Secrets to Winter Living

This last couple of weeks has seen the winter set in here on the mountain.

Now, I do love the idea of the fire roaring, tucked up and cosy in front of it, with a hot soup and homemade bread, savouring the joys of winter.

Wintertime fire

Homemade soup & bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, winter Queensland style, the daytime temperatures are still getting to 20 degress celcius – I shouldn’t be complaining at all, and I’m not, believe me!

Crisp winters day with clear skies and sunset

I grew up with frosts, snow, rain, hail and some sunshine during the winter months, so this is bliss for me!

 

With the joys of winter, along comes some of the lesser joys – coughs, colds and flu.

 

The secrets to living through the winter and using nature to support us through the colds and flus that I use include:

 

• Homeopathic remedies
• Essential oils
• Herbal teas

 

Specifically, I recommend the following:

 

Homeopathic remedies

• Anas barb – first sign of aches and pains associated with the flu
• Aconite – first sign of a sore throat, burning/pricking sensation, comes on quickly
• Ferr-phos – first sign of just not right, just not 100%

Use these remedies at the first signs of a cold or flu

• All-c – clear, profuse, burning discharge
• Bell – sudden onset, with high temperature, very sore throat, pounding headache, nagging cough
• Hep-sulph – thick, yellow/green discharge, sore throat, splinter pains, productive cough
• Merc – infected throat, night sweats, bad breath/taste
• Nat-m – violent sneezing, runny nose, clear like egg white discharge
• Puls – bland, thick yellow discharge, dry mouth, no thirst, poor appetite

Use these remedies during a cold or flu

Essential Oils

• Clove bud
• Lemon or Lime
• Eucalyptus staigeriana

Use these oils in your oil burner to keep the rooms fresh and reduce the viral load in the air surrounding you, also they break up the building mucous and assist in removing the mucous

 

Herbal teas

• Licorice tea (or liquorice), my favourite also includes Fennel (anti-inflammatory, mild expectorant), Aniseed (expectorant and anti-spasmodic for coughs) and Lemongrass (may reduce fevers)
• Lemon (lemon juice has more Vit C than oranges, lemon juice benefits sore throats) & ginger (increases sweating, thus reducing fever) tea
• Lemon & honey tea

Use these teas when you have cold or flu.  They support the immune system, can assist in reducing fevers, reduce coughing, break up the mucous that is building and assist in removing that mucous too.

 

Diet

• reduce diary products (mucous forming)
• increase garlic (supports immune system)
• increase ginger (increases sweating, thus reducing fever)

 

Note: take the homeopathic remedies and the essential oils on advice of a qualified practitioner, and, if symptoms persist please seek medical advice