I have come down with a lousy winter cold. My head is stuffed up. I have a deep cough. This shouldn’t happen to me. I’m an herbalist, after all. But it did. Kinda embarrassing actually. And this is how I handle it, along with whining.
As I’m brewing more tea, I decided to take a photo of my countertop to show you how I deal with being sick. I set out everything I might need to make it easier to grab. Then I’m more likely to use it! I change things up as my symptoms shift. But it all stays out until I feel better. I keep in mind that my herb mentor, Lise Wolff, contends that it is good to get at least one cold annually to strengthen your immune system. My immune system should be pretty strong after this! That’s some of the whining part of my being sick.
Here's an overview of what I have set out on my counter.
The tray with all sort of cooking spices and herbs is exactly that – dried herbs and spices that I use in cooking and baking. I’ve been doing steams with many of those, focusing largely on oregano, basil, thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, bay leaves, whatever seems good to me at the time. Cinnamon stick was actually pretty nice addition with my last steam! I combine several different herbs in a glass bowl, pour over boiling water, and breathe in the steam with a towel-tent over my head. It feels so good. I’ve suggested steaming with pine needles before. I was lazy this time and am simply using my dried herbs.
Fire cider: My colds typically start out with a sore throat. Gargling with fire cider has proven to be quite effective with sore throats. My husband sips on fire cider anytime he knows he’s been exposed to germs. He’s been sipping a good amount of fire cider lately!
Vitamin C powder: I take doses of vitamin C powder every couple of hours or so through the day as it’s a decent antihistamine, helps to loosen mucus, and is reported to shorten the duration of illness. I like to use the powdered form to avoid the fillers used to make tablets or other forms of supplements.
The tincture line-up:
Lobelia inflata – to calm spasmodic coughing. We take it with mullein for coughs that keeps us awake at night. Keep in mind that the common name for Lobelia inflata is Pukeweed. Be warned: excessive amounts of lobelia inflata may cause vomiting. I first tried it several years ago when my coughing was so severe, I decided vomiting would be an improvement. I never vomited and the coughing stopped and I slept! We’ve turned to that combo ever since.
Mullein leaf – provides very effective respiratory system support with a long history of healing and supporting a broad assortment of health challenges!
Elderberry – highly regarded and a much-researched herb for supporting winter health with potent antiviral activity against influenza and other respiratory viruses. Check out Elderberry for Winter Health for more information about elderberry. We had become very lax about taking elderberry regularly. Oops. Teachers who I have worked with who have taken elderberry tincture regularly credit that with keeping them healthy despite all the kid-germs swirling about them daily. Point taken.
Star anise – contains shikimic acid, which is the active ingredient in Tamiflu. And it tastes so good. I put several drops in my tea throughout the day.
Lemon balm – great antiviral that I’ve decided to start using more often after recently hearing in a North Country Herbalist Guild meeting that lemon balm seems to improve every herbal blend she makes. Lemon balm is a favorite of so many herbalists, I decided to start turning to it more often, too.
Spilanthes – my all-time favorite antiviral, antibacterial, winter-health-supporting herb. When sick, I add spilanthes to my tea regularly, too, along with taking drops sublingually. When I have a sore throat, I squirt the tincture toward the back of my mouth to numb the pain of the sore throat while also healing the tissues.
Chamomile – calming both to the nervous system and to the digestive tract. Considered a go-to herb with many herbalists to help with persons who are whiny when sick. Maybe I should take more.
Catnip – also great for calming an upset stomach, along with chamomile. Catnip can offer pretty good sleep support, too, when you feel miserable.
Goldenrod – my go-to for many cold or allergy related symptoms including congestion, digestion, mood, and so much more.
Japanese Knotweed – I just added this one to my line-up today. I feel like I’ll never be well – yep, whining. Japanese knotweed was so beneficial when I had COVID, I decided to try it out now. Research supports it limits replication of a virus as well as easing inflammation. It might be in my head, but I think I feel some better already!
Grindelia – to help tighten mucus membranes to make breathing easier. Grindelia is also a decent expectorant and may help to calm spasmodic coughs.
Plantain salve (in the tin) – I swab plantain salve up my nostrils (yep, really) and massage onto my sinuses to encourage the mucus to break up and flow out. Tip - keep tissues handy.
Boneset honey – I made this last summer by pouring local raw honey over cut-up flowering tops of boneset. I’ve been adding it to my tea regularly as it has a long history of helping the body heal through influenza and other winter challenges.
For a bit more information about most of these herbs, check out my Herbs A to Z page.
Onion garlic honey – so good for you for so many reasons. It actually tastes great! When I have felt especially miserable, I have used the onion garlic honey as a base for a concoction I call, “Woe Is Me”. To some strained onion garlic honey, I add fire cider and tinctures according to my symptoms. Then I sip this off a spoon throughout the day. I like this method especially with sore throats, being sure to add in spilanthes tincture to ease the pain of the sore throat while healing the tissues.
This is simply how I’ve been using herbs with my current cold. If you asked another herbalist, you would likely get a completely different list and protocol! As you become better acquainted with medicinal herbs, you too will come up with your go-to protocol.
Another tip – you can make your own herbal remedies! If you are interested in doing this, stay tuned for classes this summer for learning how to make tinctures, oils, and other herbal preparations. Then you, too, can just turn to your shelf of home crafted products to support your health and the health of those in your community. I do have tips for making herbal remedies on my website, too. However, I think the best way to learn is in person, with both an herbalist and the herbs!
Until then, I do make extra herbal remedies each year. I might be a bit biased, but I think my tinctures are quite effective! Let me know if you need anything.
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