Who knows how you caught it: a playdate for the kids at the trampoline park, shopping at the grocery store with shedders, or maybe it was dropped via chemtrails; perhaps you are detoxing; in any event, severe flu symptoms are flaring and you need natural helps, now.
Stop it in its Tracks Homeopathically
The first hint of respiratory illness is when you want to use Oscillicoccinum. You can find it at most health food stores. If you see others around you going down and notice yourself having a sniffle or sneezing, this is when you immediately take Osc. You might hold the illness back all together, stall it, or cut way back on it’s severity if you do catch it. Note that Osc is ineffective for illness that has already taken hold. Oscillicoccinum isn’t the only ‘preventative.’ Arsenicum Album and Ferrum Phos can also work well. I’ve had a lot of luck holding back flu symptoms with Ferrum Phos over the years. Another trick: if you already work with a Homeopath, now is the time to pull out your Constitutional Remedy. It might get your body back in alignment with wellness. Although acutes can require an entirely different remedy it’s worth a shot to try your Constitutional.
Contact your Homeopath
If you missed that window of prevention, now what? If you work with a Homeopath, now is the time to schedule an acute appointment. She can figure out a remedy to help the body work deeper and faster. Don’t wait because the symptoms of dis-ease are clearer to you at the very beginning, when the change is taking place. Note what makes you feel better/worse; times of day or night that are better/worse; eating/drinking patterns; sides of the body affected. A homeopath is a detective looking for anything that is out of your character yet not normal for an illness such as feeling tired, body aches, or hurting throat. Unfortunately, those are pretty typical of illness and don’t characteristically point to a remedy. Your homeopath will help you sort it out. If your entire house is sick, most likely each person will need their own appointment and remedy. No two cases are exactly alike.
Herbals
I personally like to work with both homeopathics and herbs. In a super efficient, intact immune system, homeopathy is probably all that is needed. Homeopathic remedies are frequency medicine and there is frequency everywhere in your body, in the cells and between them. Homeopathic remedies will just fine tune a healthy immune system and you should be on your way. But today, with so many auto-immune problems, cell towers/wi-f/emf damage, bio-warfare, iatrogenic disease, trauma, poor diets, etc clients often need the actual substance so their bodies can utilize the energy of it. I use herbals and homeopathics opposite each other and only if needed. If the remedy is the only thing needed, I don’t interfere afterwards.
All of my herbal suggestions originate from the incredible, deeply sourced works of Master Herbalists David Hoffman, Stephen H Buhner, and Rosemary Gladstar. After about 20 years of using natural medicine I am very comfortable with their protocols. This post is by no means exclusive nor exhaustive; it’s an eyelash of information geared towards a survival list for stubborn/severe colds and flus which I have used successfully at home and in practice. How to use them is a whole different topic, but if you are a client, I will teach you. The herbs I use are individual, high quality, and organic. Boxed teas at the store are generally none of those things.
What to Have on Hand
Comfrey Root Either dried root or tincture, but I prefer the dried roots to make a hot tea. The comfrey root, as a tea, becomes thick-ish, it has substance that you can see, feel, and know that your mucousal linings, which can be so sore from coughing, are going to be relieved. This visual reassurance is essential for healing. Comfrey root is also an expectorant that will loosen congestion, helping the body get those toxins out.
Licorice Root Commonly found as tincture. I like to get mine from Woodland Essence. You can also buy licorice as dried root and simply make a hot tea with it. Licorice is a demulcent, anti-inflammatory, and an expectorant. Buhner lists it as an essential anti-viral. However, you want to be sure to combine licorice with other herbs. And you don’t want to take it for too long, it is fine to take it for the duration of a flu, but then stop. Licorice easily combines with Comfrey Root. If you have the dried root of each, you can just cook them together (described below.) Licorice will combine well with anything on my list.
Angelica Root is an anti-spasmodic and expectorant. It can be purchased as dried roots or as a tincture. I prefer the dried roots, personally. *Note that dried root Angelica only needs to come to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.
How to cook herbal roots – a Decoction
All the above roots, when purchased dried, can be made together as a decoction. That simply means start with a medium sauce pan of cold, filtered water and add 1-2 tsp of dried root for every 8 ounces. Using a lid on the pan and starting with cold water, bring the ingredients to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, keeping lid on, and just let it cool down before drinking. If you were planning to boil the Comfrey Root, Licorice Root, and Angelica together, just toss in the Angelica when there is just a few minutes left to simmer on your timer. Also, if you only have one of the roots above, that is fine. I listed a few so that in the event you can’t find one, there are others to pick from, but when you can combine at least two, it makes them both more powerful.
How to cook leaves, flowers, buds – Infusion
The rest of the herbs below, if they are purchased fresh, are made by infusion (a big word that just means boiled water is poured over the herbs then steeped several minutes with a cover, like a plate, so the steam doesn’t escape. Drink when it cools enough. OR what I do is just boil a large pan of fresh, filtered water, remove from heat, toss my herbs directly into the pan, cover with lid and steep for 20 minutes or so until cool enough to drink. I just strain it directly into a mug to drink and save the rest in a large Mason jar with labeled lid to drink throughout the day.
About Tinctures
All of these herbs can be purchased as tinctures but please note: Never take herbal tinctures full strength. I have one exception that I may cover later, but as a whole, mix a few drops, 10 to 30 drops (start low and work up) in 2 to 4 ounces of water and drink. If you have a handful of tinctures, it is fine to mix, in fact, herbs like to work together; but increase the amount of water so the mixture is not so strong and horrid tasting. An idea is to have a mug of warm, filtered water (not steaming, you’ll lose your good herbal properties into the air) and put the drops of tinctures in there. Alternatively, one can put the drops in coffee, hot chocolate, smoothies, juice, or even bone broth. Personally, I like to keep the vessel small, like 2-4 ounces, because herbs are expensive. It’s no good making a smoothie for someone who normally loves them, but now they are sick with no appetite so the smoothie is wasted and worse, so are the herbs! Little kids especially can be unpredictable when ill. A juice they drank a whole glass of yesterday is the same juice they will refuse today. So, I like to keep ‘short accounts’ with my herbal medicines: a few tinctures, ¼ dropper of each, into 2 to 4 ounces of filtered water.
**If you are a client of mine, you know how particular I am about alcohol, especially with children. Tinctures are preserved in alcohol. Since we are only using drops, the amount is miniscule; however, with liver issues and children, I like to burn this alcohol off. All you need to do is make sure that whatever you are putting the tincture into, is hot. Just a little bit of steam to burn off the alcohol into the air but not the properties of the herb. There is a sweet spot here. I have some clients who don’t care either way because the amount of alcohol is so tiny, but I do include this info for sensitive people, liver’ish people, and children.
Herbs and Tinctures to Have on Hand
Aniseed is an expectorant, an anti-spasmodic that is great for irritable and persistent coughing like you see in bronchitis and whooping coughing
Coltsfoot is an expectorant, anti-tussive, demulcant, anti-catarrhal used in persistant cough situations such as bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, and even emphysema.
White Horehound is an expectorant, anti-spasmodic in bronchitis or where there is a nonproductive cough and it can improve expectoration and be helpful in whooping cough.
Lobelia respiratory stimulant, anti-asthmatic, anti-spasmodic, expectorant. This is a wonderful herb to relax the respiratory system yet encourage catarrhal secretion.
Pleurisy Root expectorant, antispasmodic. Useful in Pleurisy, pneumonia, and influenza. It also is a diaphoretic, so it will cause you to sweat.
Red Clover Expectorant and anti-spasmodic useful for coughs, bronchitis, and whooping cough. It is also wonderful for eczmea or psoriasis and very useful for children.
Hyssop anti-spasmodic, expectorant, useful in coughs, bronchitis, and chronic catarrh. Combines well with horehound and coltsfoot for coughs and bronchitis. For the common cold, mix with boneset, elder flower and pepperint.
Plantain a demulcent for irritated membranes during cough, expectorant.
Lomatium is an expectorant, a mucous membrane tonic, and anti-spasmodic. The root can be used, the seeds can be used, but it is most often used as a tincture. It combines well with licorice, red root, and pleurisy root. If you have the others as roots that you boiled, just add in the tincture– like a ¼ to ½ dropper, after your simmered roots have been cooled and strained.
Marshmallow leaf demulcent, expectorant, diuretic, emolient for bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, and irritating coughs.
Rhodiola This is also a root, but is easily bought as a tincture and easily added to other cooked herbs or tinctures. It gives great energy and aids in recovery from long term illnesses and infection. Rhodiola is best taken in morning and early afternoon, but not after.
Other Supplements to have on hand
Chicken Bone Broth (Organic) These often have a decent shelf life so you can keep a few on hand.
Electrolytes (No artificial colors, dyes, flavors, etc.)
Ricola Lozenges Original Formula
Quercitin
Zinc
Selenium
Vitamin C
Vitamin D – If you have a warm sunny day and can get outside, this is the desirable form.
Vitamin B’s (methylcobalamin, folate, or folinic acid) (b12, b6 (as p5p), b2, b1, b17)
Ground Flax Seed (organic) – used as a poultice on linen for respiratory. Poultices are really a lost art, I think. Put 1/2 cup Ground Flax in a bowl, then stir in hot water, just enough to make a paste. Using a spatula or spoon, put it onto a linen. I like to fold a pillow case (that I plan to throw out, but you can certainly try to wash it afterwards) into fourths and use one side. Put the paste on the linen, like a rectangle. Then put the pillow case over the chest, Flax Seed side down. Let it sit there for three hours, if you can. Rinse off afterwards. This is an amazing way to loosen congestion. You can even put a hot water bottle or heating pad over the top if you want, but is not required.
Chapstick (New Leaf Holistic) – For lips that get really chapped during fever. My personal formula available as tubes or in tins on my website with free shipping. www.newleafholistic.com. Press the STORE tab on the menu.
Garlic – Do not be without this. If you don’t want to fuss with fresh garlic, grab the Kyolic Garlic that is in capsules.
Hyland’s homeopathic Ear Ache Drops – for complaints of ear pain. If you have an otoscope and can see redness or infection in the ear drum, these drops can be very useful. Do not use if the drum has burst; however, often if an eardrum has burst the pain is not present anymore.
Auntie Vi’s formula This is a product from Woodland Essence which includes Licorice, Isatis, Houttunyia, and Cryptolepis, a handful of the best anti-virals as per Buhner. (Auntie Vi – anti-viral, get it? It took me a minute too. Crazy what censorship forces us to do.) Personally, I usually have no less than 4 ounces of this on hand, but shoot for an 8 ounce bottle if you can afford it. It will keep on a cool, dark shelf for several years.
Pine Gum Essential Oil a drop of this essential oil in filtered, steaming water, using a towel over the head and doing a facial steam bath to get the oil into the sinus and lungs to help get stubborn congestion out.
Herbs, tinctures, and homeopathics will last for many years when stored properly. This will help you be ready for the next time you or someone you love gets ‘the crud.’ I may come back and add tips or other things I forgot. And, remember, you don’t have to have every single thing here. If you are able to grab several of the herbs in addition to the comfrey root, you’ll be in good shape. I made a large list so you can pick and choose if you have to.
Dependable Places to Buy Organic Herbs
Woodland Essence, Mountain Rose Herbs, and Present Moment, are companies I use to buy organic herbs in dried form as well as tinctures. My website is New Leaf Holistic if you are looking for a Classical Homeopath or Certified Biofeedback Specialist.
Links to Homeopathic Kits
The reason to have a kit at home is because in an any emergency, or with the flu or colds, once you have an appt with your homeopath, you want these remedies on hand so you can take them once prescribed. She will figure out your case and most likely, the remedy needed is in this kit, but you need to have it on hand. Otherwise, you must wait on the mail which is frustrating when you are ill.
This kit is fabulous, in 200c potency. These would not be used in Chronic Care but rather in acute cases, such as a flu or other respiratory issue that comes on suddenly. Also it is great for falls/bruising/accidents and a multitude of emergencies. 200c is a great emergency potency to have for kids too. https://mirandacastro.com/shop/miranda-castros/200c-home-emergency-kit/
A less expensive version is here https://homeopathykits.com/products/emergency-kit This is also a great kit, it just doesn’t have as many remedies, but will still cover a vast amount of emergencies and comes in a nice 200c. Again, these would not be used in Chronic Care, but rather for Acutes.
The Detox Depot 