Thyme

Thyme is a well known cooking herb. A remedy for chest and sinus congestion, this herb’s main medicinal role is treating coughs, including whooping cough.

I have found it very effective for clearing excessive mucous in the sinuses. The easiest and tastiest way to accomplish this is with a teaspoon of fresh leaves smashed and eaten with a spoonful of honey. Very yummy!
You can find thyme plants at most nurseries. be sure to find an organic plant. You don’t want pesticides in your medicine.

You also can make a tea out of dried thyme leaves by pouring boiling water over 2 teaspoons of the dried herb and steeping for 10 minutes. Use for stomach weakness and cramps, indigestion, gas, inflammation of the colon, bowel problems, and diarrhea.

Thyme is also the most useful mold and mildew remover I have found. Infuse a cup of dried leaves in two cups of white vinegar for 24 hours. Strain, then spray on mildew and wipe off. This is a powerful cleaner and it is the only thing that works on my toughest mildew stains.

 

Ginger

Being so widely available ginger is one of if not the most widely used herbs for cooking and healing. There is a long list of uses but lets focus on a few you can try at home right so that it will be easy to remember how to utilize this herb during times of need.

Being powerfully expectorant Ginger tea is a wonderful cold and flu remedy bringing relief of congestion and aiding the healing process. Peel and grate a 1 to 2 inch piece of fresh ginger. Simmer in 1 to 3 cups of water for 5 to 15 minutes. Adjust times and amounts according to your taste. When finished simmering Add the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons honey, strain and enjoy!

Taken as a capsule or syrup, ginger is a proven motion sickness remedy,.Try taking it 30 minutes before departure. Some women find it useful for morning sickness during pregnancy.

Putting the hot ginger tea in your bath or adding 3-4 tablespoons of dried ginger powder to tepid bath water treats sore muscles, congestion and fevers. Can also be used in a foot soak.
also very anti-inflammatory ginger can be a great treatment for auto-immune disease and arthritis.

 

Aloe vera

You may be surprised to learn aloe is in the lily family of plants (Liliaceae), not the cactus family. Aloe is most often used to treat sunburn as it contains pain relieving agents and is a contact healer, meaning it begins to heal immediately.

Topically, it quickly penetrates the three layers of skin, carrying nutrients to each. This is important to remember because when aloe is in an unnatural cream or lotion, it will carry all the harmful ingredients with it through all layers of your skin.

On the flip side, its penetrating ability is very helpful in an herbal cream. Other topical applications include soothing chicken pox, preventing and drawing out infection, stimulating circulation in wounded areas, stimulating the normal growth of living cells, and moisturizing. The juice has been used as an eyedrop to improve circulation to the eye and better eyesight. Internally, aloe is a flu fighter.

It expels worms, aids digestion, cleans the colon, inhibits yeast growth, and soothes ulcers. Use the gel in a steam inhalant for bronchial congestion. There are a number of other uses as well, so try it out and get reacquainted with this amazing plant. Sometimes the most common of herbs are the most miraculous and I hope you will be inspired to reach for this great healer more often.

 

Elder (sambucus nigra)

Elder is one of my most cherished herbs. The berries have a wonderful flavor and the flowers are simply breathtaking. Elder can be taken in many forms. The berry in Beeyoutiful’s Berry Well is elder. It was added as a flu fighter as well as for prevention of illness. Elder has been found to reduce the duration of the flu from a week or more to 2-3 days. I have seen elder knock out the oncoming feeling of a cold or a fever in my child in mere hours. Treat immediately for best results.

Elder berry is currently receiving attention as an H1N1 prevention treatment that deactivates the hemagglutin, the H in the H1N1. A tincture or tea of elder flowers is an extremely mild medicine safe for the smallest of babies.

The flowers are a wonderful fever reducer and expectorant, helping to reduce phlegm. Elder flower will actually increase your internal temperature, helping to kill a virus while at the same time promoting perspiration, allowing the excess heat to escape through the skin to lower the fever. Elder actually resets the fever mechanism in the body. All in all, elder increases the efficiency of the entire body while restoring balance in the immune system.

 

Chamomile

You may have had a cup of chamomile tea before bed to help you sleep but did you know that chamomile tea is also an excellent eyewash for treating pink eye? Also, try using a strong infusion of tea in your bath before bed to promote relaxing sleep. For an extra relaxing bath add several drops of lavender essential oil to your chamomile bath. Great bedtime bath for kids!

 

More to come!