Sick. At the beginning of Summer? Sore throat, coughing, wheezing, sinus pressure, neck pain, headache, fatigue. Yup, sick.
It’s never convenient to get sick – especially when it means lots of down-time, missing work, and letting the dishes pile up. Who can afford to be sick these days? I certainly can’t. That’s why I did everything in my power to keep this crud at bay including:
My FAVORITE triple antibiotic electuary
1 T organic, local, raw honey
1 T raw garlic, minced
1 T organic ground turmeric
(you can change the flavor and texture by adding peanut butter, coconut oil, unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon and molasses, which all add medicinal value – or leave it as is)
Mix in a small bowl or cup with a spoon. Take one teaspoon at a time, 3 to 5 times a day. Honey and garlic are known antibacterials. Raw, local honey will give you added enzymes and bee-pollen, especially if you suffer from allergies. Raw garlic is a proven anti-viral as well as anti-microbial, very much worth the pungent fragrance for it’s immune boosting prowess! Turmeric is anti-inflammatory – and unless you are eating curry every day, or taking powdered turmeric capsules, you really can never get enough.
Here’s more of the science behind this formula.
Deep Breath Therapy
For one pot of Deep Breath tea:
1 – 2 heaping spoonfuls of our Deep Breath blend (mugwort, mullein, and mint)
1 Tablespoon organic, raw, local honey
1 Tablespoon (more or less to taste) organic lemon juice
Add tea to cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat when water starts to boil, lean face over steam with a towel over your head and enjoy some detoxifying steam therapy. Make sure to keep a box of tissues close by!
When pot has finished steaming, add honey and lemon juice. Stir and strain out herbs. Delicious hot or cold. More ways to prepare and enjoy Deep Breath here.
Dr. B’s to the rescue!
Admittedly, Dr. B’s Herbal Cough Syrup is the ONLY home remedy that gave my terrible sore throat any relief as it coats so nicely. It also helped calm the tickle that kept me up at night hacking and coughing…
Make a strong infusion of equal parts lobelia, horehound, wild cherry bark and licorice root. Strain out herbs. Add sugar and slices of organic lemon, cook down until you have a thick syrup et, voila!
You can also cook this potion down to the “hard crack” stage and pour into molds for making cough drops, also heavenly (I would add several drops of lemon essential oil before the pour).
Here’s another Homestead original recipe for homemade herbal cough drops.
I tried all that wonderful stuff, in addition to every other natural remedy I could find – echinacea, Vitamin C, Zinc, honey-lemon-ginger-mint tea, more steam therapy with every herb on the spice rack – parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil – my mom’s go-to for upper respiratory everything…
Until finally my husband said, “You need to see a doctor.” So I took his good advice, went to Urgent Care, they looked and listened, gave me some nebulized albuterol, looked, listened, measured some more, and finally said: “You probably have a viral respiratory infection. We aren’t going to send you home with any meds. Go home and get some rest.”
REST!
REST!
REST!

pillows, blankets, books and hot cocoa. While I’d rather be doing a hundred other things, this being sick business isn’t so bad after all.
The ONE magical ingredient in my barrage of natural, self-heal, self-care, get-well apothecary that I simply didn’t try – REST! I was taking all these beautiful herbs expecting a quick fix, while still maintaining an overloaded work schedule, and trying to maintain my family – cooking, dishes, etc. No wonder my great formulas weren’t getting me better, I just didn’t take the time to rest.
Now I have a Doctor’s note for my boss (who would be me, myself, as I am self-employed!) proving that I’m sick and that I need to rest. Stay-cation granted. I shall rest and be well.
ps – I promise to be well again by Saturday in time for our annual Summer Solstice Wildcrafting Party this Saturday, June 24th starting at 10 am! Read all about it and get your tickets here!
I’m sending good vibes your way, get well soon, your remedies look very comforting. Thanks again for coming down, it was Great with a capitol G to see you!!!
On Mon, Jun 19, 2017 at 4:32 PM, The Holistic Homestead wrote:
> The Holistic Homestead posted: “Sick. At the beginning of Summer? Sore > throat, coughing, wheezing, sinus pressure, neck pain, headache, fatigue. > Yup, sick. It’s never convenient to get sick – especially when it means > lots of down-time, missing work, and letting the dishes pile up. Who ” >
Thanks, Mike!
And a big THANKS with a capitol “T” for donating the canopy for our Summer Solstice Wildcrafting Party this weekend. That was a much needed asset, and it is SO beautiful! I’ll miss you this weekend, but I hope to see you at future Homestead events <3
Blessings and gratitude, Arwen