By Rebecca Potter
Has your entire family ever made it through cold and flu season without succumbing to what’s “going around”? If so, congratulations! If not, I’m here to help you do that naturally! Being an herbalist, I like to get to the root of the problem, which in the case of colds and flu is the fact that our bodies are full of waste matter and toxins that bacteria and viruses love to feed on. The best thing you can do to prevent getting a cold and flu is keep yourself cleaned out. You can do this best with the proper nutrition, lifestyle, and cleansing. If that fails and you find yourself sick in bed, it’s time to pull out the herbs! Working as a team with herbs can not only help keep you from getting sick as often, but they can help you get over a cold or flu in record time, or help your illness not be as severe. I recommend Dr. Christopher’s formulas and herbs for many reasons.
Working as a team with #herbs can help keep you from getting sick as often and get illness over with in record time. http://t.co/LiIQNFdo8B
— Frances Arnold (@FrancesLArnold) February 4, 2014
Immune-Stimulating Herbs
I know you’ve heard of Echinacea, but did you know it increases the number of white blood cells to help the immune system fight off an infection more efficiently? Echinacea is also an ingredient in Dr. Christopher’s Immune System Formula, which can be used on a daily basis as a preventative measure tonic. For the kids, there’s a delicious way to take their “medicine” with Dr. Christopher’s Kid-E-Well. It has Echinacea, yarrow, elder flowers and peppermint. My sister-in-law told me recently that her 3 young kids literally can’t wait to drink it every night!
Antimicrobial and Antiviral Herbs
Garlic is “nature’s antibiotic”, killing most any virus, bacteria, fungi and yeast it comes into contact with, ie E. coli, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, just to name a few. If you feel a sickness coming on, eat as many raw garlic bulbs as you can. Or try therapeutic grade garlic powder in tea every hour. Another great way to get in the garlic is with Dr. Christopher’s Super Garlic Immune Syrup, formerly known as the “Anti-Plague Formula”. It delivers a thorough cleansing of the system and prevents anything harmful from getting the better of you. I drink it every hour when I find myself ill.
Diaphoretic Herbs
Although sometimes people are scared by fevers, they are actually one of our most important immune system defenses if we work with them. Diaphoretic herbs, like yarrow, garlic, and lobelia help the body sweat out toxins through the skin and are often used for fevers. Pathogens are killed at certain temperatures, so the body wants to get to that temperature as soon as possible. It’s very important to keep the body hydrated with diaphoretic herbal teas during a fever, since when dealing with a fever, moist heat is good and dry heat is not good.
Expectorant Herbs
Sometimes when I’m coughing, I wonder just how much mucus one body could produce! When it’s time to get rid of phlegm and toxic mucus, enlist the help of herbal teas with herbs such as comfrey, licorice root, lobelia, red clover, and cayenne. Dr. Christopher’s Chest Formula is a powerful expectorant formula (capsules) of ginger, bayberry, cloves, cayenne, and white pine bark that is an immune- boosting, cleansing formula that neutralizes and removes toxins.
One thing that all of these herbs have in common is that they do not suppress any symptoms of illness, but instead help your body work expeditiously through them. The more days you can spend healthy during cold and flu season the better! Make these herbs your allies, and you’ll see a major difference next time that part of year rolls around.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from disease or injury should consult with a physician before taking any herbs.
Rebecca Potter is a Master Herbalist from The School of Natural Healing. Her journey into natural healing with herbs began in 2004, and she hopes to be a lifelong student of the exciting field of herbalism. She is the coauthor of The Essential Survival Guide to Medical Preparedness. She feels passionately about sharing her knowledge and experience with herbs with others to empower them to achieve their greatest health potential. A firm believer that the body can achieve wellness through the proper nutrition and herbs, she enjoys sharing education through classes and consultations.
