When the body is fighting an infection, the question I always ask is: how do we get the herbs to where the infection is living? The answer is the blood and the lymph. The lymph and blood feed every area of the body, including the place where an infection has settled. Support the blood and lymph, and you carry the herbs right to where they’re needed.
There are two kinds of infection formulas I keep on hand, and they work very differently. One is built around garlic and is warming and circulating; it’s the one to reach for at the first sign of a cold or flu. The other, which this post is about, is built around Plantain and works through the blood and the lymph system. I didn’t fully appreciate what that difference meant until my husband showed me.
What a Good Blood and Lymph Formula Contains
Plantain is a classic alterative: it gradually cleanses and purifies the blood while toning the organs that aren’t eliminating properly. Build a formula around it, and add herbs that each bring their own strength. Here is a combination I trust, with the proportions:
- Plantain, 4 parts. The heart of the formula. It cleanses the blood, is a natural germ fighter, and is famous for drawing out toxins.
- Black Walnut, 4 parts. A powerful cleanser, especially the green hull. It is rich in natural organic iodine and has a long tradition with skin troubles, wounds, and the teeth and gums.
- Goldenseal Root, 4 parts. One of the most valued herbs in the herbal kingdom. It supports the mucous membranes throughout the body and helps clear thick, stubborn secretions.
- Bugle Weed, 2 parts. Long valued by early American doctors. It calms irritation and the nerves, and steadies and strengthens the heart while the body is under the strain of fighting.
- Marshmallow Root, 1 part. Soothing to inflamed tissues of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary tracts, and it balances the drier herbs in the blend.
- Lobelia, 1 part. Dr. Christopher’s great “thinking herb.” It opens obstructions and congestion, especially in the blood vessels, and helps carry the formula wherever it’s needed.
“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, 4 ounces each of Plantain, Black Walnut and Goldenseal would go with 2 ounces of Bugle Weed and 1 ounce each of Marshmallow Root and Lobelia.
These same six herbs also make a wonderful salve, so the two can work together inside and out. For a salve, the herbs are fully extracted in extra virgin olive oil: they go into a 150-degree oven for three hours, then the spent herbs are swapped out for fresh ones, three times through in all. The finished oil is thickened with beeswax.
Putting It Together
These herbs make a good tincture (an alcohol extract). Put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka. Once the herbs have settled, you want about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. That proportion gives a nice, strong extract. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon: start at the new moon and strain at the full moon, about two weeks later. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. When it’s ready, strain and bottle the liquid.
How Much and How Often
One dose for a 150-lb adult is 1 teaspoon. Children and pets are dosed by weight, so a 75-lb child or dog gets half a dose. Formulas are never given directly to a baby; a nursing mother takes the full adult dose herself, and the baby receives what it needs through her milk. I usually take it in a little almond milk; honey is rarely needed with this one. Pick the level that best fits the situation:
- Long-term blood cleansing: 1 teaspoon two or three times a day, continued over many months, to gradually cleanse the blood and tone the organs.
- Preventive: 1 teaspoon two or three times a day when illness is going around or after an exposure.
- Basic: 1 teaspoon every 3 waking hours, about 5 times a day, with Echinacea.
- Moderate: 1 teaspoon every 2 waking hours, alternating with a garlic formula, with Echinacea.
- Intense: 1 teaspoon every waking hour, switching between this formula and a garlic formula, with Echinacea.
- Intensive: both formulas, 1 teaspoon each, ten minutes apart, every hour.
Which One When?
Reach for the garlic formula at the first sign of a cold or flu, when the throat, sinuses, and chest need warming support. Reach for the Plantain formula for stubborn or localized trouble: the skin, the teeth and gums, and anytime the blood needs deep cleansing. For more serious infections, the two are alternated.
The Real Answer for Teeth and Gums
My husband had tooth infections and got tired of the burn from the garlic formula, so he decided to try the Plantain formula instead. We had never thought about the lymph system feeding the infected area, but within a day the infection was nearly cleared. It’s so important to get the herbs to where the infection is living, and for the teeth and gums, this formula is the real answer.
I learned another lesson of my own after a broken tooth was removed. I had a very stubborn infection in my gum that nothing seemed to clear, even though I was using all my other infection supports. For a bit of comfort, I put a Charcoal and Flax poultice over both ears. It sounds strange, I know, but I was shocked to see the infection pimple on my gum gone after one application. The body just needed a bit of topical support too.
For Our Pets
This is the formula we reach for when our pets need infection help. It’s easy to dose by weight, and it has been very effective for them. We don’t give them the garlic formula, because it has the cayenne bite. A little creature doesn’t understand the heat and thinks it has done something wrong and is being punished. The exception is the pet that has picked up its family’s taste for hot food; it’s amazing how some of them do!
This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.
