‘ROSES AND REMEDIES’

It’s that time of year again!

Naively, post ‘lovely warm holiday in Italy’ in September, I found myself woefully unprepared with a horrid cough and cold a few weeks later.

I resorted to getting through the week with paracetamol (headache), Strepsil’s lozenges and Lemsip (cough), and many, many tissues.

It’s well known now that antibiotic medications strip you gut microbiome, arguably the most important part of your immune system.
But did you know that recent studies suggest common medication like paracetamol might also harm our guts in a similar way?

Get sick > medicate > weakened immune response > get sick again > medicate…

I hasten to say that I am not anti-medicine or advocating for anyone to ignore a doctor’s advice.
However, for small and common bugs I prefer to try and deal with it naturally first.

Here’s how I’ve managed to ward off further sniffles and sore throats this winter, and what I’d use if I did catch anything:

ELDERBERRY

ELDERBERRY

Alternatively Sweet Bee Organics make an ‘Elderberry Elixer’, filled with warming spices that mask the bitterness. I got a bottle to try a few weeks ago and it was so much easier to just be able to just taking a sip every morning.

Elderberry juice is grown natively in the UK and is really high in vitamin C, aka a great immune booster. I take it daily in the run up to important events and multiple times a day of I think I’m coming down with something.

Quick warning:

Please don’t do what I did and take a glug straight from the bottle. It’s extremely bitter and will stain your teeth! It’s far nicer mixed into yoghurt or some hot water with honey. It also goes out of date pretty quickly which is a shame.

FERMENTS

FERMENTS

Essentially, a gut boost.

Fermented foods are full of probiotics, adding to the beneficial bacteria in the gut and thus boosting the immune system.

I consume all sorts of ferments from sauerkraut and yoghurt to water kefir and Remedio, a fermented lemon and ginger paste.

I particularly like Remedio when I’m ill because you can add it to hot water as a sort of ‘natural’ Lemsip. I wait for it to cool down a little and then add some local raw honey (honey starts losing some of its natural properties above 60 degrees) to sooth the throat and kill any nasty bacteria.

HONEY (cont.)

HONEY (cont.)

Soothing and antibacterial.

I’m a strong believer in using local produce wherever possible. For honey, this can even enhance its health benefits and protect you from hay fever in summer.

I opt for raw, unpasteurised honey to be sure I’m getting all of the nutritional benefits.

When I am ill, I really like honey lozenges for when I’m out and about.

ZINC

ZINC

The moment I feel any kind of sniffle or sore throat I down some zinc drops.

Whilst it doesn’t prevent you getting a cold, taking it at the first sign can reduce the length of a cold by two days!

The limited scientific studies that have been done so far show zinc acetate is the most effective form to take. I haven’t found any organic zinc drops in acetate form, but I do think this one from Healf has worked really well for me.

PROPOLIS

PROPOLIS

All the same benefits of honey, plus.

Propolis is also produced by bees, used to repair small gaps and prevent decay.

Extracted for human use, it reduces inflammation and acts as a natural expectorant, making it nature’s answer to Benylin cough medicine.

I like to take it in a spray or lozenge form.

I often take some after being around large groups of people as an antibacterial prevention method - not that I’m a germaphobe at all!

AROMATHERAPY

AROMATHERAPY

I received a little ceramic diffuser with my perfume and I love it.

If I’m feeling sniffly I pop a drop of each of these onto the stone as an organic ‘Olbas Oil’ of sorts.

ORGANIC PEPPERMINT OIL

Naturally contains menthol which relaxes the muscles in your airways.

I also add a drop to some face cream and massage it on my temples to relieve headaches.

ORGANIC EUCALYPTUS OIL

A potent and natural decongestant.

ORGANIC CAJAPUT OIL

Antimicrobial.

ORGANIC OIL OF OREGANO
A natural expectorant.
It can also be used for ear infections.

I know a lot of people recommend steam diffusers. I do like these, but I live in a humid area so I don’t think I’d see too much benefit. You can get some very pretty ceramic ones.

TISSUES

TISSUES

Most of the people I follow for environmental swaps claim to use organic cotton handkerchiefs.

I just can’t bring myself to do it. To start with, you’d have to buy an awful lot to get you through a full day with a cold. Then, you’d have to carry round a bunch of yucky cloths all day before you got home. Feeling horrible, you’d then have to put on yet another load of washing (if you wash them with your regular things I am slightly appalled).

My general approach to non-toxic, environmentally conscious swaps is that they have to be as good or better than the other options. Otherwise I’m just not going to want to keep it up.

For tissues, this meant finding brands making normally functioning tissues from sustainable sources.
Whilst I always keep some on hand, when I have a cold I want to easily be able to pick up more as needed so another requirement was that a shop near me has to stock them.

A quick peruse of my local supermarket’s shelves and I found Cheeky Panda.
They are entirely plastic free and made of bamboo, operating on the philosophy ‘no one wants to chop down a perfectly good tree to survive flu or hay fever season’.

Bamboo grows up to a metre everyday and can regrow even when chopped down to its roots. It requires minimal land, water, and energy so it’s unusual for any synthetic chemicals to be used on them.

Whilst this all sounds great, it does mean there’s often surplus bamboo that just get burnt. The founder of cheeky panda started the company to deal with this issue, turning what would’ve been waste bamboo into tissues. They now have their own sustainable bamboo fields, use as few chemicals for pulping as possible, and donate to WWF conservation work with every purchase.

Unsurprisinngly, given they’re made of bamboo, they’re produced and shipped from factories in Asia. However, they do use sea freight that goes directly to the UK and their factories use at least some green energy sources.
Whilst not perfect, I still think they’re the best of a bad bunch and certainly send a signal to supermarkets.

I picked up some of their balsam (aloe vera lotion) tissues for P recently. My mum swear by balsam tissues when you’re ill as they’re so much gentler and moisturising on sore noses.

LANOLIN

LANOLIN

Lanolin is nature’s answer to Vaseline.

Lanolin is a natural wax derived from sheep’s wool. It creates a breathable barrier on top of your skin that protects damaged areas and seals in hydration.

Unlike Vaseline though, lanolin mimics the skin’s natural oils meaning it can also penetrate and add moisturise into the skin, not just coat it.

I have a lip balm called ‘Lanolips’ that I keep on me pretty much all the time, especially in winter. It’s 100% % medical-grade lanolin, a little goes a very long way, and it works incredibly well. Bonus - you can find it in Boots!

NASAL FLUSHER

..?

NASAL FLUSHER ..?

I’ve seen a few people online recommend a nasal flusher.
These seem so gross to me, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t strongly consider getting in the trenches of my last cold…
If you’re struggling, try it out and let me know how you find it.

And that’s the lot!
Do email me on rosesandreverieinfo@gmail.com if you have any other natural remedy recommendations.