Olive leaf cold care

When a cold comes through the house, there are plenty of options!  This particular cold featured a sore throat, due to post nasal drip.  However, with a history of strep throat, prevention is called for!  Olive leaf is a traditional antimicrobial herb.  This remedy is a make-as-needed item that only takes an hour to be ready for use.

1 - In a clean pint jar, add 1/2c. (By volume) dried organic olive leaves 

2 - Add 1Tblsp. Cough & Sore throat honey

3 - Fill the jar with boiling water & cap tightly

4 - When the decoction has cooled to approximately room temperature, use 2Tblsp. Of the decoction in a glass of water.  3-5 glasses per day is appropriate throughout the duration of the cold.

References:

http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbclip/347/review45194.html

Sore throat & Cough Honey

NOTE:  This is for healthy adult use only!!!  This recipe is inappropriate for children under age 13.

Honeys are a great way to incorporate herbal remedies and aromatic medicine into the home medicine chest.  This aromatic honey can be prepared and stored for a long period of time (1-2 years) and used when needed to soothe a cough or sore throat.  Honey has traditionally been used on its own for these purposes.

Honey is often labeled by the type of plant the bees feed on.  Clover honey bees feed on clover flowers. Buckwheat honey bees feed on buckwheat.  Eucalyptus honey bees feed from eucalyptus trees.  For this application, I chose eucalyptus honey as my base.

High quality essential oils distilled or expressed from organic plant matter are needed for this project as it will be ingested.  The three essential oils chosen for this honey are traditionally used for sore throat and cough application and are often found in OTC cough lozenges.

Sore Throat & Cough Honey

16 oz. Eucalyptus honey

20 drops Eucalyptus radiata essential oil

15 drops Lemon (Citrus limon) essential oil

15 drops Ginger (Zingaber officinale) essential oil

Mix the ingredients very thoroughly.

To use, add 1 tsp. of the Sore Throat & Cough Honey to a 12 oz. cup of warm water or tea and stir well.  Inhale the steam as it cools and drink warm. Alternatively, spread 1 tsp. of the aromatic honey on a piece of toast or biscuit, just note that eucalyptus does give the honey a traditional cough drop flavor.  Up to three teaspoons (divided) of honey per day is appropriate during a sore throat or cough for an otherwise healthy adult.


This honey has a < 0.5% total essential oil content and strong eucalyptus scent and flavor.

NOTE:  This is for healthy adult use only!!!  This recipe is inappropriate for children under age 13.


References:
Lai, Yinyan; Dilidaer, D.; Chen, Bei; Xu, Geng; Shi, Jianbo; Lee, Robert J.; Cohen, Noam A. In vitro studies of a distillate of rectified essential oils on sinonasal components of mucociliary clearance American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy, Volume 28, Number 3, May/June 2014, pp. 244-248(5)

Paul IM, Beiler J, McMonagle A, Shaffer ML, Duda L, Berlin CM, Jr. Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(12):1140-1146. doi:10.1001/archpedi.161.12.1140.