So, I just had the flu. I got off of an airplane on Sunday, started to feel a tickling in my throat on Monday and had chills and fever by Wednesday. I’m disappointed in myself because I didn’t do all the things I meant to do to prevent getting sick. I never did open the bottle of Black Elderberry that I bought for its immune supporting properties to prevent flu. Normally I would take some extra vitamin C after being on an airplane (2,000 or more milligrams is good) and take Airborne at the first sign of feeling bad. Airborne only works if you take it at the first sign of sickness, the Chinese say it keeps the evil wind from settling in. But did I take it when I first started feeling bad? The answer is NO.
I am glad that I had my bag of tricks available once I got sick. Even though I was being cocky about how I never get the flu, I did fill the prescription for Tamiflu that my functional medicine practitioner insisted I take. I also researched and found that Black Elderberry helps not just to prevent flu, but is also helpful with flu symptoms. I opened my bottle of Black Elderberry for myself, and gave it to my husband as a preventative measure and so he couldn’t blame me for giving him the flu.
Determined not to let the flu take me down, then I brought out my homeopathic arsenal. Homeopathy is widely misunderstood as being the whole area of wholistic health, but actually it is a very specific method of preparing substances that was originated by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. The theory is complex and often leaves people doubting, but when you experience the right remedy it’s wonderful. My 103 year old mother told me recently that she took a homeopathic cold combination remedy that I sent her and was amazed that she immediately felt better. One can find these combination remedies for colds, flu, etc. at a health food store or Flu-Tone is available from my on-line store (wellevate.me/Abby-Wilson-Kurth).
I wish you a flu-less winter, but you now have some tools if needed.
TEA FOR FLU AND COLDS
Ingredients
- 4 cups of water
- ¼ cup of fresh squeezed organic lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons of organic honey
- 2 inches of organic ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
Directions
In a sauce pan, combine water and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 30 minutes (simmer for up to 1 hour if you prefer a spicier beverage). Remove the sauce pan from the heat and discard the ginger slices. Add honey and stir until dissolved. Then add the lemon juice. If you prefer a sweeter drink, add more honey to taste.
If you are drinking this as a hot tea, serve immediately.
Source: The Organic Center