Category: Infection, Colds & Flu

When the pollen flies, the head fills up: runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, a sinus full of pressure and a chest full of mucus. A good allergy formula works as a natural decongestant and antihistamine. It dries up the excess secretions and helps the body push the mucus out of the head and the bronchial tubes.

Allergies are rarely only about pollen, though. When the bowels aren’t moving often enough, or the liver is too full of waste to keep up, the body pushes that waste out wherever it can, and the sinuses are a favorite place. I wrote about that side of it in Spring Time Allergy Issues. Clearing the bowels and flushing the liver go a long way toward a quieter allergy season.

What a Good Allergy Formula Contains

A good formula for allergies and sinus trouble might contain these nine herbs:

• Mormon Tea, 4 parts. Its tannins have a drying effect that cuts down on mucus and other secretions. It is a cousin of Brigham Tea, just a bit gentler.
• Marshmallow Root, 4 parts. Very soothing to inflamed tissue in the airways and all through the body.
• Juniper Berries, 4 parts. Clears waste from the whole system through the kidneys and helps stop runny mucus discharges.
• Goldenseal Root, 4 parts. Has a strong action on the mucous membranes, clearing up heavy or unhealthy secretions, and it cleanses the liver.
• Chaparral, 4 parts. A natural expectorant that keeps the airways clear of excess mucus.
• Burdock Root, 4 parts. A blood cleanser for any trouble that comes from built-up toxins, from allergies to skin eruptions.
• Parsley Root, 4 parts. Long used to expel watery poisons and excess mucus and to reduce swollen glands.
• Lobelia, 4 parts. Goes wherever the body is struggling and helps the other herbs do their work there, while relaxing the airways.
• African Bird’s Eye Pepper, 1 part. A strong circulation herb that moves mucus out and clears the bronchial tubes and sinuses.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 4 ounces each of the first eight herbs and 1 ounce of the pepper.

Putting It Together

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. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.

How Much and How Often

½ to 1 teaspoon twice a day, added to a cup of hot distilled water.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

Over the weekend a member texted me with a horrid cough, and I realized I had nothing on my blog to send him to. I’ve mentioned this formula in my flu posts for years but never written it up. So here it is.

The bronchial tubes carry air to and from the lungs. They’re lined with a thin layer of mucus that traps dust, germs and irritants before they can reach the delicate lung tissue beneath. When all is well, that mucus stays thin and is cleared quietly, without our ever noticing.

When the bronchial tubes are irritated, that mucus thickens into old, hard debris the body can’t seem to cough out on its own. Left there, it keeps irritating the airway, and the body keeps trying to cough it up. That is how a cold or flu turns into a nagging cough that hangs on for weeks. Stop the coughing by clearing out what is causing it.

One summer, in a vegan cooking class I was teaching, a woman couldn’t stop coughing. She’d been a missionary in Ecuador and had come home so her chronic cough could finally get some attention. She started on this formula, and a cough that had been with her for who knows how long was gone within a week.

What a Good Bronchial Formula Contains

A good formula for clearing the bronchial tubes might contain these seven herbs:

• Comfrey Root, 4 parts. The lead herb. Comfrey soothes irritated tissue faster than almost anything I know, and it helps loosen the old mucus so it can come up.
• Horehound, 4 parts. A classic bitter expectorant that breaks up thick, tough phlegm and moves it out of the chest.
• Boneset, 4 parts. Long used for chest colds, flu and lingering congestion. Its old names, feverwort and ague weed, come from exactly this kind of use.
• Coltsfoot, 4 parts. Its Latin name, Tussilago, means “cough dispeller.” It is soothing and slippery, and it calms an irritated throat and bronchial tubes while it helps clear them.
• Elecampane Root, 2 parts. A warming bitter with a long history with old, stubborn chest congestion.
• Ginger Root, 1 part. The circulation herb. It moves blood and clears waste at the capillary level, carrying the rest of the formula to the tissue that needs it.
• Lobelia, 1 part. Just a small amount to relax the throat, stomach and bronchial tubes so the rest of the formula can do its work.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 4 ounces each of the first four herbs, 2 ounces of Elecampane, and 1 ounce each of Ginger and Lobelia.

How It Works

Comfrey, Horehound, Boneset and Coltsfoot are all expectorants. Together they help the body loosen and bring up the old, hardened mucus that a cough alone can’t move. Elecampane adds its own warming help with stubborn congestion, Ginger carries the formula where it’s needed, and the touch of Lobelia relaxes the airway so the mucus can come up instead of the coughing just going on and on.

As the old debris clears, the irritation goes with it, and the cough quiets down because there’s nothing left to cough up. It also works very well for general chest congestion.

When a Coughing Spasm Hits

Sometimes a cough turns into a spasm, where you simply can’t stop. For that, take a full dropper of Lobelia extract by itself. Lobelia is one of the best antispasmodics there is, and it relaxes the bronchial tubes quickly so the spasm lets go. You can read more about this wonderful herb in my post LOBELIA.

Putting It Together

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. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.

How Much and How Often

• The usual amount: ½ to 1 teaspoon every 3 to 5 hours.
• When the cough is bad: 1 teaspoon in a mug, filled halfway with boiling water. Sip it warm, about every 3 hours, five times a day.
• For a coughing spasm: a full dropper of Lobelia extract on its own.

Body size makes a real difference in how much of any formula a person needs, so a smaller person or a child needs less. Adjust the amount to what actually works.

Where It Fits

A cough is often the tail end of a cold or flu, and this formula works right alongside the rest of the infection support I use. For getting the body ready before the season hits, see Getting Ready for Flu Season. For fighting the infection itself, see Our Two Infection Fighters.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you already know Echinacea is where I start. It’s woven into nearly everything I do. It’s the immune-building foundation of my infection work, and it’s the first thing I reach for whenever someone’s immune system needs to gear up.

How Echinacea Works

Echinacea doesn’t work the way most formulas do. Most need to stay at a fairly steady level in the bloodstream so the body can draw on them whenever it needs to. Echinacea is different. It works by sending the immune system a signal to gear up and start producing more immune cells, and then by stirring those cells into readiness. That’s a command, not a supply, which is exactly why it can be taken all at once in a single daily dose instead of spread out through the day.

Over the years it has traditionally been reached for across a wide range of needs: feverish illness, respiratory infections, skin infections and wounds, insect bites and stings, and allergic reactions.

What a Good Echinacea Formula Contains

A good Echinacea formula uses more than one part of the plant, because each part brings something different. I use four forms of Echinacea in equal parts:

• Echinacea Angustifolia Root, 1 part. Rich in alkylamides, the compounds behind Echinacea’s classic tongue-tingle and much of its immune-activating power.
• Echinacea Purpurea Root, 1 part. Adds its own alkylamide strength alongside the Angustifolia Root.
• Echinacea Purpurea Whole Herb, 1 part. The leaf, stem and flower, adding natural plant sugars that help wake up the immune system, and plant compounds that help protect the body’s cells and calm swelling.
• Echinacea Purpurea Seed, 1 part. Carries its own distinct alkylamide profile, different compounds than the ones concentrated in the root.

“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s simply equal ounces of all four.

Why the Seed Stays

The seed is the hardest of the four to come by and the most expensive, and I once came close to pulling it out and putting more root in its place. The compounds most responsible for Echinacea’s immune-activating punch run far higher in the root, and on paper, more root looked like an upgrade.

But when I looked closer, the seed turned out not to be a weak echo of the root. One particular compound makes up nearly 90 percent of the alkylamides in the seed head, while it barely registers in the root. The seed is contributing something the root doesn’t carry much of at all. What that does in the body isn’t settled in the research yet.

The herbalists who first put seed into Echinacea formulas had no lab to tell them any of that. What they had was generations of watching the whole plant work, and they noticed the seed mattered. The chemistry is only now catching up to what they saw. So the seed stays.

A Stronger Version: With Cayenne and Garlic

I also make a second version, with Cayenne and Garlic Juice added after the extract is finished: about 1 ounce of Cayenne and 2 ounces of Garlic Juice to every 64 ounces of Echinacea extract. The Cayenne boosts blood and lymph circulation, helping carry the Echinacea throughout the body. The Garlic Juice adds a second, direct-acting layer of support; garlic has long been valued as one of the strongest natural antimicrobials.

Plain Echinacea is the better choice for children and for anyone who shouldn’t have Cayenne or Garlic. It’s also what I recommend for someone who is very toxic and just starting a healing program. You want to support and rebuild the immune system first, before you start detoxing. Adding the stronger version too early just piles extra die-off onto an immune system that’s already struggling. Get the immune system standing on its own feet first, then move into detox work.

Putting It Together

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. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.

How Much and How Often

• Immune boosting, or a cold coming on: 1 oz once a day, four days in a row.
• Serious disease work: 1 oz a day, six days a week. Always take the Lord’s day off, to let the body rest from that ongoing “make more” command. The old herbalists observed that the body heals better and faster with that day of rest built in, and that has held true in my experience too.
• A strong infection program: when the two infection formulas (a garlic formula and a Plantain formula) are being taken every hour, step Echinacea up to 1 oz every 12 hours right alongside them. That pace usually only needs to hold for a day or two before dropping back to 1 oz once a day.

From there, step back down as your program eases, following your body’s own signals. There’s no harm in staying at these amounts for extended periods.

One thing worth knowing: if you start feeling flu-like, get a detoxing headache, or notice moodiness that isn’t like you, that’s usually a sign the body is getting too toxic from die-off being reabsorbed. The immune system doesn’t yet have the capacity to clear out everything that needs to go. Listen to your body, so you don’t end up feeling awful on the road to getting an infection out.

A Story I Still Think About

Years ago I supported a woman through a healing program for lymphoma. We worked up to 2.5 ounces of Echinacea a day, and she stayed there for around six months. The only side effect she ever had was that she got well. That program was back in 2002, and as I write this, she’s still alive and healthy.

The Gift Is in the Journey

Healing will happen, but you have to put in the effort yourself. No one else can do this work for you. It’s your body, and it’s your responsibility. Listen to your body, listen to your heart, and listen to the Holy Spirit; the truth is there. Take this time to really know yourself. The gift is in the journey, not the destination.

This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.

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.