lreef
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by lreef on Sept 30, 2011 11:40:56 GMT -5
My sweet baby girl has asthma. Winter is a really tough time of year for her so I'd like to start strengthening her immune system now. A lot of the herbs I'm reading about on Mountain Rose Herbs say not to use for more than a couple of weeks. Elderberry seems to be the winner, along with some extra vitamin C. I think we could all use some extra immune help this time of year what are some other good ways to naturally help out the immune system?
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Post by islandgirlromy on Oct 6, 2011 19:52:21 GMT -5
I keep Nettle tea on hand for my family. Yes, they do believe it helps benefit the immune system. Along with other conditions..it is truly a wonderfully misunderstood stinging plant! Here from a site called Live and Feel it is summarized pretty well. "It can be said about nettle that it is one of the wonder plants that nature has gifted us with. It is renowned because of its astringent, expectorant, tonic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic properties and as an important source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, C and E, iron, calcium, phosphates and minerals. All these qualities recommend it as a powerful remedy against hepatic, arthritic or rheumatic conditions, and as an adjuvant in treating allergies, anemia and kidney diseases." What I would clarify here is that the folks I know that use Nettle tea for different concerns very much include those with Asthma. As with any medicinal, check with your doc. How I treat my own family is through mainly natural means. However, I am very cautious in handing out advice without that little cautionary suggestion. I have mine ready for the winter.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2011 8:23:50 GMT -5
(I) Can't, shouldn't, suggest a dosage, but echinaces (purple coneflower) is easy to grow. The roots are supposed to be the busy parts of this well known immune booster.
A tea or gel cap of ground roots would be my guess of administration route.
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Post by dogwoman on Oct 7, 2011 11:15:57 GMT -5
Vit D, check dosage for age/size of child.
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Post by krikit on Nov 1, 2011 11:08:19 GMT -5
I've found that with anything that's in capsule or pill form that there's stuff that really isn't good for you so I tend to buy liquid - Vitamins, B booster, Vit D & so on. I measure & toss the liquid into my fruit smoothies with fruit, juices, yogurt & whatever else I have on hand that's good for you - a great way to get what you need but as a tastey treat.
I just bought Fenugreek tea but haven't tried it yet. Also got Milk Thistle but need to get it in so may put a few into the smoothies & see if that helps. Every winter I get into organges, big time - that's natural Vit. C - plus I buy orange juice that's not from concentrate & has no added junk to it (that they confess to) & that's for drinking or in smoothies so I get my Vit. C that way. Vit. D liquid I have & use it when I'm not out in the sun much - it's good against a lot of stuff but like everything else, using in moderation because I have a bod that's sensitive to stuff & I can end up in Emerg with reactions to things most people wouldn't even consider a problem. Also have liquid echinacea for winter & self shield as much as I can to keep exposure to bugs down ...
What kind of Nettle tea are you talking about? I have a great store (just across the river) that has wonderful natural products so if I knew what Nettle I could see about getting some in here for the winter ...
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Post by herbalbetty on Dec 31, 2011 7:44:39 GMT -5
Think soups! In winter, they are naturally what the body craves. Make your own stock. Use bones from a roasted chicken or beef. Add lots of veggies and herbs such as thyme, sage, astragalus, garlic. Add a few shitake mushrooms. You can freeze the stock or can it. Either sip the warmed stock as is, or use it to create soups such as butternut squash or pumpkin, chicken soup, etc.
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Post by bella18 on Dec 31, 2011 17:22:02 GMT -5
Think soups! In winter, they are naturally what the body craves. Make your own stock. Use bones from a roasted chicken or beef. Add lots of veggies and herbs such as thyme, sage, astragalus, garlic. Add a few shitake mushrooms. You can freeze the stock or can it. Either sip the warmed stock as is, or use it to create soups such as butternut squash or pumpkin, chicken soup, etc. Sounds good, herbalbetty; I've read about how good broth is for us, especially beef broth from boiling the bones. My concern is, without being able to find, or afford, grass-fed beef, what might be in the meat & bones, so I don't make it now. If we had room I'd raise a couple cows of our own. ;D
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Post by herbalbetty on Jan 3, 2012 5:17:33 GMT -5
Bella, I hear ya on the price of grassfed beef. We buy a half cow from friends who pasture raise them. It's a LOT cheaper than buying per pound at the natural grocery. Of course, you have to have the $$ up front and a big freezer. We also get a pig that has been raised naturally. However, you can still get lots of nutrition and immunity boosting by just using veggies. Or, go to a natural grocery or farmer's market and get just neck bones for your broth. They are usually very cheap and work wonders for broth. I like to roast the bones before I put them in the stock pot.
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Post by garrett on Jan 3, 2012 10:31:45 GMT -5
what veggies contribute more beneficials? i know tomatoes are full of lycopene.what else do we get from other veggies or fruits?
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Post by bella18 on Jan 3, 2012 15:34:49 GMT -5
Good thinking, betty; I'll check out the health food & natural markets for neck bones. Certainly much cheaper that way.
garrett, I'd say the best things we can do is keep our bodies as alkaline as possible. There's charts on the 'net for alkaline veggies, etc. Brightly colored veggies; dark greens; all good!!
Betty, what do you think?? Certain veggies much higher in nutrients?? Herbs??
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Post by herbalbetty on Jan 5, 2012 5:56:52 GMT -5
I think it is best to eat a variety of foods. That way, you get a big range of nutrients. I've heard it said to "eat a rainbow". No skittles. :-) That means, all sorts of naturally colored foods. Berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. Dark leafy greens. Squash, broccoli, peppers, etc. Drink a cup of nettles tea. Add a couple astragalus root pieces to a pot of soup. (take them out before serving) Make a curry and enjoy the anti-inflammatory effects of the turmeric and other spices. You know, have fun and enjoy tasty home-cooked food!
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chile
New Member
Posts: 34
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Post by chile on Jan 5, 2012 13:59:56 GMT -5
lreef, my little one has asthma, too. It has been a bad last couple of months for her. I keep fresh pineapple juice on hand, it is great for thinning out mucous (there's bromine or an enzyme in it can't recall offhand) all members of the ginger family have good anti-inflamatory properties. I will find fresh tumeric at asian grocers sometimes. fresh ginger boiled with honey added or some raw solidified sugarcane juice is great for congestion. My daughter has immune issues, so there is only so much actual immune system to give a boost to. Very challenging, but it could be so much worse (she has DiGeorge Sequence -a genetic thing) I have family from Java and they have given me good advice- no cold drinks or sugary junk, but lots of soups made with bones, ginger and tumeric. It is really challenging, but I try to steer my family away from anything with sugar or vegetable oil in it. That eliminates all pre-packaged and junk food with just that rule. My mom sends us nettles that she collects and dries, such a great tea! Betty- I tell mine to eat their colors and that "food" coloring is for making playdough
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Post by garrett on Jan 6, 2012 0:17:56 GMT -5
ya'll really use nettle?hmmmnnnnnnn
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Post by herbalbetty on Jan 6, 2012 7:31:33 GMT -5
Nettles is good stuff! I make a wonderful creamy nettles soup in the spring. Once nettles is cooked or dried, it no longer stings. You can substitute cooked nettles in any recipe that calls for cooked spinach.
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Post by garrett on Jan 7, 2012 3:05:26 GMT -5
i got a bunch in the yard.lol
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chile
New Member
Posts: 34
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Post by chile on Jan 9, 2012 20:06:05 GMT -5
I just read that orange tomatoes have a more easily absorbed form of lycopene than red ones.
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Post by garrett on Jan 10, 2012 0:52:59 GMT -5
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chile
New Member
Posts: 34
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Post by chile on Jan 12, 2012 23:40:02 GMT -5
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Post by garrett on Jan 14, 2012 10:56:14 GMT -5
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh most excellent.smiles
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