I think it is easy to make our herb work more complicated than it needs to be. Working with a woman recently who was feeling under the weather reminded me of this.
Day 1: I was contacted in the evening by a woman who says she had many flu-like symptoms including body aches and a fever. These had started during the day, She was going to bed early to get extra rest.
Day 2: We met in the morning, I gave her a bottle of Elderberry Elixir with the directions to take a teaspoon every hour, eat lightly and rest well.
Day 3: She called and said she was feeling much better, about 80% improved. She continued with the Elixir, rest and light eating.
Day 4: She said she was almost 100% better. She took the elixir just a few times during the day, drank some hot tea and rested at home. Her holiday vacation time made this easier to do.
Day 7: She reported some slight lingering sinus congestion and was drinking hot honey-lemon water. She felt ”Great!” and was back to normal.
What struck me about this experience is that the treatment was a combination of a fairly easy to make herbal remedy and some old fashioned common sense health care.
The quick resolution of her health issue was a sharp contrast to some people who contact me with lingering colds that have hung on for weeks.
Recipe for Elderberry Elixir (there are endless versions of this so feel free to experiment)
- Get a one quart mason jar.
- Fill it half full with dried elderberries
- Add a pinch of Clove powder
- Add one tablespoon of Tulsi (optional but good if you have it)
- Fill jar 3/4 full with vodka, then fill the remaining 1/4 with a good quality local honey. Shake or stir until the honey-vodka is well blended
- Stir well so there are no air bubbles and everything is mixed
- Let sit for 2-4 weeks, strain out and discard the elder berries (a pasta colander works well) and use the liquid Elixir as needed
The taste is delightful. Compliance won’t be a problem!