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Natural Remedies for the Flu
Category: Herbalism
There are natural remedies for the flu that will help you feel better. The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. The symptoms are similar to a cold but also include fever, chills, headache, vomiting, and body aches. Fortunately, there are natural remedies will help your body fight the illness and support healing. A combination of natural therapies such as homeopathy, herbs, supplements, and foods is a well rounded approach.
If you or your child is sick with the flu, here is a list of remedies you can use to get your body through the illness.
Homeopathic Remedies
- Oscillococcinum – for general flu-like symptoms
- Belladonna – fever support
- Homeopathic Zinc – zinc helps your immune system fight bacteria and viruses.
Herbal Remedies
- Elderberry – a tbsp of elderberry syrup 1-3 times per day while sick
- Echinacea – a dropperful of echinacea tincture
- Thyme – thyme tea helps with cough
Supplements
- Vitamin C – whole food vitamin C supplements are the best option
- Vitamin D – healthy levels of vitamin D help keep the immune system strong
Essential Oils
- Eucalyptus – diffuse
- Peppermint – diffuse
- Thieves – diffuse
Healing Foods & Beverages
- Homemade Chicken soup – use bone broth add healing herbs to the broth like thyme, or an adaptogen like astragalus
- Honey – helps sooth sore throats
- Lemon – high in vitamin c
- Sore throat lemonade
- Sugar-free electrolyte drinks are helpful to stay hydrated. Dehydration is a common problem when you have the flu.
- Fermented foods for healthy gut flora which helps strengthen the immune system.
Use a Combination of Natural Remedies for the Flu
A combination of remedies used consistently throughout the duration of the illness will help. Natural remedies work but they need to be use consistently throughout the illness, taking 2-3 doses of them per day.
Most importantly, rest and hydrate!
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How to Make Bone Broth
Category: Real Food
Homemade bone broth provides some wonderful health benefits. When it is made properly it can heal your gut and strengthen your bones. Broths provide many health benefits that commercially made stocks don't and cost much less.
Consuming bone broth regularly may also have an added benefit by reducing or eliminating the need for some supplements. The broth contains lots of minerals plus glucosamine, chondroitin and gelatin. If you are currently taking these nutrients in pill form you may be able to reduce or eliminate the need for those supplements.
How to Make Bone Broth
Ingredients:
- Chicken, beef, fish, or any other kind of meat – including bones, meat, joints, giblets.
- apple cider vinegar (just a few tablespoons)
- filtered water
- salt and pepper
Optional items for more nutrients:
- a strip of kombu seaweed for minerals
- vegetables – carrots, celery, kale, or whatever you have in the house
- dried medicinal herbs – astragalus, burdock root, calendula, etc.
- garlic cloves, or fermented garlic
- onions
Place the meat into a large crock pot or stock pot and also add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the pot. Fill the pot to the top with filtered water. Then you can add some optional additions including, vegetables, fresh or dried herbs, cloves of garlic (you can get creative here!) to flavor the stock. If using a crock pot, turn to low and let cook for 24 hours. If using a stock pot, bring water to boil and then reduce heat and allow simmering for a minimum of 8-24 hours. The longer you let it cook, the more health benefits you will receive in your stock. After that cooking time is over, strain the bones, and vegetables from the broth and discard.
Lastly, pour the broth into mason jars to store in the fridge or freezer (or use it in a soup right away!) This will last a few days in the fridge and 6-12 months in the freezer.
Bone Broth
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken or Chicken parts
- Filtered Water
- 1-2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- Herbs (optional)
Instructions
- Place the meat into a large crock pot or stock pot and also add 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the pot.
- Fill the pot to the top with filtered water.
- Add some optional additions including, vegetables, fresh or dried herbs, cloves of garlic to flavor the stock.
- If using a crock pot, turn to low and let cook for 24 hours. If using a stock pot, bring water to boil and then reduce heat and allow simmering for a minimum of 8-24 hours. The longer you let it cook, the more health benefits you will receive in your stock.
- After that cooking time is over, strain the bones, and vegetables from the broth and discard.
- Lastly, pour the broth into mason jars to store in the fridge or freezer (or use it in a soup right away!) This will last a few days in the fridge and 6-12 months in the freezer.
Tips & Tricks
- If you want to easily add some medicinal herbs to your bone broth to get more benefits out of your broth you can do so easily with our Broth Boost pouch.
- To make life easy, freeze or can jars of stock in small portions ready for use in recipes. These mason jars are the correct ones for freezing.
- It is great to have a lot of bone broth on hand frozen in 1 cup portions for when you need it to make soups, beans, rice, sauces, gravies and anything else you can create. This is a great mold to freeze in 1 cup blocks.
Ways to Use Bone Broth to Add Nutrition to Your Meals
- Homemade Rice – add collagen and minerals to your homemade rice by replacing the water with bone broth.
- Homemade Soup – Use bone broth in any of your homemade soup recipes instead of water or boxed broth.
- Healthy Ramen – If your kids like to eat ramen, use homemade bone broth to make a healthy version. Add salt, seaweed, and these 4 minute gluten-free ramen noodles. Throw in some chicken for added protein.
- Bone Broth Gravy – add flavor and nutrition to your meals with a simple bone broth gravy. Simmer a sauce pot of bone broth and ad a couple of tsp of flour, a sprinkle of salt, and simmer until thickened.
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Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
Paleo gingerbread cookies are an even better version of this holiday staple. Gingerbread cookies are a must for the holiday season. Something even better is that gingerbread has a lot of very healthy ingredients. The warming spices in gingerbread are great for digestion and the blackstrap molasses is a natural source of iron. Blackstrap molasses is also a naturally balanced source of calcium and magnesium.
This recipe is great because there aren't too many ingredients and it's very quick to mix together. They are also a really fun project for little children to help by cutting out the shapes with cookie cutters.
The main ingredient in this recipe is almond flour which also makes them a healthier alternative to traditional grain based cookies. They are higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates.
These paleo gingerbread cookies can also be frosted but they never seem to last long enough for me to make frosting and actually decorate them.
Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 4 tbsp. maple sugar, sucanat, or turbinado
- 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine almond flour, arrowroot, sea salt, baking soda, maple sugar, and spices. Stir to combine.
In a small saucepan, bring molasses to boil and add in the coconut oil. Whisk together until combined. Pour the molasses mixture into the flour mixture and mix well until a dough ball forms.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a surface, dust with arrowroot, place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and carefully peel up the excess dough around the shapes and transfer the parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2/3 cup arrowroot flour
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 4 tbsp. maple sugar sucanat, or turbinado
- 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine almond flour, arrowroot, sea salt, baking soda, maple sugar, and spices. Stir to combine.
- In a small saucepan, bring molasses to boil and add in the coconut oil. Whisk together until combined. Pour the molasses mixture into the flour mixture and mix well until a dough ball forms.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a surface, dust with arrowroot, place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and carefully peel up the excess dough around the shapes and transfer the parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
Preheat over to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine almond flour, arrowroot, sea salt, baking soda, maple sugar, and spices. Stir to combine. In a small saucepan, bring molasses to boil and add in the coconut oil. Whisk together until combined. Pour the molasses mixture into the flour mixture and mix well until a dough ball forms. Place a piece of parchment paper on a surface, dust with arrowroot, place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and carefully peel up the excess dough around the shapes and transfer the parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
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