HERB - the best way to use certain herbs

[Walter J. Wakefield]

Depending on what you have and what you can get, here are some
possibilities:

Sucking on a piece of lemon is good to stop a cough, especially the dry,
tickling kind that is non-productive.  This will also help reduce or
prevent nausea (Mother used to carry lemon slices every time we went on a
car trip).

Ginger is good for headaches, nausea, and possibly dizziness, and is a
mild stimulant.  (Also sometimes good for PMS and "that time of the
month" yucky feelings).  Pickled ginger can sometimes be gotten at the
grocery store or a place that sells sushi.  Candied ginger (also called
"crystallized") can sometimes be found at grocery and health food stores.
 And look in the produce section for fresh ginger root.  Even powdered
ginger can be used to make an infusion.

Hot sage tea is often good for colds and flu, and helps a sore throat. 
Add honey and lemon juice to improve both the effects and the taste.

Also often recommended are horseradish, onions, garlic, and castor oil.

White boneset (upatorium perfoliatum) is very good to reduce feverish
colds and flu, if you can find it.  Also yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
and elder flowers or berries (Sambucus nigra).  I usually make these up
into a "cough syrup" good for a variety of respiratory ailments - equal
parts honey and lemon juice and brandy or rum or bourbon.   Add herbs,
let stand (2 weeks is best, 24 hours will work), filter.  Tastes good
too.  Add other herbs you think will help - I usually add licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra), horehound (Marrubium vulgare), mullein (Verbascum
thapsus - especially good for congestion in the lungs), echinacea
(Echinacea purpurea or E. angustifolia)...  the list can be extended by
consulting any good herbal.  If you can fine the boneset, I really would
recommend it.  It grows as a weed around here, though I don't often find
it.  Yarrow and mullein are also common weeds in the areas around here,
and are easy to identify if you have a good wildflower book.

Hope your roommate is better soon.

Suzanna, Herbalist, Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra (Dallas,
TX)

On Thu, 31 Aug 2000 19:57:47 -0500 "Victoria"
<museless_poet at britannica.com> writes:
>Help!  My roommate is coming down with a mild case of the flu, and 
>wants an all-natural cure.  Being the overactive herbalist that I am, 
>I agreed to help.  Her symptoms: headaches, nausea, coughing, 
>dizziness, aching wrists.  And to complicate matters, it's about two-
>three days before she begins menstruation.  I've read that rosemary 
>and ginger teas are good cures for headaches and nausea, 
>respectively, but I only have those herbs in dried and powdered 
>form.  Is there any way I can make a decent tea out of these?  Also, 
>does anyone know of any good herbs that would help with those 
>symptoms?
>
>Many thanks,
>Victoria 

________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
============================================================================
Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.