Time to Start Preparing for the Winter Illnesses

It's a hot, lovely summer, here in SoCal; hard to even think about winter time right now.  But, this is a good time to start to think and plan ahead for what remedies you would like to have on hand to be prepared for the winter colds and flu bugs.

Herbs are such gentle healers and are easy to prepare and use.  Our bodies are complex and have many needs, and this is often met by the complexity of herbs.  There is a time and place for antibiotics, but did you know that in most clinical outpatient settings, antibiotics are rarely needed?  I am concerned by the trend I have seen when I was a practicing nurse and what I observe in the general public now, of taking an antibiotic almost anytime a cold or flu comes around. 

While popping a pill may seem like the quick and easy method of dealing with an illness, more and more evidence is showing the damaging effects of antibiotics, especially on gut health.  This is critical information, as our gut holds 80% of our immune system.  Diseases like Crohn's and irritable bowel, often stemming from gut damage, are on the rise and antibiotic resistant bugs are multiplying.  

If we are not careful about working to decrease the use of antibiotics, we will soon have no antibiotics left to use.  I have personally witnessed antibiotic resistance bacteria as a nurse, and it is scary.  I find it very sad, that our continued over use of antibiotics could leave our children the heritage of no antibiotics.  

All that being said, what are some things that can be used to help fight off colds and flu bugs?

1)  I love to have elderberry syrup on hand.  I give it to our family the day before, day of, and day after we are in public places during the winter season.  For an active cold and flu, this can be taken a few times a day.  Mountain Rose Herbs, (where I buy most of my herbal supplies),  has a lovely syrup recipe you can find HERE.  Be sure to buy your berries now or within a month or two, as these are becoming more and more popular and will be difficult to come by in the winter time.  If you are using raw honey, do not give to children under 2.

2) Fermented Cod Liver Oil is another stand by in our home.  We take less during the spring and summer months, but in the fall and winter, this is a daily must have.  You can find this product at Green Pastures.  This is a superior form of cod liver oil and we notice a difference when we consistently take this product.  

3) Two herbs I always have on hand that are helpful for fever support are yarrow and elder flowers.  For very young children, starting at the age of one, Herbs for Kids, as has a great remedy called Temp Assure that can be found HERE, that contains these herbs and is a good support to take when a child is feverish.  Though this is a topic that could be a post in and of itself, low grade fevers should not be lowered, but rather give herbs to support the body during this process, as it is the body's way of killing off bacteria and viruses.  It is high grade fevers that will need to be lowered to protect the body. 

4) Raw honey and cinnamon are a great combination that has been known to help get rid of a cold if taken at the first sign of symptoms.  If you are using this for children, be sure to use "sweet" cinnamon also know as true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum).  Most cinnamon found in stores is cassia cinnamon and not tolerated well by children.  You can find true cinnamon, HERE, and a recipe HERE.  Do not give raw honey to children under the age of two.

5) Reduce your sugar intake, as sugar kills the immune system.

6) Get some good probiotics, either buying them, or making your own.  You can try your hand at water kefir or kombucha for some yummy probiotic drinks.  If you are buying, I recommend Udo's, especially for children.  Summer is a great time to learn how to make either one of these drinks.  I will be purchasing a continuous brew kombucha system this month, and am excited to add this probiotic rich drink to our regular diet.
Making fermented vegetables is another way to get probiotics and build the immune system.  Here are two recipes to get you started:  Spiced Cultured Carrots and Sauerkraut.

7)  Dried sage tea is another fabulous remedy for those nasty colds.  Stir in a spoonful of raw honey for a delicious treat.  (Breastfeeding moms should not use this, though, as sage can dry up milk supply).  

8) Eucalyptus essential oil is a great oil to have on hand for inhalation and can be inhaled out of the bottle, placed on a cotton ball, or in a carrier oil.  Eucalyptus globulus is the most common one sold, but it is best not to use this one on children, rather, use Eucalyptus radiata.  HERE is a recipe for a sinus rub that I make up for cold and flu season.

9) A fun drink you can give your kids is Garlic Lemonade or "Citrus-Aide".  Here is the recipe. 

These are just a few simple ideas to help you as you prepare for cold and flu season.  Spread the word that there are alternatives to antibiotics and beautiful, gentle ways to heal your body naturally.

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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

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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.

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.

Cough and Cold Season

I hope you all had a lovely winter holiday season!  This was our first Christmas in two years that no one was sick with a cold or croup and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

This time of year, the questions and emails start to trickle in about how to treat the flu, coughs, and colds with natural remedies.  I thought I would link to some previous posts I have done regarding this subject.

One of my new favorite prevention brews is one I learned about this year from herbalist and physician Aviva Romm.  It's called garlic lemonade.  This might sound odd, but it's really quite yummy and my 3 year old loves it.  To make, simply take 2 chopped cloves of garlic and add them to a quart sized jar.  Fill the jar with boiling water and let sit for 30 minutes.  Add the juice of one lemon and raw honey to taste.  Enjoy!  (Be sure not to give to children under the age of 2 due to the raw honey).  This drink is great for kids and adults (I have my mug of it sitting next to me right now).  I like it both hot and cold, but I think I like it best hot.  You can find her recipe in here in Naturally Healthy Babies and Children, along with many other fabulous recipes and advice for treating sick children naturally.  It's one of my go-to books for my toddler.

Here are some links to previous posts with some natural remedies.

This is used in the sore throat gargle and  works quite well!

Fennel Cough Syrup

Elderberry Syrup

Preparing for Cold and Flu Season

Sore Throat Gargle

(Disclosure:  I am an affiliate for amazon.  Any use of the link above will help to support this blog and is a nice way to say "thank you".  I appreciate all the support I get from my readers.)

Healing Sinus and Cold Essential Oil Blend

I have had my share of the head cold, sinus headache fun over the past two weeks.  Thankfully, it never turned into a sinus infection and I'm sure this essential oil blend is part of the reason I was saved from any infection.

You can make this recipe and have it ready and waiting for you to use 3-6 months in advance.  It is best to start it when cold symptoms first start, as the healing process will be much faster, but if you can't, it will still help with the healing process, just not quite as quickly.  It can help to prevent a current cold from developing into a sinus infection.

This is easy to make and oh, so soothing!  DO NOT USE THIS IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING, AND THIS IS NOT INTENDED FOR CHILDREN.

*One small glass jar with dropper (You can get these HERE)
*One ounce of jojoba oil (2 Tablespoons) - I use jojoba oil because it does not tend to clog pores and will minimize any breakouts, since this is used on the face.
*10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
*10 drops of rosemary essential oil
*5 drops of peppermint essential oil
*5 drops of thyme OR tea tree essential oil

Place the drops of essential oils into the glass jar.  Put on the lid and gently roll the jar in your hands for 15 seconds to mix the essential oils together to form a synergy.  Add the jojoba oil and gently roll in hands for 1 minute to thoroughly mix the oils.  You can also give the jar a few gentle shakes.

Place 3-4 drops in the palm of your hand and with your fingers of the opposite hand, dip into the oil in your palm and then rub the oil on your forehead, over the bridge of your nose and across your cheekbones, and then right under your nose.  Make sure you keep the oil well away from your eyes and do not allow it to get into your nose.  You can do this 3 times a day.  Again, if you are pregnant or nursing, do not use this product.

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Homemade Sore Throat Gargle

It's cold season and our house has been hit this week.  I pulled out one of my favorite books (The Healing Home Spa by Valerie Gennari Cooksley - no longer in print, but can be bought used on amazon), and made one of her sore throat gargles, with a few little changes.  I really liked that it has apple cider vinegar in it, as it can help kill the bacteria that cause sore throats.

Here is her recipe:

*1 cup sage herbal tea or hot water (I did a strong sage tea, using 2 tsp of sage in the cup of water and let it sit for about 30 minutes until it cooled to lukewarm)
*1T fresh lemon juice (I used 1 drop of lemon essential oil instead)
*1T apple cider vinegar (I used Braggs raw apple cider vinegar)
*2 drops geranium essential oil (I used one drop, since I had used the lemon essential oil)
*1 drop ginger essential oil
*1 tsp raw honey or sage honey

I combined the essential oils first in a little jar, then added the remaining ingredients, making sure the sage tea was cool enough so it would not kill the beneficial bacteria in the honey or apple cider vinegar.  I would use this gargle 2-3 times a day.

Fennel Cough Syrup and Fennel Honey

I am having an amazing experience studying with Jade Shutes who is the director of education at the East West School of Herbal and Aromatic Studies.  EWSHAS has a great blog with all kinds of herbal and aromatic information.  Jade recently posted on the benefits of fennel and has numerous ways of using both the oil and seeds.

Jade includes both a fennel and licorice cough syrup and a fennel honey cough syrup.  I am ordering the supplies to make these tonight from Mountain Rose Herbs, as I work to build my own family medicine chest.  I'm especially looking forward to trying the fennel honey and her recipe for vanilla infused jojoba oil that you can find here.

To read the entire post on fennel, please click here.

Here is an excerpt with the recipe for the fennel cough syrup.

Fennel Licorice Cough syrup

Fennel Cough Syrup ingredients

• 1 ounces licorice root and 16 ounces of water

• 1 ounces fennel seed and 16 ounces of water

Prepare a decoction of the licorice root by placing 1 ounces of dried licorice root into 16 ounces of cold water. Allow the roots to sit in the cold water for at least 1 hour or longer. Then gently bring to a boil, turn heat down and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Licorice roots Glycyrrhiza glabra

Licorice in Water

Next, prepare the fennel seed infusion. Lightly bruise/crush the fennel seeds. Place all 1 ounces in a 16 ounce canning jar. Bring 16 ounces of water to a boil then pour over fennel seeds. Place cap on jar and allow to sit for 10- 15 minutes. Strain.

Fennel Seeds

Fennel seeds infusing in hot water

Once both teas are made prepare a double boiler. Place 1/2 cup fennel tea and 1/2 cup of licorice root tea and 2 cups honey into the top pot. Heat gently until the honey and herbal teas have mixed together.

Honey and Fennel/Licorice teas in double boiler

Pour into a sterilized canning jar, label and use within one year. You can also add essential oils to this. I add: 7 drops Eucalyptus radiata, 7 drops Fennel and 5 drops Peppermint. Mmmmm…..

Cough Syrup Bottled

Fennel Honey

Fennel Honey Ingredients

Fill 1/4 to 1/2 of an 8 ounce sterilized canning jar with gently crushed organic fennel seeds. Cover with local honey then stir with chop stick making sure all the seeds are covered.

Pouring honey over fennel seeds

Fennel and Honey stirring

You will need to add in more honey and continue to stir until seeds and honey are mixed well. Be sure to top off with more honey. Then secure lid. Be sure to label jar with the ingredients and date it was made. Each day you can open the jar and stir a bit. Let infuse for 2-4 weeks.

Fennel seeds in honey

To decant: Place jar into water in the top part of a double boiler. Bring water in the bottom pot of double boiler to a gentle boil. This will heat the water on top, but don’t let it boil. High temperatures denature the honey.

Fennel honey infusion

When the honey appears a bit thinner you can then strain through a fine mesh strainer. And voila, beautiful fennel honey to add to teas or take a little teaspoon to soothe dry irritated spasmodic coughs.

References

Alberrrt-Puleo, M. Fennel and Anise as Estrogenic Agents. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2 (1980) 337 ·344
© Elsevier Sequoia S.A., Lausanne – Printed in the Netherlands

Foster, S. (nd). Herbal Renaissance. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith.

Herb Society of America (2005). Fennel. Kirtland, OH. www.herbsociety.org

Hoffman, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.

Lad V and Frawley D. (2001). The Yoga of Herbs. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press.

Mills, S., and Bone, K. (2000). Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. London: Churchill Livingstone.

Pole, S. (2006). Ayurvedic Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.

Romm, Aviva. (2010). Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health. St Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.

Van Wyk, B., and Wink, M. (2004). Medicinal Plants of the World. Oregon: Timber Press.

Wood, M. (2008). The Earthwise Herbal: A complete guide to old world medicinal plants. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Resources

Interesting videos:
Making Herbal Honeys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFVKJl_0evA

Great article on How to make Herbal honeys
http://www.cauldronsandcrockpots.com/medicinal-herbs/making-herbal-honeys-and-elixirs/


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Croup 101 - More Homeopathics

I was so happy that I had a visit already scheduled with a homeopath today.  I was able to get some advice on treating my son's cold/croup.  Here are three remedies she suggested that I try.  Thankfully, he is doing better, but still has that occasional "bark" to his cough.

*Spongia Tosta 30X

*Hepar Sulph Calc. 30X

*ColdCalm - more for fighting just a cold

Croup 101

Christmas Eve I had my first introduction to croup as a mama.  I was hopeful that we would not need to make a trip to the doctor or ER, and so far we have not needed that trip!  Croup can be dangerous, so parents need to be very careful when trying to treat this at home and should call their health care practitioner immediately with any questions or concerns, but here is a list of what was helpful for us.

*Yellow Onion - yes, raw onion was a lifesaver for us and thankfully, I had a big supply on hand.  I used onion in two ways.  First I FINELY chopped up a raw onion (once in the morning and once in the evening) and left in a bowl next to my son.  Second, I made a raw onion poultice.  I finely chopped half an onion, wrapped it in cheesecloth and warmed it in the oven for a minute or two.  I then rubbed a little vaseline on his chest and placed the poultice on his chest for 30-45 minute increments throughout the day.  If his cough sounded barky, I would try to do it more often, but a 2 year old does not sit still that long! =)

*Herbs for kids - I used their echinacea, cherry bark blend, temp assure and horehound blend

*Cough syrup - I made a homemade thyme and honey cough syrup.  You can find multiple variations of recipes on line.

*For fever - my son's temperature reached 101; using herbal remedies, we were able to keep the fever from going any higher and it soon came down.  We used Herbs for Kids Temp Assure, two different homeopathics (aconitum napellus and cell salt #4 Ferrum Phos), and I sponged his head and feet with mixture that I found in one of my favorite children's herbal resources Gentle Healing for Baby and Child.  I used a large cereal bowl of lukewarm water, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 3 drops of lavender essential oil.  He found this particularly comforting.

*Essential oils - I used a blend recommended for coughs from Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child.  I used this in a warm bath and on a tissue next to us at night as we slept.  These oils were soothing and helped to ease his respiratory discomfort.

*I also did a diluted chamomile tea which helped to relax him and ease his fevers.

Again, use caution when treating croup.  We were able to keep the barky cough to a minimum (especially with the onion) but use caution and speak to your health practitioner if you have any questions or concerns about your child before using herbal treatments.

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A remedy to try?

I recently read the following on Dr. Mercola's website.  I have not tried this remedy, but plan to if my husband or I start to get sick this winter.  If you try it, just be sure to get a non-aluminum source of baking soda.  Azure Standard carries one, as does Bob's Red Mill.

In today’s modern world of medicine the FDA just will not let companies that sell products make medical claims about them unless they have been tested at great expense, and approved as a drug. But this was not always the case.

In a 1924 booklet published by the Arm & Hammer Soda Company, the company starts off saying, “The proven value of Arm & Hammer Bicarbonate of Soda as a therapeutic agent is further evinced by the following evidence of a prominent physician named Dr. Volney S. Cheney, in a letter to the Church & Dwight Company:

“In 1918 and 1919 while fighting the ‘Flu’ with the U. S. Public Health Service it was brought to my attention that rarely any one who had been thoroughly alkalinized with bicarbonate of soda contracted the disease, and those who did contract it, if alkalinized early, would invariably have mild attacks.”

Recommended dosages from the Arm and Hammer Company for colds and influenza back in 1925 were:

• During the first day take six doses of half teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water, at about two hour intervals
• During the second day take four doses of half teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water, at the same intervals
• During the third day take two doses of half teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda in glass of cool water morning and evening, and thereafter half teaspoonful in glass of cool water each morning until cold is cured