Onion Poultices

Have you ever used an onion poultice?  This used to be a "go to" by our great-grandmothers and their mothers before them, but with the advent of modern medicine, these valuable poultices were left behind.

I was happy to rediscover them about a year ago when my son had croup.  I used onion poultices on him and was very happy with the results.  They really helped with his congestion and cough.

Recently, I stumbled across THIS post by Bear Medicine Herbals all about onion poultices and onion syrups.  This is a keeper post for sure!  Kiva Rose, the author, is an amazing herbalist!  Check out her post HERE and give her recipes a try.

Photo Credit: eats.com

(Featured on the Prairie Homestead Blog Hop)

Garlic "Citrus-Aide"

This batch was made with lemons and blood oranges.

We have been enjoying various forms of garlic lemonade, a recipe that we picked up from one of my favorite herbalists, Aviva Romm.  

As you can see from the above picture, my son is a big fan and we drink this almost daily these days to help keep away those cold and flu bugs.  This can be given to kids age 2 and above.  It usually takes me and my son two days to get through a batch of this yummy drink.  These can also be made into yummy popsicles for the kids.  

Here is my adaptation:

*6 cup ball canning jar

*3 large garlic cloves or 4-5 medium cloves ( you can use less if you prefer)

*2 lemons

*1-3 other citrus fruits (we have used regular oranges, blood oranges, and grapefruits)

*raw honey to taste

*5 or so cups of hot water

Place 5 cups water on stove to boil.  While water is heating, chop up garlic and place in canning jar.  When water has come to a boil, pour over garlic and cover with lid.  Allow to cool (usually takes at least an hour) so that jar is warm, not hot to touch.  Juice your citrus fruits and add to jar.  Stir in raw honey to taste.  Enjoy!

*Due to the raw honey, I do not recommend giving this to children under the age of 2.

Great Co-Sleeping article

I recently read a great article on the benefits of co-sleeping and want to pass it along.  We jumped into the co-sleeping a little late in the game (you can read about my experience HERE), but are still going strong!  My son recently turned 3 and we are all still enjoying all the benefits of co-sleeping.

I liked THIS article so much because it describes 5 main benefits of co-sleeping PAST infancy.  This is a great read for everyone!  I hope you enjoy it and pass it on to anyone you may think is interesting in co-sleeping with their little ones.

Fermented Cod Liver Oil

I know, the name is not the most appealing thing in the world.  It took me a little while to jump in and decide to give it a try.  But, I am SO happy that my family is taking it consistently these days.  I have noticed since starting it, that we have stayed healthier as a family and when someone has started to feel sick or has come down with something, the recovery time is much quicker.

Thankfully, since this winter has started, we have only had one cold (the hubs) and his recovery has been super speedy; even he was surprised at the difference.  I know that it is not entirely the cod liver oil, but I think it is a big player!  We have also focused on taking frequent doses of elderberry syrup, LOTS of handwashing, keeping sugar consumption low and none when we are out in public (sugar lowers your immune system for about 4 hours after consuming), and taking our daily Sealogica.  I also throw in some Green's Mix for the whole family along with Herbs for Kids herbal supplements as needed for my son, along with a few other things.

I would highly encourage you to give the fermented cod liver oil a try.  It comes in liquid or capsules, and you can get the liquid flavored.  My 3 year old actually gets excited to take his every day.  I give him his with a little spoonful of jam.  My husband takes the capsules, and I brave the plain liquid.  It's really not that bad (just hold your nose and have something to eat right after).

You can find the fermented cod liver oil HERE.  (I am not an affiliate, I just really like this product.)

I really liked THIS post by Balanced Bites.  It includes a lot of information about the benefits of fermented cod liver oil, along with recommend doses.