Get ready, its coming your way.

Get ready because here it comes. No matter how much you avoid it, its inevitable. About 3 years ago drug companies started having recalls and I started reading labels on the over the counter children medication. First thing hit me was the fact that I was giving my children this medication anytime they were to get any type of cold. Who was I to think it would cure them? Man I was dumb. Have you read the ingredients in these medications? Well thats a stupid question because no one can even pronounce let alone read them. From that day forward it was my mission to find natural alternatives and keep those nasty medications away from my children. 

Now i'm no expert so don't send me any hate mail. I just want to share with all you what been working for the past 3 years for us.  I just want to note that anytime there is anything serious I call my doctor or pediatrician. If they recommend coming in then that's what we do.  I am in no way putting my family in harms way.  But if there is a way to get better the natural way then we do it.  If you eat healthy you will not get sick very often. We do not eat processed food, prepackaged food, or junk. I pretty much make everything from scratch and 90% of our food is organic. And because of this we rarely get sick. About once or twice a year we get a cold. 

 This is my arsenal for fighting colds.  I keep my home stocked full of certain things. Most of these items you will already have in your kitchen. 

Shopping checklist 

1. Organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar

2. Local honey

3. Tea 

4. Multi vitamin

5.Black Elderberry Drops 

6. Cayenne Pepper

You may use any brand you want of these items. My favorite apple cider vinegar is Solana Gold because its somewhat local but I will use Bragg which is found everywhere. Either will cost around $5 for a large glass bottle.   My local honey company is Wessels Family Honey.  It's made in my home town of Forest Grove Oregon and comes in a glass jar. I get my lose leaf chamomile tea from Whole Foods but also I grow my own mint and lemon balm to make my own tea. Muti vitamins are bought from Trader Joe's because they have no preservatives and are all natural. One negative is that they are in a plastic honey bear size container. But they are only $2.99 and very budget friendly. Since we eat so healthy the girls only take them when they are sick for a extra boost. Elderberry drops I found at Whole Foods for $11.99. This bottle will last us all winter long.

Apple Cider Vinegar 

Virtues of vinegar

Your grandmother knew the virtues of vinegar. Her grandmother passed it down.  Hippocrates, called the Father of Medicine, first prescribed it as a remedy in 400 B.C. Not everyone knows that vinegar is more than salad dressing, but for centuries has been cherished as a preventative and curative elixir.  

Vinegar is fundamental. It's universal like water.  Cook, clean, bathe and nourish with it, like people did in simpler times.  Apple cider vinegar can also lesson the harmful effects of food bacteria like E Coli, concluded a 1996 joint research study at Nagoya Medical University in Japan.  Surprisingly, they found only 45 medical studies on the benefits of vinegar.  The small number was puzzling until a respected cancer nutritionist pointed out that big drug firms (who fund most medical research) do NOT want to research a natural ingredient like vinegar because IT CANT BE PATENTED.

The Mystery of The Mother

In organic vinegar, there is a cloudy substance in it. That mysterious veil is called The Mother and its unique to apple cider vinegar.  As raw apple juice is fermented to hard cider, protein enzymes link into a floating, molecular chain.  Many manufacturers unnecessarily expose vinegar to clarifying agents, heat and filtration.  Look's advertising pretty but what happened to the beneficial dormant living-enzyme proteins? Really going beyond the legend, even your own intuition.  ACV is worth further reading, more than there's room for here on my blog.  

ACV Remedies

Recipe 

Start the day with this each day.

1-2 tbsp of ACV, tbsp of honey and cold water. Heat will de-activate the enzymes.

Think of it as a tummy antibacterial solution.

Stuffed up? Have a sniffle? many try inhaling a deep whiff of cider vinegar instead of chemical filled nose sprays.

Nasty cut? Throughout history vinegar has been a time-honored antiseptic. 

Crave something tangy or vinegary with your meal? That's the body's digestive solution to cutting fats, proteins and sugars.

Internal Benefits

• Rich in enzymes & potassium
• Support a healthy immune system
• Helps control weight
• Promotes digestion & ph Balance
• Helps soothe dry throats
• Helps remove body sludge toxins

External Benefits

• Helps maintain healthy skin
• Helps promote youthful, healthy bodies
• Soothes irritated skin
• Relieves muscle pain from exercise 

Honey

WARNING! Never give honey to an infant under 12 months.

Did you know that honey contains copper, iron, silica, vitamin B, manganese, chlorine, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, aluminum and magnesium? Depending on the part of the world where the honey comes from, honey will vary in mineral content. 

Honey for pain relief: Mix 3 Tbls. of honey in boiled water and drink. Honey has natural pain-relieving powers.

Honey Relieves Coughs:Cut a lemon in 2 and extract the juice. Add juice to a 4 oz glass. Then add 2 Tablespoons of glycerine and fill the remaining glass with honey. Dosage: 1 teaspoon during the day. Stir with spoon before taking. If you have a night-time cough, take 1 teaspoon right before retiring and then another one during the night. If your cough is severe, take concoction every 4 hours starting with when you wake up. As the cough gets better, you take less and less.

I personally like this recipe.  1 tablespoon of local raw honey mixed with 2 tablespoons of organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Chase down with a drink of water.  If you have inflammation in your throat add 15-20 drops of Elderberry drops. 

TEA

Tea contains high levels of antioxidants, some of which are called polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins, and all of which take on the "free radicals" in the body and prevent them from harming the healthy cells on board.
In other words, sending in antioxidants is disease prevention in its finest form.  Antioxidants are ready and waiting not only in tea's but also in several fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats and even wines.  If that were not enough, tea also contains fluoride which benefits your teeth and has bacteria killing properties which help control bad breath and the formation of plaque. 


Sore Throat




So how do you get started in doing your body some good with tea? To get the most health benefits out of your teas, choose high-quality loose leaf teas from your local or online tea shop.  Brew it up and enjoy.

Black Elderberry

In a 2004 study it showed that i

t's likely that antioxidants called flavanoids—which are contained in the extract—stimulate the immune system.   Also, other compounds in elderberry, called anthocyanins, have an anti-inflammatory effect; this could explain the effect on aches, pains, and fever.


The leaves, twigs, branches, seeds and roots contain a cyanide producing glycoside. Ingesting any of these parts in sufficient quantity can cause toxic build of cyanide in the body. In addition, the unripened berry, flowers and "umbels" contain a toxic alkaloid. So do not use any part of the elderberry plant except for the berries. The berries are non toxic.  It's very important to not let children play with or near the plant.  

Folklore

The Elder Tree was supposed to ward off evil influence and give protection from witches, a popular belief held in some cultures. If an elder tree was cut down, a spirit known as the Elder Mother would be released and take her revenge. The tree could only safely be cut while chanting a rhyme to the Elder Mother.
Herb Pharm recommends to take two to four times per day.  Take 30-40 drops in a little water or along with your ACV recipe.

Cayenne Pepper


Cayenne Pepper is an herb made from the dried pods of chili peppers. Besides being a very popular spice in cooking, cayenne has also been used medicinally for thousands of years. High in Vitamins A, C, B complex, calcium and potassium, cayenne is a wonderful healing aid for the digestive system since it acts as a catalyst and increases the effectiveness of other foods and herbs when used with them. It is also very healing for the heart and circulatory system. Studies have shown that Cayenne can rebuild the tissue in the stomach and the peristaltic action in the intestines.

Anytime one of us has a nasty cough or sore throat we sprinkle some of this in our hot tea. It helps with inflamed sore throats and pretty much stops the coughing all together. Just a sprinkle will do you. Its not hot and even my children will ask for this. Love it!

Okay so there you go. Did I miss anything? Anything else I need to add to my arsenal?