The Rain, the Flu and a Potion.

                                                                               Tisane

Well, it's raining for a change. At least it's not foggy, that's always a plus. And a weird cold/flu virus is going through the house.
The symptoms?
Aches and a fever at first, followed by a cough and a runny nose with watery eyes.
There are several "potions" that I use for colds and flu but this time I wanted something simple and fairly quick and with what I had on hand because, well, I was sick too and, did I mention this before?, I have a toddler which by definition, means that I take care of a fairly demanding little, but mighty, person.
So, here is what I did:

In a mug:
Crush a garlic clove
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper
A bit of cinnamon
A tea bag of  Gypsy Cold Care from Traditional Medicinals
A tea bag of HerbaTussin from Traditional Medicinals if you are coughing

Pour boiling water, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, put in raw honey and the juice of half a lemon.

I'm happy to say that it worked extremely well. My son missed only a day of school ( good thing too, it was the midterms ) in spite of falling sick on Monday.
I got it too, 2 days after him, and it only lasted a day and a half for me. Of course with him sick, I knew what was coming and started to take the tea as soon as I felt the aches. I'm breastfeeding my toddler and I did not have a cough so I used the tea for colds Just For Kids, again from Traditional Medicinals.

Drink this tea 3 times a day until all of your symptoms disappear.

I have the project to do an online Herbal and I'll start this very shortly . I'll detail which herb is best used when and also their growing conditions. In case you'd like to start an herb garden.

As always remember to consult your doctor if your symptoms worsen or if you are already taking medications.

I also made a dinner that should help when you are sick:

                         Indian Rice and Vegetables in Goose Fat

Rinse 250g of rice and soak it for 30 mns.
In a skillet, cook an onion until golden and add a chopped garlic clove and an inch of ginger (also chopped)
Cook for 2 mns and add the rice, drained. After a couple of minutes add a large can of tomatoes and a bit of salt.
Cover and cook on low for 20 mns.
If you have some serve with chopped coriander. Sadly I'm out and I keep forgetting to plant it...

For the vegetables,
I cut potatoes in chunks and steamed them with Brussels sprouts. In a skillet I cooked an onion, garlic and dinosaur kale together in goose fat. When cooked I added the steamed potatoes and Sprouts.

 

Brussels Sprouts and Dinosaur Kale, January 2011