Sage is also an active ingredient in some natural mouthwashes because its tannins are thought to help kill the bacteria that cause gingivitis. Sage has traditionally been used to treat canker sores, bleeding gums, sore throat, tonsillitis, and laryngitis. Recent laboratory studies support the use of sage to guard against infection-it has demonstrated an ability to fight against several infection-causing bacteria. Some herbalists and, in Germany physicians, recommend gargling hot sage to soothe pain from sore throat and tonsillitis.
Basil tea, made from the fresh or dried herb, may be used to encourage a slight sweat in the early stages of a cold, thus reducing feverishness. A pinch of ground cloves may also be added for flavor and encourage reduction of fever.
Mullein flower tea has a pleasant taste and is good to soothe inflamed conditions of the mucous membrane lining the throat. Also relieves coughing. Put a small handful of the mullein flowers in 1 pint of boiling water. Allow to steep 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey.
fresh Thyme will help break congestion.
eucalyptus kills 80% staph infection bacteria burn the oil to cleanse the air and dab under nose and on chest to aid congestion.
oil of oregano is another strong antibiotic if taken in pure form will burn , I normally will capsule and swallow fast ;) a little goes a long way here
also just eating oregano fresh is quite beneficial.
bay leaf, tumeric anti-inflammatory
thank you for this note Loro.
for my cold, i followed your advice, and made a tea out the herbs i had in the closet. found rosemary, thyme, basil, and bay leaves. i didnt have any fresh ones, but wanted to dry the dry ones anyhows.
what i found mostly interesting was to try making the "cooking spices" into a tea.
i am not sure as to the results on my cold, but i sure know that it didnt hurt and even felt nice as a tea.
for colds, i am also a big fan of a liter of good orange juice a day. raw garlic, pepper and ginger brews.
QuoteMullein flower tea has a pleasant taste and is good to soothe inflamed conditions of the mucous membrane lining the throat. Also relieves coughing. Put a small handful of the mullein flowers in 1 pint of boiling water. Allow to steep 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey.
Just a note about Mullien. If you grow it, be careful about letting it go to flower and seed. If you let it go to seed, you will soon have more than you could ever want! LOL! It literally grows like a weed and doesn't need much to thrive and take over.
Beautiful, tall plant with big wooly leaves.
j :P
thanks jikuhchagi, thats good to know about the mullien. Glad your feeling better fuzz. I think it is good to have some more common herbal treatments. That tyme will rid all kinds of congestion IE congested bowls as well ;)
Garden sage(Salvia officinalis) even has an anti-histamine like effect. Thyme has thymol to help with sore throats. Pepper mint can help relieve sore thoughts with its mild local anesthetic effect, as well. Most mellows have mucilage that can act like an expectorant, and of course ephedra is a decongestant. Common China tea has theophilline that can help with clearing the lungs. Of course, we can't forget chili as a decongestant as well, and it goes so well in chicken soup.
Kratom as Medicine
BTW fellow kratom enthusiasts, here we are at the start of the cold and flue season again. Well one has found kratom to have a good medicinal effect for treating cold symptoms. The stimulant side of it acts as a decongestant, the opiate-like effect acts as an anti-tussive(cough suppressant) and the constipating effect can be an anti-diarrhea treatment.
I made elderberry tincture last year and while it lasted, it seemed to keep colds and flus at bay very well. Haven't made any yet this year and I've already had two long-lasting colds. :( I'm going to start a batch this afternoon.
In a glass jar with a good lid (such as a food canning jar):
* fill 1/3 with elderberries
* fill the rest of the way with cheap vodka, minimum 80 proof
* put the lid on tight and let sit 7-10 days out of exposure to light
* strain, and squeeze as much tincture as possible out of the berries w/ cheesecloth
Take a couple tablespoons of the tincture, every 4-6 hours, at the first sign of cold or flu.
I like it in a mug of hot water with a little honey, and 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger stirred in to take the edge off the body aches.
You can get dried elderberries by the pound from an online herbal wholesaler; I'm not sure if I'm allowed to put their name or link here though. A pound costs less than a movie ticket and is enough for three quart-jar batches.
What a great thread.
The use of rosemary has helped many a cough, by the way.
We have it growing wild mostly all year, so it's a viable remedy during all the transition seasons.
Pick a few sprigs of the cleanest branches, rinse off the bugs, put it in a cup and pour boiling water over it.
Let it steep for 5 -10 minutes and drink.
If you love it, it's also a comfort drink during the misery of constant cough. It's an expectorant, meaning it encourages the expulsion of phlegm and makes each cough more efficient for getting rid of the stuff.
May this season be less cold-ful.
Rosemary is also a nootropic like ginkgo.
Back on subject, rosemary and the other Italian seasoning herbs would go well in a chicken soup along with cayenne to drink when a cold has set in.
Other common herbs with medicinal and beneficial effects include
ginger
mint
cinnamon
valerian
Garlic and chilies. I add them *heavily* to my cooking when I'm getting a cold. Ginger, too. Of course, I can just chew on fresh ginger forever even at my healthiest. Good for hangovers, too! :wink:
I used to eat a homemade chili and garlic paste whenever I felt a cold coming on, but eventually stopped after I got married. :D
Am told that tea made from leaves of the Erythroxylum genus is very useful for colds but, well, you know....
Also tea-wise, Yerba santa and Ephedra are good for symptoms. Mullein est bueno, too. But I'll tell ya: a combination of a good Echinacea extract and--- yeah, not a herb---some Cold-eeze or Zicam (zinc-based cold remedy) taken faithfully immediately upon the onset of symptoms is the reason I don't get colds of more than three or four days duration anymore.
My brother and his girlfriend swear by saline nasal irrigation (or whatever it's called), but I can't quite bring myself to fill my head full of water....
Quote from: "X. Torris"I used to eat a homemade chili and garlic paste whenever I felt a cold coming on, but eventually stopped after I got married.
Plants make flowers, therefore life goes on.
Hello folks, i have to tell ya, I've had a hell of a cold for a month and my sinus infection just cleared up about four days ago. I'm totally broke right now but have a few things here that sound like might be of some help, maybe someone here can give me some advice on the things I have here. This is my list-----
pure Rosemary oil
pure eucaliptus oil
1/2 pound of dried Reishi mushroom slices
some kind of small green hotter than hell peppers
black, oolong, green and Chai teas.......of which I drink faithfully everyday now for almost 20yrs
saline
any "quick" good advice would be very helpfull to me. Ah, yes, my symptoms are headache, light chest congestion( with foul taste), and of course nasal congestion with runny nose.
What a drag this is :beek: . I rarely catch colds and I've been lucky enough to have not had the flu in many years