Great video on keeping a natural herbal medicine cabinet

Slippery elm, elderberry, aloe vera and more is explored by this couple on a great informational video I cam across.

Have a Cold? Try some of these herbal teas.

Getting through a stuffy head as well as nose through the flu months are no fun. If you take any kind of over-the-counter medications you might feel sleepy all day. This is simply not the best thing when having to work an 8 hour working day .

There are a few herbal treatments that may be brewed into a herbal tea, with little or no side effects . Now there is no guarantee that the herb will fully get rid of the cold symptoms, but they can help you to cope and get through the day.


A handful of the herbal plants are:

 * Echinacea
 * Elder
 * Peppermint
 * Goldenseal
 * Plantain

These are just some that may help the cold and flu symptoms.

 Echinacea has long been proven to build-up immunity . This can be excellent to use at the outset of a cold or flu, and making this into a tea using hot water is the ideal method to unleash it's healing qualities . If you're drinking it as a herbal tea or perhaps taking it in capsule form don't use for more than a month. The best way is to alternate with a moth of using Echinacea and a month off.

Elder is ideal to deal with respitory issues. The herb is especially good at dealing with mucous in the lungs, it has proven to decrease allergic reactions as well . You can use it as a herbal tea helps to move phlegm out of the lungs . A good recipe to ease cold symptoms is elder, lemons and rasberries mixed in the tea.

Peppermint can help to clear the nasal passages by using it with boiling water, then inhaling the steam. This helps to clear the nose and chest of congestion. Many use it as a tea also, I have done this many time and it have effectively given me immediate relief of nasal congestion.

Goldenseal can be effective with your mucous membranes. It has been known to reduce inflammation, clearing phlegm from head to toe. The added benefit is its antiviral and antibacterial action. If your cold seems to be brutal goldenseal can dry out the phlegm quickly, slow down bacteria growth and give a calm feeling as you sip.

Plantain is one of its names. It is also known as the Herbal Star, and Buck Horn. This herb is great if your cold came on like gangbusters, making you feel like you are drowning in water. It is fast acting, drying your mucous membranes out fast. Continue with the Plantain until the congestion has cleared. The tea made from this herb can have a deep green vegetable taste. The effects can be soothing and cooling.

These are but a few of the herbs that can be effective in helping you to cope with a nasty cold and flu. Many of these can be found in the tea section of most food stores under medicinal teas. Or if you have access to an herbal store and can purchase these separately you can make simple decoction.

Simply bring your water to a boil and pour it over the herbs and let them steep, just like you do with regular tea leaves.

If taking any prescription drugs please consult your Primary Care Physician before take any of the herb, since they may cause a drug related reaction.

Use with care and enjoy.

What is Gingko Biloba?

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is in fact amongst the most ancient living plant varieties and its leaves are one of the most carefully studied botanicals used today. In Europe and the U . S ., ginkgo products are some of the best-selling herbal drugs. It constantly rates as a top medicine prescribed in France and Germany.

Ginkgo has been utilized in conventional medical science to deal with blood circulation issues and improve memory. Scientific research through the years has discovered evidence to support these uses. Though not all experiments agree, ginkgo could be especially beneficial in treating dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) and sporadic claudication (poor circulation in the legs). Furthermore , it shows potential for improving memory in some older people. Clinical research has shown that ginkgo improves blood flow by dilating arteries and lowering the stickiness of our blood platelets.

Ginkgo leaves consist of two kinds of compounds (flavonoids and terpenoids) shown to have strong antioxidants. Anti-oxidants are compounds that feed on free-radicals -- molecules within the body that harm cell walls, tamper with DNA, and even cause cell death. Free-radicals emerge naturally within the body and increase in quantity as we get older. But toxins in the environment (including uv light, radiation, smoking cigarettes), and smog) may also greatly increase the amount of free radicals. Free-radicals tend to be considered to be able to lead to overall health issues including cardiovascular disease and cancer along with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Anti-oxidants similar to those associated with ginkgo may help reduce the effects of free-radicals and may even reduce and sometimes help protect against much of the deterioration they lead to.