Herbal Remedies for Respiratory Health
Have you and your family been stricken with sickness this winter?
From RSV to coughs, colds, and ear infections my family has had it all this year. If you know me, you know I gravitate towards non-toxic, natural remedies instead of prescription or over-the-counter medications. I believe deeply that our bodies when taken care of, can overcome anything! As a recently certified beginner herbalist, I have researched and relied on herbal support for my family’s sicknesses with much success!
If you are new to the idea of herbalism or have investigated it but don’t know what products to get or what remedy to try, I am here to help point you in the right direction for holistic health support for the whole family. Today I will be talking about the power of herbs, how to use them, and comparing them to synthetic drugs. I will be sharing a few wonderful products that my family uses and a DIY recipe on how to make a tincture.
Can Children Take Herbal Tinctures?
Yes, absolutely! Herbs can be used safely and effectively for children. I have been using herbal remedies for my little one’s sicknesses for years now, with much success. Here’s one example: my oldest had a headache and a small fever just a few days ago. Instead of grabbing the OTC pain reliever that has multiple questionable synthetic ingredients and side effects, I grabbed a tincture from my handy dandy mommy wellness cabinet, gave her the few drops she needed and the next day she woke up as if she was never sick!
What is a Tincture?
A tincture is a liquid medicine that is dissolved in a liquid (alcohol, vegetable glycerin, or oil) to extract the nutrients and healing properties out of a plant to make it bioavailable (readily available for your body to use) for our bodies. All you do is fill the dropper with the liquid and squirt the appropriate dropper dose right into your mouth or into a drink! It is so easy for kids and adults to take and so effective! There are tinctures for lots of common illnesses or problems like colds, coughs, ear infections, tummy trouble, seasonal allergies, teething pain, and sleep problems!
Are Herbal Remedies Better for Your Body than OTC Medications?
We all probably grew up with many different OTC medications in our cabinets. Tylenol, Tums, and Robitussin were always in my house growing up. As a kid, you just take what your parents give you, but now as a mother myself I began to question the effects and ingredients in these common OTC medications. As I looked for better products on the shelves I had yet to find a good candidate for my children’s sicknesses. As an anthropology student who was always studying human beings and culture throughout history I came across herbalism and how it has been used for thousands of years. The further I studied the more clear it became- plants have been put on this earth to help heal and nourish us.
Now with the knowledge of herbalism, I was able to confidently look for herbal remedies for my family’s sicknesses and overall wellness support. I finally came across a wonderful, woman-owned business called Earthly Wellness. The lead herbalist and Co-founder Kate has a whopping 14 years of herbalism experience and also prioritizes a non-toxic, healthy lifestyle for her family. I was hooked! Here you can find everything from herbal remedies to non-toxic laundry soap (p.s. I use the unscented for my daughter’s very sensitive skin and it’s wonderful).
Once I was able to learn more about herbalism and compare them to OTC medications there was no going back. Let’s look at the ingredients of Earthley’s Feel Better Fast Tincture and compare them to Tylenol’s Cold, Cough, Runny Nose Liquid medicine.
Earthley: Echinacea Angustifolia Root, Fennel Seed, Astragalus Root, Elderflower, Vegetable Glycerin, and Filtered Water. (All herbs are whole and organic)
Tylenol: Acetaminophen, Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Dextromethorphan, anhydrous citric acid, D&C red no. 33, FD&C blue no. 1, FD&C red no. 40, flavors, glycerin, microcrystalline cellulose and carboxymethylcellulose sodium, purified water, sodium benzoate, sorbitol solution, sucrose, xanthan gum
Did you just go “ew” and scrunch your nose? I know I just did! Yeah, you can see the clear difference in the products. Tylenol’s medicine is full of synthetic ingredients including harmful color additives and gut inflaming synthetic thickeners. Even acetaminophen can be harmful to children as this study shows. It also contains a cough suppressant which is never good when you have a cough! Coughing when you are sick is a good thing. It helps your body naturally remove extra mucous. Don’t suppress your coughs!
Studies on Harmful Ingredients
Artificial Food Dyes: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23026007/
Synthetic Thickeners: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7117642/
Acetaminophen: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374904/
Scientific studies on herbs:
Scientific Studies on Echinacea:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8028575/
Scientific Studies on Elderberry:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464614002400
Scientific Studies on Fennel Seed:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4137549/
Benefits of Herbs
Now let’s talk about the healing benefits of the herbs in Earthley’s tincture and why I recommend these tinctures instead of OTC medicines. Well, as you can see the ingredients are very minimal and clean! They are also so easy to use- you can place drops right on your tongue or into a glass of water or 100% juice. The only ingredient that isn’t completely natural is vegetable glycerin, which is coconut-derived (palm-oil free versions) and not harmful to your body. There is even vegetable glycerin that is organic and sustainably made without palm oil. Now what about the herbs? Aren’t herbs harmful to you? Well, some can be if used improperly so that’s why we don’t just go taking whatever herbal medicine you find without checking ingredients, sources, and effects of herbs. Herbs have healing medicinal properties to them, hence the smells and tastes you get from the plants. But if used correctly and safely they can be so beneficial to your health. Note- if you take prescription blood thinners or have serious health problems like autoimmune disorders please talk to your health provider because many herbs have blood thinning effects (a good thing for healthy individuals but a problem for people on other medications) and other various effects (again not harmful to healthy individuals).
Here are the purposes for the ingredients in Earthley’s tincture:
Echinacea Angustifolia Root: stimulates immune system, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory
Fennel Seed: anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic (helps muscles calm down ex: menstrual cramps), supports digestion
Elderflower: anti-inflammatory, nervine (helps nervous system), antispasmodic, diaphoretic (promotes sweating ex: fever reliever in a natural way) P.S. Try not to reduce fevers. Instead use cold compresses, cool baths, and cold cotton socks with dry wool on top. Fevers are another natural way for your body to heal and defend itself, as this study explains.
Astragalus Root: antioxidant, kidney tonic, antiviral, adaptogen, cardiotonic (this herb has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and has wonderful effects on modulating the immune system).
DISCOUNT CODES:
^^If this is your first time visiting Earthley Wellness please use my
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DIY TINCTURE RECIPE- HERE
Make sure you are doing your own research as well.
^^If you have any questions or comments please feel free to reach me by my email!
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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, and they are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure anything.
References
Herbal Academy. (2021). Introductory Herbal Course. Herbal Academy. Bedford, MA.
Liz Neves. (2020). Northeast Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc. Portland, Oregon.