Now, I’m not going to debate here wether or not viruses exist, whether bacteria makes you ill, etc. That is for another post entirely. For now what I want to focus on is how to support your body when you have an infection. Recently I read a few books by the herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner - Herbal Antibiotics and Herbal Antivirals; in them he discusses the most potent herbs to use for infections. I think it is prudent to keep some of these herbs on-hand in case you, a family member or someone in your community need them, either in the garden or as dried herbs to use in teas or tinctures.
Antibacterial Herbs, Systemic
Cryptolepis
Sida - I keep sida around as a tincture
Bidens - generally easy to find in gardens
Artemisia (Wormwood, Sweet Annie) - generally easy to find in gardens and wild in some places
Antibacterial Herbs, Non-systemic (meaning they don’t readily leave the GI tract)
Berberines - golden seal, goldenthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, tree turmeric, barberry (this is the one I use mostly); and there are many other herbs that contain berberine
Juniper - you can make The 4 Thieves Tonic (see recipe below) and keep it around for when you need it or take a tablespoon or two each day in water as a prophylactic
Honey - local is great if you can get it
Unsea
Anti-virals
Skullcap - I heep skullcap around as a tincture
Elder - elder berries are great in teas, in syrups or in a tincture with star anise and cinnamon bark in brandy
Ginger - always good to have in the fridge; use in cooking liberally and as a hot tea; use with other herbs in tonics and tinctures
Houttuynia
Isatis (Dyer’s Woad)
Lomatium
Boneset
Red Root (Poke Root, Phytolacca) - easy to find in the wild in some places
Astragalus - easy to get; keep around as a tincture
Cordycepts
Rhodiola - readily available
Herbs to strengthen the immune system
Ashwagandha - also an adaptogen; easy to purchase
Astragalus - great to have on hand as a tincture
Boneset
Echinacea - good to have around as dried herb; can be easily grown in the garden; also use right at the first sign of illness
Eleuthro (Siberian ginseng)
Red Root
Reishi - easy to purchase; add to coffee in the morning
Rhodiola
Synergists - these act to increase the activity of other plants
Thyme, pomegranate, myrrh, gotu kola, bitter orange, rosemary, green tea
Licorice - helps the phytonutrients in other plants to cross the GI tract into the bloodstream
Ginger - ginger also acts to stimulate the cleaning mechanism in the gut called the Migrating Motor Complex
Pepper (pepperine) - be careful with this synergist, it can aggravate gastric reflux problems and it is a mild contraceptive
The way I’m approaching this issue (of having useful herbs available when I, and others, need them) is to grow what I can in the climate I live in and order some of the other herbs as tinctures from a naturapath or natural health shop. I have chosen a few herbs from each category that I can either grow or easily access. e.g for systemic antibacterial herbs I can wild harvest wormwood (some I will make into a tincture myself and some I will dry and store) and I have ordered Sida as a tincture.
Let me also say, it is a good idea to incorporate some of the immune supporting herbs into your daily or weekly routine. Echinacea, Ashwagandha and Astragalus are all easily accessable and easy to incorporate into your diet - you can add Echinacea to teas, add Ashwagandha to bone broth, make a tincture out of them by steeping the raw herb(s) in brandy or vodka for 6 weeks. I buy Ashwagandha as a powder and take a teaspoon each morning with breakfast.
Here’s a tea recipe we make often, it turns pink due to the hibuscus….so beautiful!
Love Heart Tea:
Echinacea
rose petals and hips
hibiscus (sepals)
Mix all the ingredients together and store in a glass jar. To make a hot tea, add a teaspoon to a cup of hot water. Add local honey and/or a slice of lemon if desired. You can also make a sun tea by adding a few teaspoons to a large glass jar and setting it in the sun for the day. To this you can also add other herbs you might have around; I like to add calendula flowers, dandelion leaves, raspberry leaves, nettle, dried elder berries, dried orange peel and/or plantain leaves.
Another option is to add powdered reishi mushroom to your coffee. You can make this into a bullet proof coffee with coconut oil and butter if you like or serve with cream (and local honey for an extra boost). The mushroom lends an earthy flavor to the coffe which is divine. Freshly ground cardamom seeds are a nice addition to the coffee as well (cardamom seems to slow down the absorption of caffeine).
The 4 Thieves Tonic
The 4 Thieves story dates to the Plague - a band of notorious thieves were finally caught after robbing from the ill. When asked how it was that they did not get sick, they credited a daily dose of vinegar steeped with medicinal herbs (sage, rosemary, lavender, juniper berries, oregano, thyme - of course, the herbs used will vary depending on the version of this story you read, but this is what I use). You can also add garlic and/or onion if you like.
The process is simple: fill a clean glass jar with the herbs listed above, cover with ACV and allow to steep for 6 weeks. Strain the ACV and take one tablespoon in water each day. You can add local honey to taste, if desired.
In writing this I am hoping to get you thinking about being responsible for your health, just like we need to be responsible for our local food system, our education, etc. Herbs are a great place to start on your journey. Plant medicines are accessible and effective; they bridge the distance that has been created between humans and the plant (and fungi) world by reconnecting us with Nature. To me, Nature is the obvious source of medicine, of wellness.
There are great books written about herbs like The Herbal Medicine-maker’s Handbook by James Green - mostly about herbal preparations, The Principles and Practices of Phytotherapy, books by Rosemary Gladstar, The Way of Herbs (I bought this book when I was in high school and still have it!), books by Matthew Wood, Christopher Hobbs’ Guide to Medicinal Mushrooms, Adaptogens byDavid Winston, Body into Balance, The Wild Medicine Solution by Guido Mase, all of the Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals books, and so many more!
I might keep this topic going for a few more posts….general herbal info, first aid, homeopathic remedies, etc. I would love to hear from you - how you use herbs, what herbs you grow in your garden, your favorite books on herbs and medicinal mushrooms - leave a message below. And, if you enjoyed this post please feel free to pass it onto others who might enjoy it too.
Much Love - Nikki