Wow, so I've had the flu for the last week and I have to say that I haven't been this sick for a long time.  And there is no better time, like when sick as a dog, that I'm reminded of the power of herbs.  I know true in my heart that I would not have made it with out there support.  OK, I probably wouldn't haven't keeled over, but would I be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so quickly?  I don' t think so.  I've heard stories from others who have caught this flu and they aren't pretty. 

I started feeling sick last Wednesday and stayed home from work.  I began taking my trifecta miel, honey infused with onion, ginger and garlic, by the teaspoonful every hour.  The honey, ginger, garlic and onion are all antimicrobial, the honey and onion are soothing and anti-inflammatory, the ginger is anti-inflammatory and stimulating to the immune system, making all three my trifecta! 

The next day I was feeling better so I went back to work.  By mid-day I was not feeling so top notch so I ran to Madison Market and got my favorite elderberry syrup by a company who's syrup is almost as good as mine,  Apitherapy.  Their elderberry extract contains not only honey and elderberries but propolis, echinacea and vinegar as well.  Elderberries are a known antiviral that have been found effective against at least 11 strains of influenza, including the dreaded H1N1 virus, while propolis is anti-inflammatory and immune modulating, and vinegar is an excellent refrigerant helping to decrease heat and inflammation.

This normally does the trick.  I staved it off for another day and was able to go to the opera with my sweetie Friday night.  Saturday we were both feeling the malaise come on and we stayed in for the weekend.  On Sunday I started feeling worse and began taking an herbal antifungal that housed a powerhouse of antimicrobial herbs thinking it might help.  I was away from my home and my herbs and was trying anything to stave off he inevitable.  However, the herbs were not so antiviral and as it turns out I had the flu! 

Monday I was down right sick!  I had a full day of teaching at Bastyr and could not miss the last day of class during finals week.  I tried powering through the day, and feel like I was able to do as well as I did by brewing up a super tea with echinacea, lomatium, osha, elderberries, elecampane, licorice, fennel,  thyme, elder flowers, boneset, and colts foot.  I decocted the first seven on a low simmer for 30 minutes then turned off the heat and infused the remaining herbs for 15 more minutes.  Not too bad tasting and it definitely helped.  I added echinacea for its immune stimulating properties, lomatium for its antiviral action that is specific for deep lung infection, osha for its antiviral and expectorating actions that are effective for upper respiratory infections, elderberries for their antiviral action, elecampane for the action on the lungs and to help reduce cough, licorice for its inflammation modulating, antimicrobial, expectorating actions and its pleasant taste, fennel for its antispasmodic action to reduce cough, its antimicrobial action and its tasty flavor, thyme because it will kill anything, elder flowers for their decongestant and diaphoretic properties, boneset to help reduce body aches, and lovely colts foot as a cough reducing, mucus membrane soother.  Wow- that's what a medicinal cup of tea should look like!!!

Well, by the time I got home about all I could do was climb in bed.  But before that I knew I had to whip up some elderberry and echinacea elixir if I was going to make it through the rough patch.  Thank goodness making an elixir is relatively easy to do and doesn't take a lot of effort.  I made the elixir and starting taking a teaspoon every hour.  By nightfall the flu had me in its grip and I had a fever and full body aches.  This is when it is best to have a loved one to start looking out for you!  Its hard to do what's needed when you're this sick.

Tuesday I had to do the inevitable.  I had to call in a replacement for my evening class and call in sick for my afternoon job.  In the four years of teaching I've never called in sick!  I stayed home and kept up with the elder elixir every hour, with my herbal teas and by eating chicken soup and consuming large quantities of emergen-c that my dear friend, Amber came and delivered. 

Today I'm feeling like I'm coming out of the woods and seeing the light.  I'm still run down with little energy and am fighting a cough and stuffy head but I feel better and that 's all I can ask for.  I honestly feel that my herbal allies were right there all along to help me during this time of need.  I've added my recipes for you to try for yourself when you become ill in hopes that the herbs can serve you as well. 

May your herbal medicine support you in health and well being!!!

Trifecta Miel

1. Thinly slice up some onion, ginger and garlic.  Make sure to peel off the outer protective skin from the ginger.  I like to use a tea spoon and scrape off the skin.
2. Fill your jar about 2/3 full with the herbs.  Add as much of each that you prefer.  Some like a lot of ginger, some prefer more garlic, others love the taste of onions.  I usually add the onion and ginger in equal portions with a bit less garlic because my gastrointestinal system is sensitive to garlic.
3. Pour your honey over the herbs.  Make sure to mix in the honey with the herbs to ensure that there are no air bubbles.  You want all of the honey in contact with  all of the herb.  Make sure the honey covers the herb by at least an inch.
4. Put the top on your jar and label your creation.  On the label you want to add the name, ingredients and date the product was made.
5. For the next two weeks keep your miel in a cool, dark area and make sure to shake your love and healing intention into it every day.  You will notice that the honey will become a lot less viscous over time as it draws into it the healing constituents from your herbs.
   
6. After two weeks strain the herb from the honey.  I like to take a fork and scoop out the onion, garlic and ginger, letting the honey pour through the tines.  The honey soaked bits can be used in cooking so mix them in to your next meal.
7. Now your infused honey is complete!  It will keep indefinitely if kept in a cool, dark location.  Eat a teaspoonful every hour during acute illness or simply incorporate it into your meals for a great prophylactic.  It makes a tasty marinade for meats, tofu and fish, and is a lovely ingredient to use when making salad dressing.

Elderberry and Echinacea Elixir

1. Measure out 1.5 ounces dried elder berries and a half an ounce of dried echinacea root.
2. In a sauce pan, combine 4 cups of water and the herb mixture.  Take a wooden chopstick and place one of its ends into the water and mark the water line.
3. Bring the water and herb to a boil then reduce the heat to low rolling boil.
   
4. Reduce the liquid by half.  You will be able to tell when the mixture has been reduced in half by measuring the water line using the chopstick you  marked as a guide.
5. Take the saucepan off heat and add 1/4 cup brandy.  Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.  Allowing the herbs to soak in the brandy will help extract any alcohol soluble constituents from the herb.
6. Strain the herb from the liquid using a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth.  Once the liquid has run through, bring up the corners of the cheesecloth and wring out any remaining liquid from the herb.  You'd be surprised by how much liquid the herb will hold on to- and that's the good stuff with all of the plant's healing vital energy and constituents.
7. Mix in 1/4 cup honey to the reserved liquid.  Stir until well blended.
8. Bottle the elixir and label your medicine with the name, date and ingredients included.
9. Take 1tsp every hour for acute conditions and 1Tbl three times a time for preventative measures.
10. Your elixir does not need to be refrigerated and will last indefinitely.  Keep in a cool, dark location.