Cough Relief?

I confess I purchased my first nonherbal cough medicine the other day. Some store brand expectorant. I can't say why I took this plunge when I truly believe in the power of herbal expectorants. Here is a long list of those plants including some which I currently have in stock at home: Cedarwood oil, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Garlic, and Red Root. I have been drinking this tea of ginger, garlic, red root, osha, echinacea and lemon everyday for a week. The garlic has been great as an antimicrobial for all that mucus in my lungs. I've honestly never seen red root before until I started looking at images online. It has a very pretty flower.

[Image taken from anniesremedy.com]

 

 

Perhaps the reason why it's been so difficult for me to get over this cold/flu is because I don't have enough information. I realized this after reviewing these articles by Rosalee de la Foret. There are many ways of approaching the treatment of coughs that I hadn't considered. Such as the distinction between stimulating and relaxing expectorants. I have been taking a lot of ginger but I've had a dry, unproductive cough. Oh well.

 

The best part is what I will do next time. I've never made my own syrup or cough drops before and I shall try that. Something to look forward to.



Flu, Change & Climate Change

I've been getting flu waves through my body over the last few weeks after making a significant hormonal change. On top of that I am moving to a new home. Change has a way of suppressing immune function if one is not careful to bolster that. In the past I have written about strengthening the immune system: http://herbdiaryseattle.blogspot.com/2012/09/echinacea-purpurea-dreams.html#!/2012/09/echinacea-purpurea-dreams.html or http://herbdiaryseattle.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-is-immunity-really.html#!/2012/04/what-is-immunity-really.html

I read an article today in Science News titled "More Severe Flu Seasons Predicted Due to Climate Change". One study just demostrated that heavy flu seasons follow warm winters. They studied flu and climate patterns since 1997 - a fair amount of time. I wonder if this is also true for places like Seattle with mild-warm winters. If the planet keeps getting warmer, though, perhaps people's bodies will adapt.

Still I am focused on right now. Which is to be well enough to work. Here are my top 7 natural healing techniques to rid the flu from my body, for good:

1. Clean drinks: no caffeine, no alcohol, just water - lemon water or tea, lemon ginger tea with a little honey to soothe my throat, warm salt water gargles; here are three tea recipes to consider
2. Clean food: stay away from mucus-forming dairy and soy, I am focused on simple soups like miso or lentil, with vegetables not stewed too long and full of nutrient-density
3. Rest: sleeping more even if that means putting tasks off, reading in bed, restorative yoga (Yoga Journal has a full category of poses on their website)
4. Aromatherapy: steam baths from the shower, lighting essential oils in my room like lavendar or eucalyptus, perhaps even using tea tree (as an antiseptic)
5. Spice: ginger in my tea, or garlic or cayenne in my soup, or horseradish. Somebody offered me an intense lemon garlic drink that I'm reading about now online that is great for fighting infections. A recipe is here.
6. Fresh air: even though I don't feel like going out in the rain, a bit of tempered exercise can only help move toxins through my system. A good excuse to take a little trip to the store for eucalyptus oil or tumeric spice.
7. Mind control: oh I will get better soon if I believe I can