Cold and Flu season is here!

(Above is my mom meticulously measuring out her tinctures to make herbal medicine. I learned what I know from her and always noticed how happy she was when she was putting her concoctions together.)

Here we go! We are already in the thick of it, germs that is! Silas was born just about three weeks ago and this week poor little Serafin came down with Croup! Ugh. Not fun. Fingers crossed the little one doesn't get it.

Anyway, this unlucky turn of events has inspired me to write a blog entry, perhaps just to vent a bit or remind myself that there is stuff that I can do! In this house we do our best to stick with old school remedies that promote good immune health and healing. I have so many herbs in my kitchen, but these are our staples and the easier things to find for those that don't really want to go looking to hard, . . .

Tinctures:

Echinacea Tincture (both children's and adult): Helps boost immune system

Elderberry Tincture, (or dried Elderberry Berries which make a nice tea if you add honey) another immune booster and is filled with Vitamin C

Meadowsweet Tincture: For headaches

Teas:

Chamomile: Great for settling the stomach as well as helping you sleep

Cat Nip: Not just for your cats! An excellent stress reliever as well as sleep aid

Lemon Balm: Another stress reliever, this one doesn't make you sleepy though.

Mullen: lines the bronchial tubes during a dry cough

Nettles: A nourishing source of iron and calcium, also a diuretic.

Oils:

Olbas Oil: Helps loosen cough

Arnica Oil: Great for bruises

Lavender Oil: Helps relax, reduce stress and relieves headaches

St. John's Wort: Wonderful for releasing tight muscles or reducing nerve pain.

Tea Tree Oil: Good for disinfecting nasty cuts, also treats vaginal infections, such as yeast or BV

Other:

Lemons: good for Vitamin C, mixed with Manuka honey

Manuka Honey: Used to treat many ailments and is a very high quality raw honey

Homeopathic Meds for cold and flu: various, mostly for the little ones

Book Recommendation, . . .

I also have to plug a book of which I consider a natural parenting bible, Naturally Healthy Babies and Children written by herbalist and midwife Aviva Jill Romm. It has a wide variety of suggestions for many common childhood ailments. Of course I wouldn't trust just anybody, but my Mom was an avid follower of this woman and her books, she would always rave about her and at one point even met her in the herbalist community. So if my mom gave her the thumbs up, I do to.

You can check out her other books here. Her book on pregnancy got me through my nine months of gestation with both kids and I do recommend her her book on Vaccinations; her thoughts are honest, always backed up with clinical research, and resinate with my inclination to be aware and cautious when deciding to administer vaccinations.