Health Journal - One of My Favorite Home Remedies

With the cold and flu season around the corner, it's time to start preparing home remedies.  I picked elderberries last week and got my elderberry syrup made.  Elderberries are a great remedy for the flu, but there is another simple remedy I would like to share with you.  I learned of this recipe in one of my herbalist courses.  It's made with ingredients that you probably have on hand, and in only minutes you'll be able to mix up a cure for any ailement!

It's formally called Strep Throat Preparation becasue it is so effective in elimination strep throat, but it works on all kinds of illnesses.  It's been used for tooth infections, and even on sick animals.  The three ingredients are garlic, cayenne pepper, and honey.

Garlic is an amazing gift from God, and we underestimate it's ability!  Here's a quote from one of my favorite books, Practical Herbalism by Philip Fritchey.

"Garlic's power and value as a healing agent cannot be overstated.  John Heinerman (Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Herbs & Spices) states, "The role of Garlic as an antiviral and anti-bacterial agent is unsurpassed.  There are no...repeat, NO...modern antibiotic drugs in the entire arsenal of medical science that even come close to doing what Garlic can do."
 

Cayenne pepper helps with infections, bleeding, gas, and pain.  And one of its greatest actions is found in its powerful influence over the circulatory system.  It is a stimulant.  It increases the actions of the body and gets things where they need to go...quickly.  This is why it is often added to herbal remedies.

Not only is honey anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and a strong antioxidant, but in this recipe, it is the key ingredient used to help get the remedy down. :)  With the honey, the blob slips down your throat easily. :)

Here's your recipe:

3-5 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Approximately 1 tablespoon of honey

Mix these ingredients in a bowl.  Take a spoonful every two hours until symptoms are relieved.  You must be faithful if you want it to work!  At our house, we set a timer. :)

One morning Emily woke up with a sore throat and felt miserable.  I told her cheerfully, "No worries, I will have you feeling well by noon!"   We were very faithful with the remedy and by noon, she was out of bed and doing fine. :) 

Often times we will alternate this remedy with elderberry syrup.  So when the two hour timer goes off, we take our Strep Throat Preparation.  Then when the next two hours are up, we take elderberry syrup...and so on.

Now, you would think that this remedy would be extremely painful with all that cayenne in it, but it really is not that bad (and I have never liked hot foods).  Your lips and mouth will burn for about 20 seconds, and occasionally your stomach may feel upset for about 3 minutes, but it all passes...and so do your symptoms! :)  If you have a reluctant child, just simply say, "Oh this is no big deal!" and then cheerfully take a spoonful yourself.  I did this with Jonny, and it worked wonders! :)  And I told him I didn't even need to drink water afterwards (normally I do, but in this case I needed to prove a point). :)  When he saw me take it, he was determined not to be outdone, so he took it and found out for himself that it is not that bad! :)