Navigating a Pandemic from an Herbal Perspective

The coronavirus causes a respiratory infection. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, and in severe cases, pneumonia (fluid in the lungs). Here are some of the things that I’m doing to stay well.

At the first tickle in the throat, tingling of fever or any sign of approaching illness:

  • Spray oregano hydrosol into the mouth often, in several bursts. I carry this in my purse & it has reversed several sore throats in just a day. I also use it before and after being around a crowd. Hydrosols are a lovely by-product when distilling a plant for essential oil. They have many of the healing properties of the essential oil although gentler, safer and far less concentrated. I studied with Claire & Max Licher in Sedona & their products are high quality & fairly priced. http://phibeearomatics.com/hydrosols.html
  • Take a hot, steamy shower to release as much mucus as possible. A basin of hot water with a towel over the head will work. I think hydrotherapy is helpful and usually end a hot shower with a brief cold water rinse, either on the spine or over the whole body.
  • Vitamin C - 1,000mg/hour or at least every 2 hours up to about 5-6. Too much will cause diarrhea, so if the Vitamin C is stopped, the diarrhea should stop too. It’s best taken on an empty stomach, away from food by at least 1 hour.
  • Vitamin D3 - 10,000iu on day 1, then 5,000iu/day if symptoms decrease. Best taken with food. Note: these quantities are okay for short term use but not for months at a time. It is possible to get too much, which will make everything else (calcium, magnesium, etc.) out of balance.
  • Essential oils - The most powerful for fighting infections are oregano, clove, thyme CT thymol (CT means a specific chemotype), eucalyptus CT 1.8 cineole & peppermint. These particular oils are VERY strong and MUST be used in dilution. Recipes for an inhaler & room spray are coming shortly. In the meantime, 1 drop can be put on a hankie and inhaled throughout the day. Please treat them with great respect. It takes a huge amount of plant material to make a tiny bit of essential oil. They are highly concentrated and a little goes a very long way. Contraindications are when pregnant, breast feeding or for children under 2.
  • I’m drinking plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration. This is so important! A friend who recently had the "bad" kind of flu did not feel like drinking or eating & was close to needing IV fluids when she saw a doctor. Broths are a good, easy protein source. I just found a bone broth with ginger & tumeric. And if I end up getting dehydrated anyway, I’m keeping ginger ale & an electrolyte drink on hand to mix half & half, which my same friend said was the easiest thing that would stay down.
  • I love elderberry syrup for a cough or fever! From personal experience, it took my climbing  fever, at 103*, down to just below 100* in one hour.
  • A homeopathic remedy that they are handing out in India right now as a prophylactic is arsenicum album, 30c. They believe this is the “genus epidemicus” or overall remedy for covid19. They are tiny sugar pills & you dissolve one under the tongue. As a preventative,  I'm taking 1/day for 3 days (30c potency). They're available at health food stores & online.
  • If possible, a daily regime of digestive enzymes & probiotics: 1 digestive enzyme with each meal, proteolytic enzymes between meals, 1 probiotic at bedtime.
  • I’m going to stay informed but limit exposure to sensational news, as that is stress producing and taxing to my immune system. To that point, Jenny Blake, talented entrepreneur & thought leader, just aired a wonderful podcast (link below). She & her guest believe that a crisis like this offers the opportunity to move from victim to helper/hero by looking around to see who near you may need  a helping hand. http://www.pivotmethod.com/podcast/pandemic

May you all be well & happy!