Home | About Natural News | Contact Us | Write for Natural News | Media Information | Advertise with Natural News
NaturalNews.com
flu shot

Herbal Alternatives to the Flu Shot (Part 1)

Friday, November 09, 2007 by: Julie James, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
Email this author

Key concepts: Flu shot, The flu and Medicine
View on NaturalPedia: Flu shot, The flu and Medicine
Share/Save/Bookmark   Email this article to a friend Printable Version  FREE Email Newsletter

Articles Related to This Article:

Vaccines are not the answer for bird flu

Why You Need Extra Vitamin D during the Flu Season

The Gullible Jennifer Garner Flu Shot Campaign


Support NaturalNews advertisers - Advertise with NaturalNews


Help support NaturalNews with health books and educational programs from Truth Publishing:

Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness
8 Weeks to Vibrant Health
Raw In Ten Minutes (recipes)
How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days
... and much more.

(NaturalNews) I received my doctor’s annual reminder in the mail today: “Get Your Flu Shot!” I never have before, so why should I this year? You’d think he’d have given up on me by now. Furthermore, the medical community insists that to be a "good mother", I must give the flu vaccine to my 18-month-old son. Along with all of the other vaccines they think he needs.

But I don’t, and wont, get the flu shot. Nor will my son. There’s no need, since with a few really fine herbal recipes and common sense hygiene, I can make my family much healthier than they would ever be with an ineffective and potentially dangerous flu shot.

So this is the time of year that I get out my trusty herbal allies and start formulating my “winter” medicines. I make a lot, since inevitably a friend or client will insist that I share my wealth. And I’m happy to do so.

Every herbalist worth the name has a version of this fantastic formula. It’s now available for sale, but is quite expensive. I don’t pay high prices, though. I pay somewhere around $10 a quart to make it myself. Fire Cider, Cyclone Cider - call it what you will, I call it magic.

Grab a few handfuls of the following, all fresh: ginger, onion, horseradish, garlic, & lemon. Roughly chop them up and pack into a 1-quart canning jar, leaving a few inches at the top. Add anywhere from 1/2 to 2 teaspoons (or more if you like it really spicy!) of cayenne pepper. Cover with organic raw apple cider vinegar. Cover the top of the jar with a square of waxed paper before placing lid on, then seal. This is to stop the acid in the vinegar corroding the metal lid.

Shake well and leave on your kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight. Every time you walk by that jar, give it another shake. You may also want to talk to it, sing, recite poetry, smudge sacred herbs, dance, tell it a good joke or whatever you like to make your medicine more potent.

For two weeks, shake the jar and do your magic. At the end of two weeks, pour it through a kitchen strainer, wash your canning jar out well, and return the liquid to the jar. You may want to add, at this point, a few tablespoons glycerin (which will give it a pleasant sweetness, a nice foil for the hot, tart taste) or honey. If you add honey, you’ll need to refrigerate it, but glycerin requires no refrigeration. I strongly recommend buying some 2 ounce dropper bottles because you’ll want a bottle a your desk, in your kitchen, by your bedside, and in the car. Use liberally to boost immunity, fight infection, soothe the throat, open the sinuses, stimulate circulation and energy, and generally improve health. Add to soup or salad to spice them up and give a boost-though I usually just drop it directly into my mouth.

Elder-Ginger Syrup is another staple in my winter medicine cabinet. Israeli virologists have found that elderberry extract has been shown to be specifically active against the influenza virus, blocking replication very effectively. Elder has many other health attributes as well, and is exceptionally safe - even for my toddler. All of that, and it’s quite tasty, too.

Simmer 1 cup dried elder berries in 2 cups distilled water for 30 minutes. Strain well. Return to pot and add 4 tablespoons grated ginger. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain again, return to pot, and simmer over low heat to reduce liquid to 1 cup. Add 1 cup of honey, organic sugar or maple syrup, and 1/4-cup brandy as a preservative. Use 1 tablespoon 4 times a day at the first sign of flu, or take daily as a preventative. Very nice added to hot teas, or just in hot water with some lemon.

Everyone runs to the health food store for echinacea-goldenseal tincture when they have a cold, and for good reason—it’s one of the foundation items for fighting colds and flu and stimulating immune activity to assist in throwing off viral or bacterial infection. But please - $15 for 1 ounce? You can do better than that.

Take 1 ounce each of (all organically grown please!) echinacea root, goldenseal or Oregon grape root (similar benefits, but Oregon grape root has not been drastically over harvested like goldenseal, and is therefore considerably less expensive), and hyssop, and a half-ounce of licorice root and dried ginger. Coarsely grind the herbs (a coffee grinder works beautifully here) and place in a quart glass jar. Add 20 ounces of high quality vodka or brandy (100 proof vodka is preferred for stronger medicine, but many prefer the taste of brandy), cover, and shake well. As with the vinegar extract above, you’ll need to shake it every day (adding extra “magic” if you like) for at least two weeks. Then strain well through cheesecloth, and store in amber glass bottles. Take a few droppers every few hours at the first sign of a cold or flu. This will often knock out a “bug” very rapidly.

So there: You’ve got easy to make, tasty recipes to cover fighting the virus, stimulating your immune system, relieving cold and flu symptoms, and supporting systemic health. With those medicines in your refrigerator, you’ll be well equipped to face the oncoming cold and flu season. But don’t be surprised when your friends and family ask you to share - just be sure to make enough.



About the author

Julie James is a practicing herbalist and herbal educator in Long Beach, CA. She has studied nutrition and herbalism for over 20 years, and holds a diploma in herbal medicine and in holistic nutrition.


Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:


Related Articles:

Vaccines are not the answer for bird flu

Why You Need Extra Vitamin D during the Flu Season

The Gullible Jennifer Garner Flu Shot Campaign

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article:

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):



(FREE) Thursday evening, Nov. 12 at 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern), call in to hear the NaturalNews Talk Hour with special guest Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn - "Making Yourself Heart Attack Proof" Register via email to receive call-in number:
Enter Your Email::
Support NaturalNews sponsors:
Advertise with NaturalNews...

Explore NaturalPedia.com, the internet's largest natural health encyclopedia of knowledge, covering over 50,000 topics. It's free!
Visit NaturalPedia.com.


FREE Report: The Five Best Anti-Viral Products to Beat Influenza, Swine Flu, Bird Flu and SARS

• Top anti-viral remedies
• Where to get them now
• Four things to avoid
• Become self-reliant
• Boost your family safety

Click here to read the FREE report now.

W.H.O. Declares Global Pandemic
Turn FEAR into Confidence!

Listen to the complete 3.5 hour recording on 4 audio CDs of the Health Ranger's Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness Course, covering natural anti-virals, family safety, infrastructure disruptions, quarantine, preparedness gear and much more.

Testimonials:

"Mike Adams' preparedness course turned our fears into confidence. This is POWERFUL information, coming from a trusted source. If you want to save yourself countless hours researching and getting prepared and if you want to do everything in your power to protect your family, I highly recommend the Health Ranger’s Advanced Preparedness Course."
- N. Nelson (Arizona)

"This is packed information no one should miss."
- T. Valenzuela

"Thanks Mike... during this class you covered prevention and preparedness from A to Z with integrity, brave honesty and outstanding knowledge! Thank you for your steadfast, thorough and cool-headed approach to well being. With deep gratitude for your service." - Bev

Available NOW for immediate shipping.
100% satisfaction guarantee

Click here to learn more...


NEW Product: Valley of Longevity Shampoo from the Health Ranger

• 98% Organic
• 100% Natural
• 100% Fragrance Free!
• No SLS
• No Parabens
• No synthetic chemicals
• FREE shipping in U.S. on orders over $75

Click here to read more...


Breaking News Stories:

     See more breaking news...

What is this?


Enter your details to learn more:
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:

(Email privacy guaranteed.)

Free Special Reports

How to Build Your Financial Safety Net
The 7 Principles of Mindful Wealth
The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D
The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance
Pet Food Ingredients Revealed! (shocking)
Medicine From Fish
The Water Cure

Recommended Products Related to This Article*:

The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
A free download of Biology of Belief
for learning about the mind-biology connection

The Genie In Your Genes by Dawson Church
A free, downloadable summary of this book
for learning about the biology of intention

Revealed: Natural Health Solutions (free)
Free summary of book by Mike Adams
for learning censored natural health remedies

The Weiss Method for Heart Disease
How to reverse heart disease naturally
for heart disease, high cholesterol

Exposed! The Toxic Chemistry of Products
Free summary of this shocking book
for learning the truth about toxic products

Appetite for Profit (free download)
Free download summary of this top book
for discovering the truth about food companies

Additional Products of Interest to All

Katadyn Exstream XR Water Purifier
#1 personal water purifier
for clean, pristine water in seconds

Preparedness Tools Natural News Bundle
For preparedness and safety: 60% off
for preparing for natural disasters

How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days
Health Ranger guide to reversing diabetes
for reversing type-2 diabetes

Free download: Selling Sickness (summary)
Read the best book on disease mongering
for learning the truth about Big Pharma

Katadyn MicroPur Water Purifier Tablets
The best water purification tablets
for purifying almost any water source

* Products do NOT pay to be listed here. These are genuine, independent recommendations by the Health Ranger

☯ Products with this symbol are sold by NaturalNews or its affiliates and earn revenues for NaturalNews

Also on NaturalNews:

Streaming Health Ranger Videos
CounterThink Cartoons
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts


Home | About Natural News | Contact Us | Write for Natural News | Media Information | Advertise with Natural News

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2009 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.