Sick!

I, unfortunately, came down with a nasty cold this week.  It started with a bad sore throat on Easter,   followed by a fever and then all of the congestion of a typical cold.  And, despite being a bit uncomfortable at times, I am so happy!  Why, you may ask?  

Because of herbs and the powerful healers that they are.  And because of the knowledge that I now have of herbs which gives me confidence and power in the face of illness.

A hot cup  of sage tea with lemon and honey....delish and so powerful!

A dear friend is such an amazing herbalist, and I have been extremely blessed to have her share some of her knowledge with me.  In her herbal classes last year and through conversations with her throughout the year, I have learned so much about what is growing right outside my door and how to use these amazing gifts of Mother Nature.  I have also seen herbs heal my children and myself....safe, effective, perfectly balanced herbs.  

Which, of course, is the opposite of pharmaceuticals.  They are not safe, not always effective, and certainly not balanced.  

They may fix the immediate problem, but they often cause a whole host of other problems.

The AMAZING, powerful local raw honey.....I wouldn't "bee" without it!

Now, I am not against using medicine from a doctor if it is truly needed.  But, I have learned that most times, we can use herbs to treat what ails us.  And that brings me to my current cold.

 When I came down with the sore throat on Sunday evening, I immediately started gargling with sea salt in very warm water.  This is one of the simplest things to do for a sore throat and is usually quite effective.  As simple as this is, it is not something that I grew up doing or even knowing about.  In the past, I would have perhaps had a cup of tea and then seen a doctor if the problem continued to worsen.  Which would have undoubtedly led me to the use of antibiotics, whether I needed them or not.  But, thanks to April (and a nasty reaction to an antibiotic in the past), I now also know that sage is very effective at treating a sore throat.  So, throughout the day on Monday, I drank about a 1/2 cup of hot sage tea with raw honey mixed in every 1/2 hour or so.  I have learned that with herbs you need to continue to dose yourself throughout the day, versus traditional medicines that might only require one dose.  The benefit, of course, is that I only used sage, raw honey, and salt water to solve my sore throat.  All of these items were in my cupboard, they are all safe, and yummy too!   

By Monday night, I didn't have any sore throat.  Not at all.  Amazing!!!

April's recipe for sage tea.  I'm so thankful for her notes!

 Now all of this knowledge of herbs is fairly new to me, but people have been using herbs to heal themselves and their families for centuries, and in most parts of the world, they are still used as the primary means of fighting illness.  Here is another example of how we have gone too far in our advances of the 21st century.  Yes, it is wonderful to have medicine when we need it.  But, we have lost what our ancestors knew to be true...that it is the Earth and it's gifts that heal us best, not something out of a laboratory.  In the same way that vitamins out of a bottle are not going to make up for unhealthy eating habits, medicine out of a bottle cannot even come close to healing in the way that the real healing plants can do.  Medicine in it's natural, whole form is just as important as food in it's whole, natural form.

Making tea....

 I truly believe that eating healthy foods keeps our immune systems strong and keeps us well most of the time.  But we are all exposed to germs, and we all get colds and other minor illnesses from time to time.  I am so grateful that I now know what to do for these situations.  And, if I don't know which herb to use, I definitely know who to call.  

"April, I have an herb question....." is how many of our conversations begin. :)

  Thanks, April, for helping me down this path and for always answering my questions.  

We are all grateful! :)