Monthly Archives: March 2013

Cough syrup for Mathew

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mathew with coldWhen Mathew came down with his first common cold recently he let me try some new remedies on him. One recipe I concocted was an elecampane (Inula helenium) cough syrup. I normally put fresh elecampane root in honey as a cough remedy since elecampane is rather nasty tasting and honey makes it more palatable along with having its own medicinal properties. Elecampane is one of the best herbs to treat all chronic and acute upper respiratory infections, whether it is viral, bacterial or fungal (even TB). It also is a tonic for the respiratory tract. Honey is an antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, an expectorant, anti-allergenic, therefore, great for respiratory ailments. Elecampane and honey are a winning combination. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any fresh elecampane in the house. I did have dry elecampane root and honey though. I decided to make a decoction with the elecampane root and then add it to the honey. Decoctions are made from the tougher parts of the plants such as roots and bark. Their medicinal properties are tougher to extract and need a slow simmer. I simply put a handful of elecampane root in a quart of cold water and simmered uncovered for about an hour. When the liquid was reduced in half, I strained it. I combined 3 parts honey and 1 part elecampane decoction to make the syrup. I gently heated and blended the decoction with honey for 10 minutes. It is important not to heat the honey higher than 110°as it could lose some of its medicinal properties.

I asked Mathew to try it and he gave me the thumbs up. He had a rather bad cough, so I decided to give him a teaspoon 3 times a day. Before bed, I gave him a teaspoon of elecampane syrup as well as put garlic oil on his feet. He slept through the night and I only heard one cough throughout the night. This was a vast improvement. The majority of his cough was abated within three days, which gave way to a lot of mucus flowing from his nose. Which led to an earache, thank goodness we had garlic oil in the house. Please see my previous blog to see how we handled his earache.

What do you do to relieve symptoms for the common cold? Please share and I will continue to share.

All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

The common cold hits Mathew

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MathewRecently, Mathew had his first common cold. Sure, he has felt under the weather from time to time but his symptoms usually only lasted 24 to 48 hours. The common cold generally lasts between 7 and 10 days. We have no doubt been lucky and “luck” was on our side when he had his cold during  mid-winter vacation. Therefore, he had no tasks or responsibilities; all he had to do was rest and let the cold take its course.

During the course of his cold, Mathew exhibited new symptoms and was open to trying remedies that I suggested. Some of the remedies were tried and true, others I concocted. Mathew was a true guinea pig. One remedy I heard of but never had the opportunity to use was garlic oil for earaches. It was no big surprise that Mathew got an earache as the mucus was flowing like a river and he spent more time sucking it back in than blowing his nose. The poor guy, he was in tears from the pain. I told him that I heard warm garlic oil in the ear might relieve the pain; he was willing to try anything. I had garlic oil on hand, as we use it as a cough remedy. I warmed the oil to body temperature, putting 3-4 drops in each ear and then put a tissue gently in the ear (not too far in though) to keep the oil from leaking out. He didn’t feel much relief, so I repeated it after a half of an hour. Then a miracle happened – within an hour, Mathew was no longer in pain and it never returned. Garlic contains powerful antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds, which get absorbed through the skin and the eardrum into the inner ear and surrounding tissues, fighting infection and reducing inflammation at the same time.

This is just one of the remedies I used on Mathew during his cold. In the days ahead, I will continue to share more remedies I tested on Mathew while he was sick. What do you do to make yourself or loved ones more comfortable when nursing a cold?

All information is shared for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.