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Need your best & simplest herbal advice

1298 Views 12 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  BeckyW
My daughter is performing at Carnegie Hall in NYC this next Sunday (singer). And wouldn't you know it, she started sneezing yesterday and has stuffy nose/sinuses on the right side today. So far (thank you, thank you, thank you) it's not in the throat or lungs.

Here's the combo we're putting her on -- first no cheese (like every teenager she loves quesadillas as a snack!) -- thankfully she already drinks only soy milk.
Honey, cranberry juice and OJ for the vitamin c with food grade H2O2 morning as well as grape seed extract plus same at night.

Here's the catch -- she won't take pills of ANY KIND, organic or not. Not even for Carnegie Hall! Anything else SURE FIRE that you'd recommend adding?

I've got licorice tea for standby in case it starts heading to the throat. It's amazing for clearing flem -- warm, not hot. We alternate it with lemon and honey.

She's rehearsing and singing fine at this point but wishes she could remove her head!

Thank you as always, for your wisdom and assistance.
BW
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G
The only thing I've found that really worked was zinc tablets (3) taken on a FULL stomach (or else they make you feel nauseated). This even works with the flu. For a cold, like you describe, also eat some hot broth spiced with cayenne or hot sauce for the sore throat (should make your eyes water and your nose run). Finally, a hot shower and then go to bed, wrapped up warm. Stay completely warm and in bed until you feel better. The earlier you do this, the better it works.
Water, water, water- keeps those pipes lubricated. And congratulations. That's quite an honor. Only the best sing at Carnegie.:)
You don't say how old your daughter is, so this might not be appropriate, but the best non-pill 'traditional' remedy for a cold that I know of is a hot whiskey toddy. This is the traditional Irish recipe a friend taught me: Put two spoonfulls of honey and 1 small measure of good whiskey in a large glass or mug. Add 2 sticks of cinnamon. Cut a thick slice of fresh lemon, cut it in half, and stick 4-6 whole cloves into each half lemon slice. Add the lemon to the glass. Fill with not-quite boiling water (like for herbal tea). Stir well until all the honey dissolves. Best at bedtime.

Jo
What works for me is

3 teaspoons applecider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice

mix together in a coffee cup of hot water and sip.

If I take one every day during the season, I don't get sick.

If I get sick first I take about three of these a day, goes away within three days. Well at least the symtoms are gone.
First of all, congratulations on Carnegie Hall! What an honor, she must be wonderful! Here is my three day, get better plan that I use whenever I get a virus:

Day One: Take 6 zinc drops or 6 echinacea capsules(two with each meal).
drink 5 cups of black or green tea with honey
drink one glass of orange juice or eat one orange
eat one meal consisting of onion soup made with one whole onion.
(or some other light meal that includes one whole onion)
Take a warm bath with epsom salts (unless diabetic)
Go to bed early

Day Two: Repeat day one

Day Three: By now, things should be improving. I usually cut the tea down to 2 or 3 cups (5 can be daunting), and skip the onion soup, as it gets a bit boring.

Of course, if it's a sinus infection, she might have to break down and get a shot of antibiotics. I hope she can just get it cleared up with diet and rest, though!
Good luck! Let us know how Carnegie Hall went!
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open the 6 echinacea capsules and put in the tea if she won't take pills.
I so wish I could send you a couple of my favorites. One is a houseplant and nobody knows it's real name. I got a slip from someone and they called it a vicks plant. I boil the leaves and it's wonderful with the start to recovery being the next morning. The other is an indian remedy and no known name as well. The Blackfoot call it rat root and it is the root of some tree found near bever dams. It's a natural throat treatment. Very foul tasting and not to be eaten, only chewed or held in the mouth for as long as you can. The truly tough can chew a piece the size of a grain of barley for only a second or two but it's never in my life failed me. If there was any possible way that I could have gotten them across the border, I'd have gladly done it for her but without no known identities, it would never make it across. Failing that, I'd recomend tea and natural honey and as much water as she can drink.
I am an aromatherapist, massage thereapist, and reflexologist. Okay.... lots of Vit. C on the cold issue.

For the stuffiness:
Aromatherapy... half and half.. Eucalyptus and Lavender.
A drop or two of each on a cotton pad. (If you dilute with a little oil she can put it directly on her skin.. either by her nostrils or on wrists or under chin.) Aromatherapy is absorbed into the blood stream either way.... through the dermis or by way of the olfactory.

Reflexology: Rub/massage (firmly) the tips of the fingers several times a day for about 30 sec. each finger and thumb. These are the points for the sinuses.

Also.. trigger points are located (in line with the pupils) under brow bone, top and bottom of cheekbone. Hold these spots for 30 seconds each.. (it WILL hurt when the proper spot is found. (Good for sinuses, migraines and sinus headaches.)

There ya go. Do it!! It works!! :):)
Here is our tried and true remedy!

Equal parts of the following:

1)Habenero peppers (or the hottest you can find)
2) Hot white onion
3)garlic
4)horseraddish root
5)raw ginger root

6) raw apple cider vinegar or 100 proof vodka (depending on persons age or preference)

Blend ingredientes 1-5 in a blender until chopped as fine as possible. If necessary, add some of the vinegar to the blender to get a good puree. Put in a glass jar with a lid and cover with vinegar or vodka. Shake well.

*Since this is an emergency, start using immediately.

Shake jar 3 times a day for 2- 6 weeks, then strain out the liquid and store it with a tight lid. It will keep indefinately in a cool, dark place.

We make this in gallon sized jars and keep it on hand.

To dose:
use 1 tsp. in a small glass with juice every hour while sick or till better.
As a preventative, take 1-2 doses prior to a plane trip or if you come in
contact with someone with cold or flu. You may also use with ecchinecia tincture for best results!

Beware! this stuff clears out the head like nobody's business!

Best Wishes on the preformance!
Darlene
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dh is in radio and occassionally battles the upper respiratory issues that can make talking difficult. We purchased OLBUS oil from the health food store and follow the directions on the bottle-putting it on a hankie and breathing in. I also fix him Lemon Zinger tea with honey and a shot of Jack Daniels. If she is too young for the JD, I think the hot tea and honey would be very soothing. Lots of rest, lots of fluids. My prayers are with her....
A few TBSP of hot pepper jelly makes a great tea for stuffy heads when you pour a cup of boiling water over it.
Just a quick update -- we did the vinegar, lemon and honey along with the H2O2, lots of vitamin C and GSE. The head is about 95% cleared (thankfully trained singers can do fine with that) -- and the really great news is it never went into the throat/lungs. She says rehearsals are going great.

Thank you for all the well-wishes for the performance. She's not a soloist; still when you perform at Carnegie you want your performance to be one of your best. Being invited to sing at Carnegie doesn't happen too often!

Again, we appreciate the advice and we're keeping it all for the future too!
BW
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