Tag Archives: Cold

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Cayenne (Capsicum)

Name:  Cayenne

Latin:  Capsicum

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Used for:  Cayenne is one of the “miracle herbs,” falling into the same category of niftiness as garlic and turmeric.  It is good for your digestion, and quite an assist to the circulatory system as well.  It helps to regulate your heart and blood pressure.  Used in conjunction with ginger, it can help to clear your sinuses and bronchial tubes; garlic increases the effects on blood pressure.  It helps to mitigate shock, and can help with clotting (internally).  It can also be used as a liniment for headaches and muscle aches.  It is also an intensifier when used with other herbs and spices, making them more effective.  Cayenne can also stimulate salivation, which can help with dry mouth.  It also increases metabolism, making it a good thing to include in foods when working on weight loss.  And rolling on through the myriad effects of cayenne, it is a healthier stimulant than caffeine, doing so through nutrition and a systemic revitalization rather than agitation.  The way in which it acts as a stimulant can also help with the emotional responses to stress.

Use in tandem with:  Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric

Directions & Warnings:

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Marshmallow (Althea officinalis)

Name:  Marshmallow

Latin:  Althea officinalis

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Parts Used:  Root

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Used for:  Marshmallow is one of the most effective mucilaginous herbs.  It is good for acid problems of the digestive tract (ulcers, irritation, stones, and infections.)  It is also useful for respiratory ailments, as it both calms the throat, and helps to expel mucous.  It can be used as a poultice on sprains.  It can also be used as a tea to increase the flow of milk when breastfeeding, and to enrich the milk.  The mucilage also acts as a soothing and protective agent for inflamed and damaged nerves.

Use in tandem with:

Directions & Warnings:

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Red Clover

Name:  Red Clover

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Vitamins & Minerals:  Most, in good quantity

Used for:  This is a lovely tonic and nutritive herb, containing a long list of vitamins and minerals in good quantity.  Due to the flavour it adds to teas, it also helps to mitigate or cover that of some of the more bitter medicinals.  Mixed with mint, it makes a good cold remedy.  It ranks neat the top of herbal fertility promoters.  It is a liver and blood strengthener.  Because of the intense nutritive quality, it is also anti-cancer.  It can assist with calming nerves, and alleviating nervous disorders.  As with the products of the bees who love it so much, it can be used for a variety of skin issues.

Use in tandem with:

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Garlic (Allium sativum)

Name:  Garlic

Latin:  Allium sativum

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Parts Used:  Bulb

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Used for:  Garlic is one of the “magic” plants as far as its health effects and uses.  It mitigates the physical effects of stress.  It can lower high blood pressure.  A tea is good for sore throats, and can be used to lessen inflammation and infection in tonsilitis.  If used as a poultice on your chest (often in conjunction with onion), it can help with bronchitis and other chest ailments.  Along with being capable of lowering blood pressure, it can help to reduce your cholesterol, strengthen your heart, increase immune response, reduce stroke risk, and stabilize blood sugar.  Garlic and its relatives are a source of phytoestrogens, which not only reduce the risk of cancer, they can assist with the passage through menopause.  Garlic also has an antibiotic effect similar to penicillin, with the added benefit of not killing off the beneficial bacteria in the body.    Used in a cold poultice, it can help to lower swelling; as a hot poultice, can be used to help snakebites and wasp or hornet stings.  Crushed and packed in near a tooth, it can assist with toothache.  Most of the folkloric and historic beneficial effects of garlic have been proven scientifically.

Use in tandem with:  Hawthorn and Cayenne

Directions and Warnings:  As garlic is a natural blood-thinner, you should consult with a doctor before increasing the amount of garlic you consume, or using it in supplement form if you are on blood-thinning medication.

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Pine

Name:  Pine

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Parts Used:  Needles, Sap, Gum

Vitamins & Minerals:  Vitamin C

Used for:  Historical records indicate that a daily tea of pine needles saved numerous old settlements from scurvy.  It is a strong source of Vitamin C, which was a saving grace in winter.  Due to the concentration of  Vitamin C, pine tea is also useful for prevention of colds and flu.   Chewing the sap can soothe sore throats and strengthen gums.  (Myrrh is a distant relative.)  Mixed with grease, the sap makes a good sealant.

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Hyssop

Name:  Hyssop

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Used for:  This tea is primarily useful during a cold or flu.  It is a fever reducer, helps to expel mucous, and gargling it will ease a sore throat.  As a tonic, it helps with regulating blood pressure.  Used as a poultice, it can assist with healing bruising.  If boiled in vinegar, it helps with toothache.