(A Look Back at) Herbal Strategies for Winter Health

March 22, 2011

A lot of natural living bloggers featured "getting ready for cold and flu season" type posts last fall.

That is what savvy bloggers do. They plan ahead and know what people will want to read in a given month and they create content to fill that need.

Me, on the other hand, I'm was too busy enjoying fall in October to give much thought to writing about herbs for winter health. But what I did do was read those posts, as well as ordered some herbs to prepare our family to naturally treat winter sickness.

Now that spring is officially here I'd like to share my herbal strategies for winter health, based on our experience this past winter. If you decide to grow any of these herbs now is a great time to think about what you want to plant. And if you decide to buy dried herbs to make your own preparations it's never too early to plan what you need.

I know this sounds like a lame excuse for posting ideas after the winter cold and flu season but at least this way I can honestly tell you what did and didn't work for our family instead of giving you an "I think I might try this" approach.

Prevention

We were once again blessed with great health this winter. During the first week of February, ironically while I was choosing to embrace winter, the kids had small colds that ran their course in a few days. Everyone was well enough by the weekend for our annual winter backpacking/camping trip. One minor illness was the extent of our winter sickness. 

There are a few things we do to build our immunity to prepare for and prevent illness:

• Vitamin D supplements - We use a liquid form and take it daily from about September till May. We spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer and don't feel the need for it then. Damien has done all the research on this in our household. I take the dosage he recommends, I don't remember what it is. 
• Nutrition - In this post I talk about our dietary guidelines. My thoughts are echoed in this recent guest post by Jennifer L. Sanders on nutritarian eating. For more nutritional resources check out my recommended books at FIMBY's Amazon affiliate bookstore. 
• Exercise and rest - We listen to our bodies. When we are tired we sleep. We don't push ourselves if we feel we're coming down with something. We exercise (the kids and Damien on a daily basis, I am more irregular with that) and spend time outdoors.

It's hard to know and would be impossible to scientifically prove whether our relative low sickness is due to our kids growing out of the "susceptible to every passing germ" stage or our increased nutrition and care for our well being. Both transformations happened simultaneously over the past five to six years. 

All I know is that we average one cold per fall/winter season (per person). And a fairly mild one at that.  

Here's a few of my herbal strategies for how I manage colds and lessen the uncomfortable symptoms. 

Herbal Preparations

Last fall, after reading the series at Keeper of the Home I ordered a large quantity of herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs. I wanted to be prepared, just in case. It turned out I was over prepared (our family doesn't need a lot of herbs for how much we get sick) and now need to figure out what to do with some of these herbs before we move. 

Herbs for tinctures:

Here's simple directions from the Bulk Herb Store for making a tincture and this is a video from Mountain Rose Herbs. 

• Elderberries - Without a doubt this is my favorite herb to use for immunity. Easy to prepare and tastes good.

Last fall I made both a vodka tincture and glycerin tincture. After they were done infusing and I had strained out the berries, I mixed the two together for a not-so-potent but well preserved cold fighting medicine. Mixing the glycerin with the vodka cuts down on the strong alcohol content which I like since I mostly give this to the kids.

We use this tincture at the first sign of a tickle in the throat, a "run down" feeling or little cough. By the end of December (I gave some as a gift) it was nearly gone so I started a new batch. That batch still sits in my cupboard, hardly used. 

• Echinacea - I almost always keep an echinacea vodka tincture on hand. I use this similar to elderberry tincture. My kids find it less palatable than elderberries but I often add it to my tea when I'm feeling a little "under the weather". 
• Licorice - I use a glycerin licorice tincture to treat Brienne's cold sores (herpes simplex virus) which are more prevalent during winter. I administer this orally and topically. 

Herbs for teas, syrups and other remedies:

I use these herbs most regularly for making tea - both infusions (tea made with leaves, flowers, and light materials) and decoctions (tea made with bark, roots, seeds, and berries).

• Slippery Elm - I use this for sore throats, cough syrup and digestive issues. If you use this once you'll know how it gets its name - it's kind of goopey. Techinically it's called a mucilaginous herb and is very soothing for internal or external inflammation.
• Marshmallow Root - Used mostly for sore throats. Easy to grow in your own garden and is a good substitute for slippery elm. 
• Mullein - Also easy to grow, basically a weed. It's recommended as an oil for ear infections. Also good for cough formulas and respiratory issues. 
• Red Clover - Excellent for coughs, colds and bronchitis. Also rich in minerals. I blend it with other herbs for sore throat tea. 
• Rosehips - High in vitamin C and antioxidants. I blend with other herbs for flavor and to boost the nutritional content of a tea.
• Chamomile - So mild and wonderful for children. Calming and anti-inflammatory. I bought it to have on hand but honestly haven't used it much.
• Peppermint - We drink peppermint tea almost every day. If the kids complain of a sore throat, headache, or upset tummy I brew a pot of peppermint tea. I can honestly say the bulk peppermint from MRH has been the best peppermint herb we've brewed.

I used a combination of the some of the above herbs (and a few others) to make cough syrup for the kids during their one cold. I have more than just these herbs in my cupboard but the ones I listed are those I use most often.

We tried horehound but found it very bitter for our tastes. Just ask my sister-in-law who received a large batch of bitter sore throat tea mix as a birthday gift (smile).

~~~

Like I mentioned above I bought more herbs than I could possibly use this past winter (live and learn). If you live locally and would like to buy some of these herbs from me for a very reduced rate I'd love to connect with you. 

Resources

• I am an affiliate with Mountain Rose Herbs and will receive a small benefit if you order anything from their site after clicking there from FIMBY. 
• I can't recommend enough Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. It's my go-to source for herbal recipes. My second best resource (less recipe, more theory) is Practical Herbalism by Peter Fritchey.
• The Bulk Herb Store and Mountain Rose Herbs have great YouTube Channels with how-to videos for preparing your own herbal remedies. 

In this post I intended to include foods we eat that I also use to treat colds (miso, lemon, ginger, garlic etc). But I decided this was long enough. That post is still in the works though so stay tuned. 

{And now the disclaimer: Use all this information at your own risk. I am not licensed to dispense medical information. None of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.}