Your throat has a little tickle and feels tight. Your sinuses are raw. Youʼre tired and achy. Maybe you have a fever. We have all experienced that sinking feeling when you realize you are getting sick.
It seems so strange that while my husband and I may share the “same” illness, our symptoms arenʼt always the same. His colds go immediately to his chest, with lots of coughing and wheezing. Mine go to my sinuses and throat and I lose my voice. Other symptoms may be the same, but some are unique to each of us. Our approach to dealing with illness is also unique...I prefer to use safe, natural remedies.
Have you ever used ginger to stop an oncoming respiratory illness? In his book Herbal Antivirals, Stephen Harrod Buhner extols the medicinal actions of this familiar root. He advises its use at the first signs of illness. It can “cut down sick time to 3 days or less and the episode will often be mild”. Even if the illness has already taken hold it helps to relieve symptoms and shorten duration.
Buhner gives these recipes: Juice a root about the size of a medium to large carrot. Combine 1/4 cup of the fresh ginger juice with 12 ounces hot water, 1 tablespoon wildflower honey, the juice of one-quarter of a lime, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Drink 4-6 cups per day. If you donʼt have a juicer this alternate method works as well...Grate or chop a root about the size of your thumb as finely as possible. Steep in 8-12 ounces of hot water for 2-3 hours, covered in order to preserve the essential oils in the tea. Drink 4-6 cups daily. Acting as a strong anti-viral herb ginger also calms nausea, reduces diarrhea and stomach cramping, reduces fever, chills and bronchial inflammation, thins mucus and relieves cough. Buhner believes gingerʼs analgesic relief is equal or better than ibuprofen. **Large doses should be avoided in pregnancy**
Did you know that horseradish can be used to clear up congestion? Finely grate a fresh root. Place in your hands or a small bowl. Cupping your hands around the grated root, inhale deeply through your nose. Hold for four counts and exhale. Repeat. You can also take the freshly grated root and mix it with enough apple cider vinegar to make a paste consistency. Place 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon in your mouth, slowly chew and swallow. Breathing deeply through your nose while doing so. Both methods work but the first is a little less painful.
Onions for a cough? Chop onions and place in a glass or stainless steel pan. Cover with raw, unadulterated honey. The honey should be at least 1/2 inch above the onions. Heat with low heat (under 130˚ or below). This can also be done in a double boiler. Cook until onions are clear. Strain and press out the liquid. Use as a cough syrup by taking a teaspoon into the mouth and holding it as it slowly trickles down the throat. It may be used every 15 minutes or half hour, as needed. To make this act as an expectorant or demulcent (relieving inflammation) cough syrup you can add licorice root powder or horehound herb, or wild cherry bark. This should be done before heating and in the amount of one ounce of herb to each pint of honey.
Christopher, Dr. John R. Herbal Home Health Care. Springville, UT: Christopher Publications, 1976.
Buhner, Stephen Harrod. Herbal Antivirals, Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2013
