My Man had sneezing fits all day Sunday. He has allergies, so sneezing is fairly normal, but when they went on for so long, we decided he must have a cold. We had noticed many people coughing and spluttering in town last week, so he most likely picked up the vicious little virus then.
I have loved herbal medicine since I was a young teenager, so home remedies have always been my first choice. One of my favourite things to do is make my own infusions, decoctions, tinctures, creams, syrups and lotions, with our kitchen often being transformed into a working apothecary.
Sunday evening, and again today, I made my cold busting concoction. I have evolved it over the years to include:
:: A decoction made with fresh root ginger, cinnamon sticks and dried liquorice root.
:: Tinctures of Echinacea purpurea, elderberries, (this is one I make myself), and myrrh (we only need a few drops of this one - it's POWERFUL!), with mullein leaf if there is a cough present.
:: Freshly squeezed lemon juice, cider vinegar, honey and a small pinch of cayenne.
We find it potent, warming, comforting and it works so well. My Man's sneezing had gone by Monday evening and his sore throat had cleared by Tuesday evening.
It satisfies something old and deep in me to be able to help my family and our sweet little dog using our herb and essential oil friends. We control MM's high blood pressure with a lovely herbal tea mix that I make up, as well as acupressure and the yogic alternate nostril breathing.....oh! and I give him craniosacral treatments too!
Four of my favourite books to refer to are:
