HERB - Herbal Cold & Flu Care

[Christine A Seelye-King]

>I will be teaching a class on Herbal Cold & Flu Care this weekend at 
>the Unser Hafen Arts & Sciences Event.
	
Cool.  Good idea for a class.    

>What herbal preparation do you take when you feel something coming on?
	Nothing better than a combination of Echinacea and Goldenseal,
unfortunately, they aren't period. :(   However, garlic is period, and is
a wonderful boost to the body's immune system, a good antibacterial, and
was used by rich and poor alike in period.  :)

>What is your favorite herbal symptom relief?  
Warm ginger tea for combatting body chills.  Fenugreek and Thyme for
loosening blocked nasal passages, and thinning mucous so that it can be
expelled from the body.  (We sell a product called Fenu-Thyme for that
purpose, and it works very well). My favorite decongestant is a product
we sell called HAS, or Hayfever Allergy Sinus.  The main ingredient is
Ephedra (Ma Huang, Chinese and used for centuries, but probably not known
in period except to Marco Polo;).  Other ingredients include: Brigham Tea
herb, Marshmallow Root, Burdock Root, Cayenne Pepper Fruit, Goldenseal
root, Lobelia herb, Parsley herb, Cleavers herb, and Rosemary Leaves. 
(about 1/2 &1/2 period and modern).  

>What is your most effective "Old Wives Tale" cure?
Chicken Soup
(The following is an excerpt from an MSNBC news release last week)
CHICKEN SOUP FOR COLDS
Doctors have long believed that drinking any hot liquid helps to ease
cold  symptoms, but research has proven that hot chicken soup is
especially beneficial. In one study, doctors at Miami's Mount Sinai
medical center compared sipping chicken soup, hot water and cold water to
clear up nasal mucus. The soup was the most effective. Doctor's are not
sure why, but they say chicken soup does work.

>Any other info you would like to share with me would be greatly 
>appreciated.

	I would think that a discussion of Humors and Vapors would be
necessary to give the feeling of a Period Physician's take on the Cold
and Flu season.  Leaving the windows open or closed, balancing hot and
cold humors in the body, and eating 'hot' and 'cold' foods (not refering
to temperature but to the designation of the food) would all have been
taken into account.  The "Medieval Health Handbook" covers some of that,
and I'm sure the Florilegium has more discussion on the Humoral theory.  
>
>Thanks for your time,
>
>Baroness Leonora
>Master Healer to the Crown of the Outlands

No problem, let us know how you end up presenting this class, it would be
good information to have on hand, and a good class for all of us to be
able to teach!
	Mistress Christianna MacGrain
	Barony of the South Downs, Meridies

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