Cold and Flu Advice by Miz Otter, The Village Wisewoman

  Cold and Flu Advice by Miz Otter, The Village Wisewoman

Cold and Flu Advice

by Miz Otter, The Village Wisewoman

Hello!  You get right in here before you catch a chill!  Oh!…bless you.  Already caught one, I see.  You and half the village, sniffling and sneezing all over.  No wonder at all everybody s getting it.

Take that chair there by the fire --
PUFF, GET OFF OF THOSE BOOKS ALREADY! –
and get warm while I fix you a nice cuppa St. John s Wort tea.  

There you go, with a nice cinnamon stick and a bit of honey.  Not much better in the world for a case of the sniffles.  St. John s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a powerful herb for whipping a virus into submission and even the cinnamon and honey are bacteria-killers.  You sip that down while I pack up a few things for you to take home.  If I remember rightly, you and the mister have a little one – might they be sniffling too?  Not yet?  Good!  Let s see if we can keep it away from them while we re fixing you.  Hmmm.  A little bit of this, a jar of that, where s that bag?  Ah, here it is.  Some of this, a smidge of…here, let me tell you what all I m sending and how to use it

This jar is Echinacea (Echinacea purpura) tea.  You make you a cup of that and drink it three times a day, and have the husband and youngster drink a cup too.  That ll boot your immune system into gear to help you get rid of the cold and them to not get it.

This little box is more of the St. John s wort.  You can make it separately or just mix it in with the Echinacea when you make your tea.

This bag here is some fresh garlic (Allium sativum)!  Naw, you don t hang it around your neck!  Chop it up and eat it, either sautéed with some nice veggies or in a good pot of chicken soup or veggie soup.  Don t worry about garlic breath – when your breath smells of garlic that just means the active elements in the garlic are coming through your lungs, right where you want them to be when you have a cold or flu.  Garlic is as powerful an antiviral as St. John s wort.

This little bottle here is just for your nose.  Inside is a cotton ball soaked in Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) essential oil.  You don t ever want to swallow eucalyptus oil, but when your nose gets stuffy, just take the cap off, stick your nose up close to the top and take a BIG sniff or two.  Then put the cap back on tight until you need it again.

This jar has powdered Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) herb.  Use a tablespoonful in a cup of hot water to make a nice tea and have a cup twice a day.  Elderberry contains compounds that prevent viruses from spreading to and through the respiratory tract, so it d be a good one for your husband and baby too, to help keep them from getting what you ve got.

Stop at the market on your way home and pick up a fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale) root.  Ginger has close to a dozen antiviral compounds so use it generously!  Shred the root and use it to make tea.  Just keep a thermos of it handy and sip throughout the day.  You ll feel lots better – it also helps suppress coughing, soothes aches and is a mild sedative so you can get some healing rest.  While you re at the market, get a bunch of black cherries to nibble.  They re loaded with vitamin C and will sooth your scratchy throat some.

At least you don t have to worry about the pets.  Your kitty and dog can t get your cold, so they should be fine.  If one of them should pick up a mild respiratory infection, you can t get it either, so if you want to nap with your pets to make you feel better, go right ahead. Don t let either of  em eat your eucalyptus cotton ball, though.  It d make them even sicker than it would you, if you swallowed it.  Kitty may like the smell and that s okay, just no eating.

Well, you get on home now.  Don t need to be out in this weather any longer than necessary.  Get your hubby to brew you up some tea and you get warm and comfy in bed.  If you need anything else, you send him on over.  I ll be here.
                                                                                                                             

Editorial Note:  These articles are meant to increase knowledge of the use of plants in treating various conditions.  They are not intended to, nor can they, replace the advice and treatment of a licensed medical provider.  A licensed practitioner of medicine should always be consulted for an accurate diagnosis and for supervision of the use of any herbal treatment.  Pug Manor urges all visitors to seek the best medical advice available to receive the best, most informed treatment.  Pug Manor is not responsible for any unsupervised use of any herb or alternative treatment for any condition by any visitor to our site.