The weather is colder, some days are grey, the garden is in hibernation, and I am stuck inside wondering what to do. I miss creating my formulas already. Thank goodness I discovered the idea of herbal honey. They are very popular at the farmer’s market. I had an “I can make that myself moment”. Turmeric honey is a very easy one to start with. You just have to decide how much of the yellow spice you want to mix into the honey. I love it in golden chai with a bit of cardamom, ginger, and vanilla extract. Turmeric is a very warming. It is thought to helps balance the body’s microflora so that there is no bacterial overgrowth in the gut. Historically it is anti-inflammatory and anti -tumor. It is found in so many ethnic foods because is supports digestion of fats and proteins, thereby reducing gas, bloating, cramps, etc. I used it to prevent/treat arthritis in my dog by adding it to her food so that we could avoid expensive drugs.
This one is a bit more complicated to make. But I have used it several times this year already. I can add a heaping teaspoon of it to a hot fruit flavored tea and the kids willingly drink it. It has dried elderberries, ginger, rosehips, orange peel, cardamom, cinnamon and calendula flower petals. I think it best to use dried herbs and spices. You can use coarsely chopped ingredients which have to be strained out (wasteful and time consuming) when you are done letting it sit for a month. OR Finely grind everything and leave it in and just consume it with the honey. The herbs in the Immune Boost Honey are either warming, high in vitamin C, anti-bacterial/viral or support the immune system. Take it as soon as you feel something coming on and you will be surprised that you managed to avoid getting the worse of whatever is going around.
What is your preventative go to when colds and flu are circulating in your community?
Blackbird's Backyard Pharmacy 