Eeeewwwww! It's here! Cold and flu season has already greeted my household. My clothes from yesterday and today display the signs. The 3 youngest (ages 4mos., 22mos. and 3yrs.) have a cold. They each had slight fevers for less than a day. I'm not worried though. I am so thankful for the arsenal for this season that God has given me through years of research. I can't keep it all to myself. Here's hoping you can have some success and not have to trapse off to the doctor's office too often this year. Wouldn't it be marvelous if you could navigate this year's onslaught without the use of antibiotics and instead actually have your whole family come out of a cold/flu healthier than before? This can really happen if you learn a few simple but highly effective tricks that will kill the virus/bacteria and boost immune systems for the better, instead of weaken them, the way antibiotics do. Here are a few things I've found incredibly successful.
First, for overall health, you HAVE to cut back on refined sugar. Sugar perpetuates all sorts of things you don't want to deal with, but especially at this time of year, it collects mucus, making it tougher to keep the toxins out of your system. Cow milk also does this. At first sign of a cold, say bye-bye to the milk jug until you're past it. I could write post after post on milk, but that's for another day.
Second, yarrow. This is an amazing flu-stopping, fever-reducing herb. It is very bitter, but well worth it. My older kids will chug it all by itself, but they're used to concoctions of this sort. For the younger kids I make it with equal parts of peppermint and add lots of raw honey (babies under 1 yr., add maple syrup or molasses). I get my supply from The Bulk Herb Store. To make the tea, cover 1 heaping tsp. of yarrow with 8oz. boiling water. Steep for 10-20min. I add about a tsp. of raw honey to each cup, or to taste. Research on this herb shows that the tincture of this mixture was not as effective against flu and fever as the tea, so unfortunately, we have to drink it. The key to making this really potent against sickness is to catch it early!
Third, garlic. I get garlic powder from the same source, The Bulk Herb Store. I love this site. My sister turned me onto it a couple years ago and I have found it invaluable. I also by capsules from them and fill them with the garlic. Take as many of these as you like. My kids will take them. If yours won't, you can mix the garlic into their uncooked food. I also sprinkle a good green drink powder into the baby's uncooked food (usually plain goat yogurt) when he/she is sick. I like Garden of Life's Perfect Food for many reasons.
Fourth, cayenne. It is rare to need this, but for serious sicknesses, I have found it very useful. I get the powder and fill capsules for this as well. It heats up your gut and causes a great immune reaction and kills all kinds of bad guys.
These are my main go-to's in this season. I rely on The Bulk Herb Store for lots of other herbal teas, etc., which you can take a look at for yourself, but what I have posted today is what I have found to be the most successful, hands down. All of these are safe for pregnant and nursing mamas. Remember, the key with herbal remedies is to use them early and in abundance. You cannot simply take one capsule and a cup of tea and hope that will do it. We're talking 4 or more cups of yarrow and at least 3 garlic capsules. In the future I will post on how to help babies in cold and flu season. To your health!
Book Recommendations: Herbal Antibiotics, The How To Herb Book
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