Tackling Cold and Flu Season
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| Our weekend home care: teas for healing, electrolytes, and infused honey |
Over the last two weeks we have had a couple different maladies hit the family. GI tract issues were followed by a cold - complete with a sore throat, sinus congestion, and cough. We have some standbys that we use during flu and cold season. This time around we had the opportunity to try a couple of new recipes as well. Here is a basic run-down of what we use for comfort and symptom management.
GI Issue Management
Perhaps the most dangerous part of GI issues is the potential for dehydration. Previous health issues have taught me that getting low on electrolytes, vitamins, or minerals can have disastrous health consequences. This is why we take a plant-based, whole food vitamin and mineral supplement. When fighting a GI upset, it is easy for your electrolyte balance to get off, especially if the upset is compounded by vomiting and/or diarrhea. I can vouch for the fact that potassium deficiency (which can result from excess vomiting/diarrhea) is a painful experience. So, after several hours of cramping with no improvement, I asked my husband to make an electrolyte solution. We keep several recipes in a binder for situations such as these, so he chose a recipe and had it made in less than five minutes. I was so surprised what a difference it made. After sipping on it for a short time, the cramps disappeared and the other symptoms eased. I was so grateful!
Easy Homemade Electrolyte (version 1)
3/8 t. sea salt (sodium chloride)
1/4 t. potassium chloride
1/2 t. baking soda
1 liter filtered water
Cold/Flu Management
That night, our eldest son came home with the beginnings of a sore throat and discomfort in his lungs. My husband was a couple of days in on the cold and our youngest son was starting to feel early symptoms. I made them all a tea blend that has helped our family multiple times in the past. It includes mullein, an herb known to help the lungs. I also took out the cottonwood bud infused honey I made this past summer. It is said that the natural salicylates in the cottonwood buds and the enzymes in the honey help with pain relief. This was our first time trying it out, so I was curious to know if it would help. Each of the guys took a spoonful of honey and sipped on the tea when it finished steeping. The next morning, our son said that his lungs and throat were no longer hurting; he just had a cough.
The tea mix I make is a bit different every time. I almost always begin by looking up the symptoms in my favorite herb book (The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies) to see what we have on hand that will be helpful to include. Whenever the lungs or respiratory issues are involved, I almost always include mullein. I often include one or more of the following to help boost immunity: lemon balm, mint, rose hip, elderberry, and echinacea. Since I have autoimmune issues and don't want to set off a flare-up, I put fewer immune boosting herbs in my tea than I do in that which I make for everyone else. Often, if serving the tea in the evening, I add chamomile for its soothing properties. This time I included a bit of lavender for pain and inflammation relief and licorice root to help with the cough.
Herbal Cold & Cough Tea (version 1)
Lemon Balm - anti-viral, anti-bacterial, calming
Rosehips - for vitamin C
Elderberry (dried or tincture) - to boost the immune system
Sweet Mint - to boost immunity and relieve nasal symptoms
Oil of Oregano
As the week went on, the symptoms continued, evolving into sinus congestion and cough. We were hearing that others who had similar symptoms had them linger for 2 - 4 weeks. At this point, I got out an old stand by: oil of oregano. This oil is something my husband's grandmother introduced to us years ago. She was dealing with pneumonia 2 - 3 times a year and had been looking for something to help. Once she began taking oil of oregano whenever she felt a cold coming on, she no longer developed pneumonia each year. Oil of oregano is has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. While you can add dried oregano to your tea to boost these properties in your tea, using a high-quality oil gives you a higher potency. This is the brand my husband's grandmother recommended. If you plan to try oil of oregano, be sure to get a reputable brand that is safe for taking internally. Not all brands are the same and not all of them are safe for consumption! If you want to try this oil for yourself, here is the link to the brand we use.
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| The brand of oregano oil that we use |
Essential Oils
We use essential oils in numerous ways - on our skin, in the diffuser, in our cleaning products, taken internally. When we have cold/flu symptoms we use oils on our feet or wherever we need it most (chest for lungs, throat for sore throats, etc). Our feet have larger pores than other parts of the body, making them particularly absorbent. Most oils can be applied neat to the feet, but must be diluted in a carrier oil to be used on other parts of the body. I find that applying eucalyptus radiata to my feet before bedtime helps me to breathe better for a good portion of the night.
We also run oils in the diffuser to help with congestion. Eucalyptus is one we often use when we have sinus congestion or lung issues. We also use Thieves or something similar. Other oils we diffuse may include lavender, lemon, and peppermint. Many companies have blends for cold/flu, breathing, and the like. Be sure that if you plan to use oils for therapeutic purposes you get a good oil from a distributor that quality tests their product.
Infused Honey
We tried a couple of new infused honeys as well. I had made cottonwood bud infused oil earlier this year. You may already know that cottonwood bud oil is reported to be fabulous for wound healing, but did you know that you can get similar benefits from the infused honey? The resin from cottonwood buds is anti-inflammatory, astringent, anti-microbial, and a stimulating expectorant, making the infused honey a great addition to your tea to help soothe a sore throat or expel mucus. I personally found that this honey has a slightly numbing effect, but I seemed to be the only one to notice. Nevertheless, the boys reported back that it did help with their sore throat.
We also made onion infused honey. Onion is said to be an expectorant as well, so this infused honey reportedly helps with mucus-induced coughing and is to be used as a cough syrup. I made a 24 hour version of this cough syrup. There are many sites with instructions on how to make it. For mine, I filled a jar half-full with chopped onion, poured honey over the top and let sit out on the counter for 24 hours. As time went by, the honey became more runny, and the onions seemed to shrink a bit. I removed the onions after 24 hours, stuck it in the fridge, and we have been using it since! It does seem to help with the post-nasal drip, but I think next time I will add more onion to my jar to create a more potent syrup.
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| Homemade cough syrup |
There are a lot of posts on fermented garlic honey that are floating around on the internet. I think the next version I make will include both garlic and onion as both have a long history of use for colds and flu.
There are many remedies out there that work well and the more we share, the better prepared we are for the next bout of illness. Feel free to share the natural home remedies that work for your family in the comments below.
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