Preparing for flu and cold season

On a bright shiny August afternoon I decided to prepare for cold and flu season. Kinda weird to think about sickness on such a fabulous day but the plants were calling me. Boneset and Echinacea were blooming and dancing in the wind; you can say they were waving me over. They were reminding me that I should prepare for days of fever and runny noses.
EchinacheaEchinacea (Echinacea spp.) is a first line of defense herb. It is best to take before a full-blown cold or flu has taken hold of your body. It’s perfect to take when you feel something brewing, like a scratchy throat or you just don’t feel like yourself. It works in concert with a person’s natural healthy immune system and helps boosts it by stimulating the activity of macrophages and natural killer cells. It accelerates phagocytosis, our body’s mechanism where macrophages and other antibodies attack and remove bacteria. This is an important way the immune system removes various pathogens, bacteria and other cellular debris. Echinacea also helps to reduce the production of an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid (an important and highly viscous fluid that holds and binds cells together, lubricates body tissue, and blocks the spread of microorganisms). Because of how Echinacea supports the immune system, its principal usefulness depends on a healthy immune system. Without a healthy population of antibodies to work with, Echinacea’s ability to fight infection is limited. This means timing is critical to its effectiveness ~ it should be taken at the first onset of symptoms, otherwise it’s not really that effective for colds and flu. Finally, it is not the herb for people who have frequent colds and a weakened immune system brought on by poor diet and lifestyle choices.In addition to Echinacea being a powerful immunomodulator, it is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, a vulnerary, a lymphagogue (promotes lymph flow), antibiotic, detoxifying, increases sweating, and heals wounds. Besides being the first line of defense, it is ideal for relieving the pain and inflammation of insect, spider and snakebites. If a snake bites you, take Echinacea but also go to the hospital. One should take it internally and apply topically for relief.  Furthermore, it helps heal wounds, acne, boils, abscesses, septicemia (bacterial infection enters the bloodstream), and mouth infections.I harvested the Echinacea flowers and leaves, which contain polysaccharides that are known to activate the immune system. I will harvest the roots in the fall after the flowers have gone to seed. I make two separate tinctures, one with flowers and leaves and another with roots. Once they are both decanted, I will then combine the two. There are several closely related species of Echinacea so, I like to test the plants potency by chewing on the fresh seeds. They have a beautiful spiky seed head and it is no big surprise that the Greek meaning for Echinacea is hedgehog. When you taste a potent Echinacea seed, you’ll immediately get a tingly sensation on your tongue followed by a mouth full of saliva (known as sialagogue). The increased saliva helps heal mouth infections and promotes digestion along with validating it potency.

Boneset Harvest

If you weren’t fast enough to utilize the medicinal powers of Echinacea and a bad cold or flu has gotten its grips on you, Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is the remedy for you. It really knocks the socks off any cold or flu, especially when a cold just seems to linger for months. I think of it as the bouncer for your body and it kicks out the nasty germs that have overstayed their welcome. I like to harvest the blossoms and leaves when less than half the flowers in a cluster are just starting to open, when the vital energy is rising. Boneset is ideal to have in our travel First Aid kit.

When you collect any herbs, please keep in mind:

  • Be sure you have made a definite identification, so use a field guide.
  • Harvest it in a respectful way, leave some, please do not overharvest, and make sure there will be a healthy crop for the future and the pollinators.
  • Harvest away from traffic and areas where chemicals have not been sprayed or animals relieve themselves.
  • If you are unsure, it is best to move on and not harvest in that area.

    Now we are ready!

Harvesting herbs is a wonderful activity for a sunny August afternoon and good insurance for a healthy future.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

As the earth starts to warm up and the land magically reappears from its white blanket, I like to stroll around our land to see what is peeking up from the earth. I give particular pause to my medicinal garden. Generally, I give free range to the plants that want to share our land but choose who stays in the medicinal garden. It’s fair since there are acres and acres for all the herbs to occupy. I only have 10’x 10′ piece of land where I invite only a few of my beloved herbs.

Every year, different herbs try to make their way into the garden; some get to stay, while others are evicted. I try to start early in the spring, in hopes they don’t get comfortable or establish themselves too deeply in the garden. Yellow Dock (Rumex spp.) loves my garden. I think dock is the perfect name for it, because once it moves in and has “docked” in your garden it’s almost impossible to eradicate; nonetheless, I try every year.

digging Dock up

Digging up Yellow Dock, only about half way there.

My favorite tool for removing Yellow Dock is a 4-tine spading fork. Susun Weed suggests that it is best to start in the east, and then move in all four directions. Plunge the spading fork in and rock it back and forth, continue until you have loosened the soil all around the root and then use a spade to remove the loosen soil.  As a rule, the roots are at least 12 inches or more in length and about 1 inch thick, sometimes, however, they extend 2 to 3 feet, making it necessary to dig by hand for quite a while. When attempting to remove Dock, one must have a lot of time and patience as it goes down very deep.

Don’t get me wrong, I love and respect Yellow Dock, but it does perfectly fine elsewhere on the land. I was first introduced to Yellow Dock during my pregnancy and experiencing anemia. Yellow Dock is one of the best organic sources of iron available. It is an excellent tonic during pregnancy as its roots contain biochelated iron along with other vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals help with iron absorption. As a vegetable source of iron, it is easier to digest and absorbed, instead of promoting constipation as other sources of iron can do, it relieves it. It is definitely an ally during pregnancy, as it’s a blood-enriching tonic, eases digestive problems and helps eliminate constipation, indigestion and gas. It’s also high in calcium.

Yellow Dock is a gentle laxative that helps your body produce more bile to break down the fatty foods you eat. It improves the flow of bile and other digestive juices and contains low levels of anthraquinone glycosides, which stimulates the secretion of water into the intestines; both functions encourage a laxative effect. It also helps reduce the amount of irritation and inflammation in your bowels. Yellow Dock has diuretic properties, which help increase urine production and helps the body eliminate toxins. Both laxative and diuretic properties make it an amazing and gentle way for the body to remove toxins, which is very helpful to the body’s overall health.  It is fantastic for occasional bouts of constipation, such as when traveling or taking pain relievers. However, is should not be taken long-term. If you suffer from persistent constipation, it is best to seek medical attention.

Since Yellow dock is a laxative and a diuretic it can decrease potassium in the body. It is important to remember that a “water pill” can also decrease potassium in the body. Taking Yellow Dock along with “water pills” might excessively decrease potassium in the body. Some “water pills” that can decrease potassium include chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide and (HCTZ, Hydrodiuril, Microzide). Therefore, it’s best to be wise and not take with these “water pills.”

Most herbalists prefer to use roots that have been harvested in the fall after the plant has gone to seed and the vital energy is most concentrated within after being sent down into the root. Early spring is also an acceptable time, the earlier the better, before many leaves and the stem has started to grow. As I was digging up the Dock, the aroma was amazing. The minute the root was released from the ground, I could smell the powerful medicine. The pungent scent and bitter taste is very easy to recall from the first time I took it when I was pregnant. The root is a beautiful yellow, between the color and scent there is no mistaking Yellow Dock. I did a fairly decent job removing the Yellow Dock and decided to tincture half of it and dry the rest for later use. Within a day of tincturing, the menstruum had turned a beautiful orange glow, the combination of the yellow roots and orange reminded me of an up side down Tequila Sunrise.

Yellow Dock tincture

What do you like in your garden? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.