Everybody
at work has been afflicted with a really nasty cold virus. Perhaps
it is because the weather here is currently alternating between hot, cold and
humid. Whatever, I now have it!
So
what does one do? Of course, everyone at home will likely go down with
it. Well, all that is except Michael, who never seems to catch anything.
So
we gird up our loins and get the remedies out. There are many herbs for
colds and a quick search of the web will be most helpful, but I will stick to
those I have used successfully with my friends, family and other suffering
souls.
If
you think colds are around you could take Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).
It is a wonderful, powerful herb and can sometimes stop a cold in its tracks.
Among many other things it promotes sweating which helps your body get rid of
the virus. If you suspect you are brewing a cold, or it is important not
to allow one to develop for yourself or a family member make a tea of Yarrow
and have half a cup full every hour. It can be a bit strong for some, so
combine it with ginger and a little honey* to make it more palatable. (*1tsp
per pint not cupful. Sugar has been shown to compromise the
immune system. Some remedies are made more palatable with a touch of
honey, so, if you need it, make sure it is the good stuff.)
Cat’s
claw (Uncaria tomentosa) is also a wonderful herb and I have used it most
successfully. It is thought to be anti-microbial and antiviral and has
been used for hundreds of years by the people of the Amazonian rain
forests. However, I have had a growing awareness of its
potential for over harvesting and have stopped using it for colds. (I
still use it for other things though.) However, if you have some use
it.
If
you have the blighter though, go for something like my first choice of
preference, elderberry, (Sambucus Nigra). Home-made elderberry syrup, in a
little warm water with ginger, thyme and honey; you can’t beat it. My old
Gran used to call it a gift from the Elder Mother* or the old Hag.
It tastes so good that to have it also help a cold is truly a bonus. I
once found Mimz in the fridge helping herself to some syrup prepared for her
brother, she didn’t think it was fair that he got to have it and she didn’t, as
he was the one with the cold!
(*There
are many tales associated with the Elder Mother. I will try to find some
for you.)
So,
how does it work? Well, the ginger is warming and helps clean and clear
the lymph glands, so that the body is able to act more efficiently under
attack. It also contains almost a dozen antiviral compounds and can be
slightly sedative so it helps you to rest nature’s way.
The
elderberry is high in vitamin c , and also contains vitamins a and b. It
helps shorten length of duration of the cold and helps in reducing the symptoms
also, because elderberry helps in the production of cytokines, the immune
function of the body under attack. Thyme (thymus) is so powerful an anti-septic
that it was regularly used along with garlic in World War I. It also
helps the body expectorate or get rid of excess mucous. Therefore
it is a herb considered to be a decongestant.
It
is strong though. If you find it too strong to drink as a tea, you can make a
hot, fragrant bath and your skin will absorb it. If you make a tea with
thyme you just need a few sprigs and pour hot water over it. Put a saucer
on the top to reduce the escape of the oils and when it has infused or steeped
for about 5 minutes strain then sip slowly and feel that remedy work through
your body.
I
make a syrup with elderberries. I take a good handful of dried berries or
three of fresh, which have been stripped off their stalks as best you
can. A fork may be helpful with this. Pop them into a pan with about 2
tea cups of water, enough to cover the berries. Raise the heat slowly, and
crush with a potato masher as the berries start to warm up. Simmer
gently for about 30minutes. The water turns a deep purple which does stain, so
an apron is good if you are anything like me and mucky! Strain the
berries in a sieve, or muslin jelly bag, put the liquid back in the pan. Add
one pound of good, organic LOCAL honey. Let it simmer a little.
That is your syrup. Bottle it and when cool put it in the
fridge.
Make
a ginger tea by taking a piece of fresh ginger, grating it and pouring hot
water over it in a cup, you could add your thyme at this point and put a saucer
or small plate on top of the cup. When it has steeped/brewed for about
5-10 minutes strain the herbs and then add 2 tablespoons of your syrup.
You will not believe how good it tastes and how good you feel when taking
it. You will develop a sweat, but that is productive and helpful.
You will feel relief quite quickly, and may even sleep for a while. This
remedy is good for children, but omit the thyme if giving to a pregnant lady,
it can stimulate the uterus.
Just
some added thoughts.
That
terrible bunged up feeling one gets is from the mucous which the body produces.
This mucous is seen as BAD by many people, and so
many attempts are made to unblock the nose with sprays etc, and
get rid of it or suppress it. But! Mucous is actually the good guy.
It is there as an emergency response of the body to flush the
virus out of the body and it contains many anti-viral properties. The
trick is to keep it flowing, which is irritating but necessary. Clear
mucus is good but mucous that can’t move will become infected and turn
colour. Generally, dark yellow and green mucus
can
be signs of sinus infection, and light yellow mucus may be an indication that
the air is too dry and causing an imbalance in the delicate membranes of the
nose.
If
you are really bunged up use a netti pot or nasal spray bottle with a salt and
water mix and snort it up. Sounds gross but it works so well that it is
now being marketed for the use of young babies. Excess will quickly drain
out of the nose without harm. (A good pinch of real salt crystals in
about a ¼ cup of water is about right.) Use freely with no side
effects. Or, you could use a traditional menthol and eucalyptus
steam inhalation.
To
keep the mucous running, drink lots of fluids. Your body uses lots when
fighting infections and you need to replace the water loss and keep mucus thin.
Reduce dairy and gluten they are known to increase mucal secretion, which,
let’s face it, when you have a cold enough is enough!
However
tempting, try not to use over the counter products to suppress symptoms.
If you have a fever that is good! Fever is there to kill the virus.
Generally, lowering fevers with aspirin or parcetamol increases the
severity of symptoms and duration of infection. It can also reduce your
body’s ability to deal with further infections at a later date.
You
may have heard the old saying “Feed a cold and starve a fever”.
If you have a fever don’t eat
Your
body is producing proteins which are fighting the virus, these are released by
a mechanism triggered by the fever. If you eat, you will also digest
these valuable proteins. Anyway, quite often, unless you have been
trained to ignore your body, you will actually lose your appetite. Your
body will try to slow you down, making you sleepy and lethargic and you will
feel like that until a drop in temperature signals to the body that you need to
eat!
I
had the great privilege of learning from Paul Bergner’s Vitalist
Treatment of Acute Symptoms C.Ds. See http://naimh.com/dl-acutes.htm and
this is what I learned…
990:
Influenza can no longer replicate
1040: Gonococcus
is negatively affected
1040:
polio virus is reduced
1060:
pneumonia dies (hydration is extremely important)
1060:
spirochetes die (syphilis and lyme’s)
In the normal person
a fever has to get extremely
high before it will cause injury. Human cells start dying at
110o. The risk becomes worrisome when there is dehydration,
leading to electrolyte imbalance and fever in those who are very young, very
old or immunologically compromised.
I
was taught as a young mum as many of you may have been, to give baby
paracetamol syrup, to avert febrile fits. As the years went by, I learned
that febrile convulsions are actually not that common, and good old
elderberry syrup can help reset the fever coping mechanism of the body in
children who may be prone to temperature fits. Here is what Paul Bergner
says again…
Paul Bergner:
Febrile
seizures in children are not correlated with the severity of the fever. The
cause is generally unknown, and they affect 3-5% of children in the U.S.
and about 15% in some countries. Giving antipyretic drugs* does not reduce
the incidence of future seizures in children. Most disappear by age five.
Most do not indicate a serious cerebral disease
*drugs
which reduce fever.
Febrile
convulsions occur in young children when there is a rapid increase in their
body temperature. It affects up to 1 in 20 children between the ages of one and
four but can affect children between six months and about five years old.
Children
who are at risk may naturally have a lower resistance to febrile convulsion
than others. Children may inherit the tendency to suffer febrile
convulsion from their parents.
· If
either parent suffered a febrile convulsion as a child, the risk of the child
getting it rises 10 to 20 per cent.
· If
both parents and their child have at some point suffered a febrile convulsion,
the risk of another child getting it rises 20 to 30 per cent.
Nevertheless,
the child's susceptibility also depends on whether the child frequently gets
infections. About 4 out of 10 children who have had febrile convulsions will
get them again at some stage, although the risk differs greatly from child to
child. The child's risk of febrile convulsion rises if:
· they
are genetically predisposed to it
· they
suffer frequent illnesses, which include high temperatures
· the
first attack of febrile convulsion was accompanied by a relatively low body
temperature - below 39ºC.
· The
attack often begins with the child losing consciousness, and shortly afterwards
the body, legs and arms go stiff.
· The
head is thrown backwards and the legs and arms begins to jerk.
· The
skin goes pale and may even turn blue briefly.
· The
attack ends after a few minutes and the shaking stops. The child goes limp, and
then normal colour and consciousness slowly return.
· Some
children regain consciousness faster than others.
Do
not intervene while the attack is taking place except in the circumstance
outlined below.
Carefully
turn the child's head to one side to prevent choking. In the past, it was
common to place a stick in the child's mouth to prevent bites to the tongue or
lips. This should never be attempted, as it may result in lasting damage to the
teeth.
When
the fit subsides, keep the child in the recovery position, ie lying on its
side. If fits are prolonged or follow each other rapidly, call an ambulance.
The
first time a child suffers febrile convulsions they should be admitted to
hospital. If the child has suffered attacks on earlier occasions,
hospitalisation is not always necessary. However, it is always important, for
example, to determine whether the convulsions are only due to a
harmless viral infection. For this reason, a doctor should always be consulted following an attack.
If anyone suffers a fit or seizure which lasts longer than 5 minutes
call 999. This does not happen too often thankfully but, don’t
misunderstand, fevers can be serious for some and if there is ANY doubt
at all call your G.P/Dr or 999.
So
dear ones…. Last points.
Rest,
relax all you can to give a chance to the immune system to recharge itself.
Your
body needs attention.
Do
you need to look at building you immune system?
Are
you working too hard?
Stressing
out too much?
Take
your remedy of choice.
Drink
lots of fluids.
Reduce
dairy and wheat intake.
Eat
lightly or not at all if suffering a fever.
As
for me… I am now drinking my elder berry and ginger remedy given to me by
Mimz. Lovely…..
