Skin ulcer: For treating skin ulcers you’ll need about 17 ounces of birch and/or linden ash (a mix or whatever) mixed with 5 quarts of boiling water. The infusion must be allowed to cool off until it reaches about 90 degrees F then it must be sifted. The affected limb (the hand or the leg) must be immersed in the infusion for half an hour, and then left to air-dry naturally. If the skin ulcer affects other areas of the body, you may use a gauze imbibed in the infusion, applied twice a day for two hours at a time.
• Hives or urticaria: For treating hives, you’ll need half a glass of birch ash and 2 liters (half a gallon) of water, mixed thoroughly, then boiled and left to decant for 24 hours. After that you have to sift the solution using a gauze or something similar, then put it in a covered receptacle and store it in a cool, dry place, out of sunlight, for 2 days. Use the infusion mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio for washing your body 2-3 times a week, regularly, and let it dry naturally without rinsing.
• Arthritis, muscular pain: Mix one tablespoon of cedar ash with one cup of boiling water in a covered receptacle; let it infuse for 12 hours and then sift it. Drink two tablespoons of the infusion three times a day for ten days, with a seven day pause and you can repeat the treatment if necessary for another 10 days.
• Rheumatism: You’ll need 17 ounces of birch ash mixed with about a pint of water, boiled slowly for 10-15 minutes, then covered and left to cool off/infuse until the next day. Pour the infusion (take care not to agitate the container) into your bath tub (the water in the tub should be at least body-temperature). Soak in it for 15 minutes and repeat the procedure for 10 days in a row.
• Lumbago: You’ll need three tablespoons of vineyard-stumps ash mixed with 4 cloves of garlic (smashed) and four tablespoons of lard. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and then spread onto a piece of cotton cloth. Apply the cloth  over the affected area and leave it to work its magic for 2 hours, for three days in a row. After a 20 days pause, you can repeat the procedure.
• Menopause hot flashes: You’ll need 1/3 cup of salt, 2/3 cup of birch ash and about 2 gallons of warm water mixed thoroughly and then poured into a basin. Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes, 3-4 times a week for ten days.
• Oral hygiene/health: Rinse your mouth with a mixture of wood ash and water 1:1 before and after every meal for 7 days.
• Depression: Mix two tablespoons of aronia ash in a glass of water. Drink it in the morning on an empty stomach for 16 days in a row.
• Pulmonary disease (bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory viruses, etc): Pour one quart of boiling water over four tablespoons of poplar ash, cover the container and let it infuse for ten days in a dark, cool place. Drink 8 spoons (4 for kids) of the infusion three times a day (after meals) for 11 days in a row.
• Regulating intra-ocular/intra-cranial blood pressure: Mix four tablespoons of oak ash and one liter of boiling water in a container, cover it and let it cool off until morning. Drink three teaspoons of the infusion (half a dose for children) three times per day, half an hour before a meal, for 2 weeks straight. You may take a 5 day pause then repeat the procedure.
• Intestinal parasites: One teaspoon of linden ash mixed with half a glass of warm milk , administered two times a day (in the morning and in the night) for the first three days, one hour before meals is used to treat intestinal parasites. On the fourth day, drink the stuff first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. During the treatment, you should avoid sugars and sugary fruits. After the four-day linden-ash treatment, you should drink an infusion of cranberry leaves, 2-3 times a day, thirty minutes before meals for two weeks, then repeat the ash treatment for 4 days, then the cranberry leaves procedure for 2 weeks, twice a year, at a 6 months-interval.
• Dandruff: To get rid of dandruff, mix six tbsp of ash with three and a half ounces of alcohol and apply the mixture on your head, rubbing it gently on your scalp. Let it work for 10 minutes. After that, you can follow your shampoo routine. The treatment must be done twice a week for one month.

Coal, aka the black medicine, is widely used in modern medicine against various diseases, like flatulence, stomach ache and indigestion, and the same story goes for ash. It’s perfectly safe to consume it as long as the wood wasn’t contaminated with chemicals or radioactive stuff.

There Is a Natural Cure for Every Condition

Now, let’s talk about some Siberian methods to fight anemia and chronic fatigue naturally. These remedies are widely used currently all over Russia, the Ukraine and other places. Siberian popular medicine recommends a diet rich in liver, meat, eggs, veal brain, milk, butter, caviar, garlic and onions. And every patient must drink 2 liters (half a gallon) of fresh/unprocessed milk every day!

• Here’s a recipe with Caucasian Aloe (from Caucasus/Central Asia) for treating chronic fatigue/anemia: take 4 stems of aloe and let them macerate in a bottle of wine for at least four days. Unlike many “tonics”, this treatment is very enjoyable. Drink a cup of the concoction three times a day.
• Iron deficiency is the reason for anemia and Siberians treat this condition with a green apple in which they sink 5 – 10 (washed) iron nails. The apple is eaten after 24 hours and the dose is three apples/day.
• For calcium deficiency (common in anemia/tuberculosis), Siberians recommend this recipe: take 10 fresh eggs and put them inside a glass jar, then cover them with lemon juice. Wait until the lemon juice (that’s citric acid basically) dissolves the egg shells (it takes up to two weeks), then add 12 ounces of honey and a glass of brandy. Mix them thoroughly and drink a small cup 2-3 times a day before meals. Another ancient Siberian “magic” potion is made using equal quantities of carrots, horseradish and beet juice (you can add honey into the mix to suit your taste), mixed and put inside a bottle which is then buried into the ground for 13 days. You must drink a small cup of the respective potion three times a day, before meals. Shake the bottle before drinking.
• Here comes an energy formula, Siberian recipe. You’ll need 4 cloves of garlic, smashed thoroughly, 4 fresh onions ground (remember to keep the juice), 6 ounces of oats, 1.5 ounces of finely grated Valerian root, all mixed with 25 ounces of honey and boiled slowly until the mixture has a fine-cream consistency. Afterwards, let the mixture cool on a plate until it hardens, then cut it in small pieces and store it in a cool, dry place. Eat 3-6 pieces a day (a 2 cm piece) before the meals.
• Another energy-boosting remedy for senior citizens is a mixture of garlic, onions and honey; you’ll need 3.5 ounces of garlic, 5 ounces of onions, 25 ounces of honey and two tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. The garlic and the onions must be finely grated then mixed with the vinegar. Let them to macerate in a warm place (in the kitchen for example) for 24 hours. Then boil the honey slowly, stirring it all the time. After it reaches the boiling point, add the garlic/onion mixture and then let it macerate for 7 days in a warm place. Then you sift the mixture and you’re ready to go. The treatment consists of 4 spoons of the stuff, once a day.
• Here comes the Ukrainian elixir, another energy booster for senior citizens: 12 ounces of garlic, well smashed, mixed with the juice obtained from 24 lemons (without the seeds). Let them macerate in a glass jar covered with a piece of gauze for 24 hours. Take a spoonful in the evening, with half a glass of warm water. Also, you can take a spoon of finely grated horseradish 5-10 times a day, between meals, for boosting your energy levels even more.
• To prevent atherosclerosis, especially if you’re over 50 years old, you must eat a tonic made from raw potatoes: you take a medium sized-raw potato, washed and peeled, you grate it finely and you eat the stuff (and the juice) every morning, on an empty stomach.
• Here comes another tonic, garlic based, which is also recommended to senior citizens to prevent atherosclerosis: fill a 1-cup container with smashed garlic and add alcohol. Let it macerate for two weeks in a warm place then you filter the concoction. The recommended dose is 2 blobs/day for starters, before meals, and each day you add a blob until you reach 25 blobs per serving. Then you start reducing the dose one blob/day until you reach 0. If you take this treatment twice a year, the results will be exceptional.

I hope the article helped. If you have other ideas or comments, feel free to express yourself using the dedicated section below!

This article has been written by Chris Black for Survivopedia.