There is a Chinese herb (luo han gwo) which I would normally make tea from at a time like this as it is good for soothing the throat. Unfortunately, I'm all out. What herbal remedies would you reach for?
So far I mainly have a sore throat, but I'm beginning to get some sniffles as well. I'm otherwise healthy. UGH.
I woke up with a sore throat. Is there a dr. in the house?
Hi, wrightie. I had a cold earlier this month. It didn't last long but started with a sore throat. I drank green tea with honey, lemon and fresh sliced ginger. Sometimes without the green tea. The main thing was the ginger. I take Gan Mao Ling when colds are first starting...however, I'm not feeling good about Chinese products lately. At night I took zinc and vitamin C lozenges. Good Luck!
I've been taking C and zinc today, too. If I had some ginger root in the house, I'd brew some up. I've never added green tea to the ginger before though. Darn it, I need to suck it up and go to the store, don't I?
As for the luo han guo, I get the dried pod, so it's not processed at all. I need to look up gan mao ling to see if I know what that is - what form do you buy it in?
These are little pills. Some have a sugar coating but some do not. The ones I have now are from Plum Flower Brand, sugar-free, GMP certified, says they are tested for lead. Ilex asperella root, evodia lepta root and leaf, chrysanthemum flower, etc. I'm not sure what all these herbs translate to in America, or if they do. My acupuncturist recommended them for me years ago. I'm not sure they work! But, they are cheap. I think lots of clear liquids are the thing. I'll try the luo han guo if I can get it. How did you find out about it?
I used to live in Taiwan and had the tea in a restaurant while there, then learned more about it from an herbalist/acupuncturist there.
If you have access to a Chinese herb shop, you might be able to find it here in the States. It's about the same size and shape as a passion fruit, but has a hard, outer shell. I've been able to get it in "Chinatown" districts in various US cities.
I make a tea similar to roybird. No green tea, but I make a tisane of sage (good old garden sage), fresh ginger root, lemon and honey. Sage is anti-viral and anti-bacterial. You could make just the sage tea on its own and either drink or gargle with it. If you don't have sage, thyme works in the same way. And sage tea will help with hot flashes and/or night sweats.
I'm not keen on teas, so I take my ginger in a stir-fry, along with chopped garlic, and fresh veggies and fruit, such as broccoli, carrots, scallions, bell pepper, and pinapple. It works for me!
Ricola, Swiss herbal losenges, orange flavour, gentle and effective.
24 hour sleep cure with a side of 'medicinal dog'.....
medicinal dog= 11 year old greyhound/sheppard mix hens on you when you're ill.....
LOL - DB, I finished off my medicinal dog supply back in June, but I'm hoping to re-stock by Spring. If you wouldn't mind temporarily splitting your stock and sending some my way, that'd be groovy. Thanks.
Mmm, I've never thrown the sage or thyme in with my ginger either. I'm going to try that. We avoided a frost again last night, so I'll run out and gather up a bunch of herbs while I still can.
I slept quite late this morning, but when I manage to peel myself out of the prone position, I'm going to run up to my organic market and pick up some fresh ginger, cardamom pods, and whatever else you kidz mention before I get into the car. Grocery list?
I would love to make some Indian tea (aka the yuppified "chai latte"), but I'm thinking that I should avoid dairy products right now so I'll stick with a clear ginger mix instead.
Herbalbetty,
Would you believe that the only fresh sage that I appear to have on hand is the yellow and green variegated, which I think is "Icterina" ... any reason why I shouldn't be able to steep a handful of that in your opinion?
Next year is going to be my big year for sages, especially after falling in love with the Arboretum's display a couple weeks ago...
Wrightie, as long as you have Salvia officinalis, then whatever variety should be fine. The plain old sage works the best, but the other officinalis varieties are good too. I use a Tablespoon or two fresh. I also keep the infusion in the back of my throat as long as possible before swallowing so direct contact is maximized. Hope you feel better!
Hi there. How's it going? Sage is good. The varigated will do if the other isn't around. I like ginger with lemon verbena tea and I bet lemon balm would be o.k., too. People here use Osha root for sore throats. Tea with honey. Great Grandma liked a shot of whiskey followed by a spoonfull of honey and a slice of lemon. Helped her sleep. Probably healthier than Nyquil!
Oooh, all good ideas, Roybird. The only one of those ingredients that I don't have is Osha root. I need to go look that up; don't even know what it is. Ginger & lemon verbena sounds yummy - great mix!
Btw, I still have a sore throat, but the cold hasn't gotten worse today - a pleasant surprise.
The osha root is the most nasty tasting and least fun to drink. Probably the most effective but I hardly ever use it. Having a cold should have some benefits. Don't they say, "feed a cold"? Cookies? Chicken soup?
lol, feed a cold, CHOCOLATE, hot chocolate, chocolate truffles, chocolate chips, and more hot chocolate!
(woke up crabby today, can ya tell?)
I brought back some Cadbury's drinking chocolate on my last trip to England. I will bust it open in your honoUr, DB. Smooch smooch (& say hello to Richard for me)
Ugh. The cold is coming on strong today. I have a very stuffy nose, but at least the sore throat has backed down.
Now see Wrigtie, if you had taken my class on Herbs for the Cold & Flu, you would have your medicine cabinet all stocked and would have remedies handy. But, if you can't make your own, try eucalyptus essential oil for a stuffy nose. Heat water in a pyrex cup and then drop 2-3 drops of essential oil into the water and inhale the vapors. Do NOT drink this. Also, eyebright tea or tincture works well for stuffed nose/sinuses.
LOL, I actually do have a pretty well-stocked cupboard and garden, but I don't always remember or bother to reach for them. Also, its always interesting to hear what others are doing.
I actually took a hot bath with eucalyptus earlier today.
for a stuffy nose, this is gross, but works for me:
stand in hot shower for a few minutes, inhale steam until nose begins to run, blow nose in shower..... get rid of the 'coloured' mucus, get the clear stuff going again and cold leaves.....
tuck into bed (in a pinch, stuffed teddy bear substitues for medicinal dog)
hope you are feeling better, soon!
That's really gross, DB. What, were you born in a barn? Btw, I use the shower method, too. Wish I'd been born in a barn ..
We do not live in bear country, so I opted for a helping or two of medicinal cat. Cold's still here. Maybe I'll toss out the cat.
lol, medicinal cat!, must need 'fluffing' like a pillow...... turn 'em over a few times, crank on the tail, that should do..... get 'em purring.......
Hi, I just saw this thread! You're probably over your sore throat by now, but for me, good ol' garden sage is what I rely on mostly now. I make a tea of it, and add various types of mints (apple, orange, peppermint, etc.) with honey for flavoring. You can add blackberry or raspberry leaves, elderflowers to make an infusional decoction. Also, you can make an excellent gargle with sage and cider vinegar to alleviate the pain.
And, a favorite winter tea recipe from my very first herb book, "The Pleasure of Herbs" makes you feel really good inside and out: I didn't have the savory, marjoram and lavendar flowers for it this year, though. I'm currently just using the lemon balm leaves and mints, instead. I guess I could add some naturtiums if they had lasted , but the recent weather did them in.......
Herbs of Shakespeare Tea (pg. 20)
2 cups of mint leaves (peppermint or spearmint, or 1 c. of each)
1/3 cup of whole savory leaves
1/2 cup of marjoram leaves
1/4 cup of lavendar flowers
Put dried leaves in an air-tight bag and save for use.
Add 1 tsp of leaves to 1 cup of boiling water.
Foxnfirefly, thanks for the recipe. I'm going to go out and collect some leaves while I still can; we've been spared a frost so far, but it won't last for long, I'm sure.
Btw, yep, the sore throat is gone, but stuffy nose remains.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the Shakespeare tea--it's wholesome!
Before I ever had a herb garden, I used to go to a health food store and buy this stuff called "Slippery Elm" tea for sore throats. It was good. But the home-made remedies work faster and better for me. Drink your teas and stay healthy!!
I recently made some Horehound candy. It's not only great for coughs but is an expectorant. Not everyone likes the taste of horehound though. But I find it soothing. Horehound can be made as a tea or syrup too.
The Shakespeare tea sounds really good, unfortunately I'm allergic to lavender. My favorite is sage tea...good for all kinds of things.
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Does horehound taste really bitter? I'm trying to remember if I've had it before or not. Heck, I wonder if I'm growing it -- must check...
Horehound IS really bitter. That's why it's usually taken as horehound candies or horehound syrup, the sweetness helps offset the bitter. Plus, as you suck on a candy, the horehound makes more contact with the throat, helping disperse the medicine. Just brush your teeth afterwards. Here is a pic:
