Herbal Cold/Flu tea

[Mother]

Someone asked for my cold and flu tea recipe last night on chat. I thought I'd post it again. I retrieved it from a longer post about herbal medicine chests in the Flu Clinic Forum. The longer post has more cold and flu info if you want to look that post up. It's posted under the name Raeba, who is in reality ME right after the shut down of the site)

 

"Mother's Cold and Flu Tea"

 

1 part cut and sifted Slippery Elm Bark,

½ part each:

cut and sifted Wild Cherry bark,

cut and sifted marshmallow root,

eucalyptus leaf (chopped or broken into small pieces),

cut and sifted coltsfoot leaf

dried elderberries.

¼ part Elderflowers and peppermint leaf

1/8 part anise or fennel seed and chamomile flowers

 

Stir all herbs together well and store in an airtight container away from light. To use, steep one teaspoon of the mixture in a cup of hot water for about five to ten minutes. Sweeten if desired with honey. Drink, preferably hot but will work cold also, ½ cup several times a day or as needed. The steam from this tea makes a great inhalation therapy.

NOTE: the ingredients in this tea change from year to year depending on the herbs available to me but I always use the slippery elm, wild cherry, eucalyptus, coltsfoot and elderberries (unless I'm going to use it for the Avian Flu if it hits, then I might reconsider the elderberries.)

 

 

[dogmom4]

Why not use the elderberries for Avian flu?

Stacy

[Mother]

You will find a whole lot of information on Elderberries in the Flu forum. Just do a search on it. There is a division of opinion on its use for Avian flu.

 

Basically the premise for using elderberry for the flu is due to its immune enhancing properties. For the regular flu that would be beneficial because usually that type of flu hits the young and elderly the hardest, those that have less strong immune systems to ward it off. But so far the Avian Flu has shown that it kills it's victims by inciting a Cytokine storm which is the bodies own immune defense only in this case it's attacking it's own cells as well as the flu ones. We see it hitting primarily those under age 40 or those in their prime health with strong immune systems. (Latest research is suggesting that younger people might be more apt to get it because they had no previous immunity to a lesser strain of this disease and that perhaps the older people do but that's not proven yet.)Until we have more information on the way the Avian Flu kills, I will not be using immune enhancers that might make a cytokine storm worse, hastening the death of a loved one. After all, the principle of using herbs to heal should also be to "do no harm". I might continue the use of Elderflower as that promotes sweating but even that I'd need to do more research on. I DO use both of them for the common flu with great results.

 

As I say, that can all change if more research information is released. More RELIABLE information that is. I'm always a bit skeptical of reports that come from or are funded by people who want to SELL something.

 

There are many other remedies to be stocked up in case the Avian Flu goes pandemic. Things like vitamin C, and homeopathics such as were used with very good results during the 1918 flu pandemic. I will keep my supply of elderberries stocked though as I could be tempted in a desperate situation to use them, if all else failed. My grandmother told me that her family used them during the 1918 flu. I never asked her HOW they used them but I suspect as a tea.

 

If anyone has any recent info on the use of elderberries for Avian Flu, it would be helpful to us all if it was posted.

 

 

[PoGo]

Mother, it was me that asked for the recipe in chat.

Thanks for posting it again.

[Mother]

You're welcome Pogo, I thought it was you but hated to say so for fear of offending someone else.

[brightblessings5]

Mother

I made this up in the fall and we are really enjoying it here. I am convinced that it helped me get over the cold I caught here a few weeks ago. Thanks again.

[Darlene]

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

Where do I find all these roots at?

 

 

[Lois]

Here is one place to get them

http://www.herbalcom.com/

[Mother]

Good place, Lois. Some of the ingredients can be grown and some found wild but if you are just starting out in herbs, buying them is probably best. With this last bout with the flu my supply is dwindling but at least I think I'm winning. I only have a hundred temp today instead of the 102 its been.