Healing Plants and Spices by Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Healing Plants and Spices

From the earliest times in recorded history, plants have been used to heal. Here are some ways that herbs and the garden can take care of us.

o For winter colds and flu, look to herbs with strong scents-rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano, and others; their oils have immune-boosting antiseptic and antibiotic qualities.

o For relief from dry winter air, try a warm compress made from a decoction of cloves and gingerroot to clear sinuses.

o To ease sore throats, make your own gargle by adding a teaspoon or two of cider vinegar, sage, chamomile, or lemon juice to warm water.

o For fever, cayenne pepper (in food, broth, or tea) warms the body,
promoting heating and enhancing the body´s infection-fighting ability.

o Cinnamon toothpaste can be used for its antiseptic qualities to kill
bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Soak toothbrushes in mouthwash to prevent colds from circulating.

 

Cold Remedies

 

What can we do to help our bodies through the process healing a cold? Here are some herbal remedies for your body and mind.

• Rose hip tea is full of vitamin C and can help prevent colds.
   
• Lemons, oranges, and apple cider are all considered to be cold remedies.
   
• For chills, take fresh ginger root.
   
• Historically, the layers of the onion were believed to draw contagious diseases from the patient; onions were often hung in sickrooms. Today, we know that onions have antibacterial qualities.
   
• Cut up fresh garlic cloves and add them to chicken soup or other foods, or swallow small chunks of raw garlic like pills.
   
• Eat loads of hot and spicy foods like chili to clear the sinuses.
   
• Like garlic and onion, horseradish generates lots of heat to help offset colds. According to one farmer we know, a daily horseradish sandwich is the best cold remedy out there!
   
• Prunes are rich in fiber, vitamins A and B, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. And they've been cured themselves!
   
• To treat sore lips, go to bed with honey on them.
   
• Troubled by cracked lips? Massage them with a dab of earwax (preferably your own!).

For a chest cold or bronchitis, try this remedy, submitted by one of our readers.

• Boil a whole onion, and afterward, drink the water. You can add a little butter and salt if the taste is unbearable!

Read more about ways to avoid the cold in the first place.

 

Here are a few simple herbal remedies to help ease the discomfort of a sore throat.

• Gargle with cool sage tea. Mix 1 teaspoon of herb in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain.
• Sip cider vinegar. Mix 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey in a cup of warm water.
• Drink a horseradish cocktail. Make a syrup of 1 tablespoon horseradish, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix in a glass of warm water and drink slowly.

Here are some remedies that came straight from our readers:

• Put a cap full of apple cider vinegar, 3 shakes each of cayenne pepper and black pepper into a cup of warm, salted water. Gargle as many times as needed. This remedy is said to change the pH balance in your throat.
• For a particularly scratchy throat, take one tablespoon of concentrated lemon juice followed immediately by a tablespoon of honey just before bed, which will usually soothe your throat until morning.  

See more advice on how to relieve coughs.