"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." -- Hippocrates
You know your body better than anyone. Pay attention to the cues (aches and pains, the threat of an oncoming virus), and over time you develop a relationship with your immune system. You know when you feel compromised, and when your immune system is down. A 'personal apothecary' is a powerful way to take responsibility for your health and ward off illness before it occurs. A personal apothecary is a tool chest of immune system boosters that work for you.
Here's my personal apothecary created over years of health-related research, trial and error, and personal experience. It has proven helpful for me and many others who choose to live life virus-free. However, every body is different, so trust your intuition and your body to help develop your own personal apothecary. Take charge of your health.
Disclosure: I am a certified health coach from Institute of Integrative Nutrition. I am not a doctor. What works for me may or may not work for you.
WINTER TEA Each fall, I go to my local health food storeand mix up a batch of health-enhancing winter tea, storing all ingredients together in an airtight jar. Place a scoop-full of dried ingredients in a crockpot, filled with 1 qt. or more filtered water. When high heat is at maximum, turn to low heat and simmer for up to eight hours. Store in mason jar(s) in fridge, and take a swig or two each day. Or, use the teapot method, brewing individual servings.
Hibiscus– manages blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, protects the liver, anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory Rose hips – Vit. A, C, E, B-complex + important minerals Hawthorn berries – cardiovascular health, bioflavonoids, high in antioxidants. In ancient times, every part of the hawthorn bush was used to make medicine Chaga mushrooms from locally owned North Spore Mushroom Company – prevents and helps cure cancer, promotes digestive health, increase longevity, high in antioxidants Astragalus bark – natural tick repellent, immune system booster, protects against heart disease, high in antioxidants Dried Elderflowers -- I harvest a portion of the flower umbels in July while in bloom, dry them on screens in the indirect light of my garage loft with good ventilation, then add them to my Winter Tea ingredients. Elderflowers can also be tinctured: An extract of the flower is used to make medicine. Elderflower is used for swollen sinuses (sinusitis), colds, influenza (flu), swine flu, bronchitis, diabetes, and constipation. It is also used to increase urine production (as a diuretic), to increase sweating (as a diaphoretic), and to stop bleeding.
Steep one to three Tblsps. in a tea pot. Cover with towel or tea cozy. I also throw in a tea bag of decaffeinated chai tea because I love the warming spices of this tea in winter. Serve with a spoonful of honey and a sprinkle of cloves + nutmeg from your pre-mixed shaker. Or, make a more potent batch by steeping ingredients in a crock pot on Low for eight hours. Store in ‘frig and drink some each day. Pure health.
ELDERBERRY and/or ARONIA SYRUP or SHRUB tonic (see www.TheBaileyFarm.com for recipes). Take syrup or mix a shrub tonic daily through the winter as an immune system booster. In the commercial syrup market, Sambucol and/or Honey Gardens contain high levels of elderberry concentration. Do your own brand comparisons to determine preferred sweeteners and ingredients.
HOST DEFENSE COMPOUNDED MUSHROOMS FOR IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPORT, by Paul Stamets. See https://hostdefense.com/pages/who-we-are; https://fungi.com/collections/host-defense/immune-boost Whenever I start to feel compromised, I reach for this line of products compounded out of Paul Stamets mushrooms, a miracle of nature. Watch Paul Stamets’ Ted Talk called, “How Mushrooms Will Save the World,” and see him on YouTube. He has developed a long line of specifically targeted compounded mushrooms over the last decade. The triumvirate of Host Defense, elderberry and aronia have enabled me, my family and others to be virus-free for fifteen years.
REALMUSHROOMS.COM. Recently, I came across this information-packed website and product line. Jeff Chilton, and his son, Skye, have developed a line of compounded mushrooms that uses the fruit-body (the actual mushroom itself), which is thought to be more potent than the mycelium (root, pathway, network of the mushroom) based products created by Paul Stamets. For anyone wanting to learn more about the medicinal properties of mushrooms, this site is a goldmine. I haven't tried Real Mushrooms yet, but as a long-standing fan of Paul Stamets, who's compounded mushroom mycelium formulations have helped keep me virus-free for years, I'm guessing that this product line will be even more powerful and effective.
IONIZED MAGNESIUM in the form of 100% absorbableREMAG (at amazon) developed by Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of “The Magnesium Miracle.” Most all of us are magnesium deficient, which shows up in symptoms like AFib, tremors, twitches, restless leg syndrome, migraines, depression, anxiety, insomnia, poor gut health and more. The body requires replenishment of Magnesium on a daily basis.
AVENIA BOTANICALS IMMUNE TEA. https://www.avenabotanicals.com/collections/rejuvenate/products/immune-broth. This broth is a powerful recovery agent for people recovering from cancer and other operations, trauma and sickness. It will speed recovery time and make your immune system stronger. I watched it in action following a friend's prostate operation. He was up and running in record time.
HOMEMADE KEFIR made from live kefir grains supplied by www.fusionteas.com. The freshest most alive and powerful probiotic source for a fraction of the cost of probiotic pills. Aids digestion and gut health. Kefir can be taken by most lactose intolerant people because the kefir grains chemically change the dairy lactose to a non-lactose form, lactic acid. See https://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20030530/kefir-helps-lactose-intolerance.
If any of you are interested in boosting your immune system while transforming your spiritual health, I highly recommend the work of DR. JOE DISPENZA. Combining brain science, epigenetics, the quantum field and the power of meditation, his approach and technique will help you begin a new healthier life. Stress and trapped energy in the body are the most common causes of inflammation and dis-ease. His books ("You Are the Placebo," "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself," "Becoming Supernatural"), YouTube videos, online courses and meditation retreats are life-changing.
DR. ZACH BUSH, triple Ph.D oncologist, has recently left the medical field for a higher calling. After treating cancer for over a decade, he concluded that cancer cannot be cured long term in an isolated petri dish, or by making the body sterile with chemotherapy and/or radiation. He realized the current state of our (sterile) soil through overuse of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round-Up, is the same tragic state of our (national) gut health, ruined by overuse of antibiotics, chemicals in our foods and environment, and isolation from nature. Gluten intolerance is often really glyphosate intolerance. Our gut health is the doorway to our immune system, and it’s all related to the soil. Pls. see Rich Roll’s interview with Dr. Bush on YouTube, and visit Dr. Bush’s website, where you can join his powerful initiative to support our struggling farmers transition from chemical-based agriculture to regenerative agriculture. See www. https://zachbushmd.com/ “Farmer’s Footprint.” Dr. Bush has the best and ONLY solution to our whole-earth problems of chronic disease, struggling farmers, climate change and spiritual isolation, and he eloquently explains how it's all connected. And he’s starting from the ground up, where all good and lasting change occurs.
And lastly, music. To lift the heart and spirit, to calm and center the soul, my favorite pick is “HANGMASSIVE.” See “Secret of Sun Kissing Moon,” on YouTube. For the best meditation app, see “INSIGHT TIMER” at the App Store.
Your body is your temple. Love your temple, and be well.