My growing shelf of products during the Great Isolation of 2020.
I have a section of the top shelf, next to the Goddess Sarasvati, of tinctures mixed and ready to go out the door, into the pick-up box or the hands of Mike, my beloved mail carrier. They are created in order of the most common symptoms, and progression of rapidly replicating viral loads in humans. Also, one formula to maintain health while serving the public when one cannot isolate.
I have only learned ounces, so my weights are parts in ounces. Liters are mathematically easier, just not for my Covid-brain. I make a large quantity and dole it out as needed. You may include whichever adored powerful herbs you wish!
Protect & Activate No symptom Immune Tonic
8 ounces lasts 48 days. A quarter to half-teaspoon twice daily. 1 ounce lasting for 6 to 12 days per person.
9 Baical Skullcap Scutellaria baicalensis
9 Astragalus Astragalus Sininsus
3 Isatis Isatis indigotica
2 Licorice Glycyrrhiza glabra
2 Calendula Calendula officinalis
2 Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-grecum
3 Hawthorn Crataegus oxyacanthoides
2 Yarrow Achillia millefolium
Add 1 part St. John’s wort Hypericum perforatum if not taking a SSRI prescription
Baical Skullcap is specific to fight Covid, Isatis, specific for flu and cold symptoms of the upper respiratory system, and glands. Rids of heat. Caution with pregnancy. Licorice, soothing demulcent for throat and digestion. Boy, I did notice massive digestive shifts in so many people over these years. Was it mass-consciousness, fear from all souls and soles walking the planet? Digestion breaks down under stress, right?! Astragalus for deep immune support, Calendula is a lymphatic drainer and anti-depressant, Fenugreek for kidney energy and digestive help, bonus, hormonal regulator. Hawthorn and Yarrow are both for blood thinning as well as heart and vessel protection. Remember? Yarrow is the female warrior standing behind to protect you! Yes please. Moves clotted blood safely, bonus, and is diaphoretic so breaks fevers.
Bod Builder Tea
¼ cup herbs in cold water, simmer 20 minutes. Strain, save herbs in a zip-lock bag in the freezer when cooled, and use once more.
3 Baical Skullcap Scutellaria baicalensis
2 Astragalus root Astragalus Sininsus
2 Hawthorn Berries Crataegus oxyacanthoides
1 Rowan Berries Sorbus aucuparia (may replace with Rosehips Rosa canina)
.5 Marshmallow Root Althea officinalis
.1 Anise seeds Aniseed
.7 Licorice root Glycyrrhiza glabra
Drink ¼ cup every 4 hours. Store in thermos or refrigerator. Make ice cubes if not drinking within 24 hours.
Not everyone can consume alcohol. This is a strongly flavored effective tea. You can add in other herbs as you wish and as are perfect for the client. Other demulcents to choose from are: Burdock, Fenugreek, Flax, Oats or Irish Moss. Other effective herbs are Lungwort, Olive leaf, Ashwaganda and Calendula. Couch grass root Elymus repens, yes. That’s why our animals nibble on that tenacious plant, it expels the hard mucus from within. Shall we be brought to our knees to graze? Are we listening to Nature? We certainly had delightful quiet when cars and planes no longer filled the air with noise and pollution. The frenetic energy quieted and we went inside and reevaluated how our lives were lived.
Flu Fighter Upper Respiratory Formula
1/2 tsp 3-5 times daily
9 Baical Skullcap Scutellaria baicalensis
8 Isatis Isatis indigotica
3 Usnea Usnea
3 Mullein leaf Verbascum thapsus
3 Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
3 Licorice Glycyrrhiza glabra
3 Hyssop Hyssopus officianalis
2 Hawthorn Crataegus oxyacanthoides
1 Yarrow Achillia millefolium
Add 1 part St. John’s wort Hypericum perforatum if not on a SSRI prescription.
“Flu Fighter” At first signs of upper respiratory system symptoms. Ah, Usnea. Those dangling tubes looking like tangled tresses, like bronchial tubes that when decocted suddenly begin looking like lungs respiring in the big pot, then add alcohol, shake and pray two weeks or so, or Sous Vide for instant gratification. Chinese Skullcap, Baical, of course. Mullein, our classic lung herb whose leaves look like a lung, cilia and all. Boneset for fevers to the bone. Licorice and Hyssop, both yummy respiratory and digestive supporters.
Hawthorn. Yes, give me a tall elegant tree’s leaves, flowers and berries to protect my heart with Rose family love and bioflavonoids. Maybe a thorn added in to prick the little invader. And Yarrow. You will note that not only do we have Covid-19 or whatever variant comes along herbs, we included blood thinners. Covid seems to target lungs and heart. Blood clots are not fun.
Full Breath Cough Syrup
½ teaspoon 3-5 times daily. 8 ounces will last roughly 4-6 days.
1 to 1 Honey to Brandy
1 Wild Cherry bark Prunus serotina
1 Thyme Thymus vulgaris
1 Mullein Flowers Verbascum thapsus
1.5 Elecampagne Inula helenium
.5 Chamomile Matriarcia Chamomila
.2 Sweetleaf Monarda fistulosa
Full Breath Cough Syrup is called on if the infection drops into the lungs. You can add tinctures to honey or tincture the herbs in brandy and add an equal portion of honey. Honey is a classic medicine for the respiratory system and brings back the “Sweetness of Life”, Wild Cherry bark to expectorate phlegm from the lungs, Thyme is antiseptic, Chamomile is calming. Sweetleaf for burning sensations and water imbalances, Mullein Flowers is a demulcent. Elecampane, our classic remedy for lung congestion and excessive coughing. I now make most tinctures in Brandy. Rounder and more yummy than Vodka. This syrup was appreciated the most of from all those suffering with coughs.
Flu Fighter, The Big Guns
½ teaspoon 3-5 times a day. 1 ounce is a 2 – 4 Day Supply.
6 Baical Scutellaria baicalensis
6 Isatis Isatis indigotica
6 Pleurisy Root Asclepias tuberosa
6 Elecampagne Inula helenium
2 Licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra
3 Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
2 Mullein leaf Verbascum thapsus
2 Hyssop Hyssopus officianalis
2 Hawthorn Crataegus oxyacanthoides
1 Yarrow Achillia millefolium
Add 1 part St. John’s wort Hypericum perforatum if not on SSRI prescription
When the infection sinks into the lungs call on The Big Guns! Baical Skullcap, Isatis, Pleurisy Root for pulmonary edema and loosening more phlegm. Elecampane, Licorice, Boneset for pain deep to the bone, Mullein leaf, Hyssop, Hawthorn, Yarrow. St. John’s wort is a classic antiviral.
Australian Bush Essences ~ Fearless Flower Essence
Contains: Dog Rose, Grey Spider Flower, and Sturt Desert Pea 7 drops each in half brandy, half spring water, succuss 7 times by tapping the completed mixture on your palm to join the essences together.
7 drops before bed or twice daily.
Protection Spray
For hands, door knobs, steering wheels and more.
4 ounces Isopropyl alcohol
4 ounces Witch Hazel
2 ounces Aloe Vera Juice
1 ounce Jojoba
120 drops of Essential oils: I chose these for their antiviral affect and delectable scent: Cedar, Rosemary, Ravensara, Niaouli, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Tea tree, less White and Red Thyme.
Margi’s Mouth Wash
Keep all of your orifices nice and clean and virus free. Mix these tinctures together and have a half teaspoon or so in a sip of water and gargle, especially into the gum lines.
1 ounce Calendula flowers
1 ounce Plantain
1 ounce Peppermint
.5 ounce White Oak
.5 ounce Spilanthes
Daily Rituals
We had a preventative dosage of “Protect & Activate” daily. I will until the variants are not spreading.
Still can’t find a breath? Then, if there are beds and it is open, go to the hospital. Bring your spray, earplugs and a sleep mask full of Lavender and Flax seeds.
Oil your nostrils with Nasaya oil or Sesame, or whatever oil you have. Covid does not stick to oils.
Be aware of your body remaining untouched by those not in your daily home life, which now is a six-foot radius. It is interesting that when studying Polarity Therapy we discovered how far our etheric bodies expanded. Most of us had a bubble about six feet around us. I had a comical invention in my mind while watching my grandboys playing with their neighborhood pod the first winter months of Covid. A hoop that was about thirteen feet in diameter attached with cords, to slip onto the shoulders. Don’t let your hoops touch.
Having agreements with those you have contact with is so important. If you don’t get tested after flying or sharing space with someone the ripple out endangers everyone. If I take super precautions, I expect those in my circle to do the same. Trust.
Wash hands twenty seconds with warm water and soap. Wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, steering wheels, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, and anything others who inadvertently smear or cough mucus onto. And when using the bathroom. Back to kindergarten. Or you can use the Protection spray. I keep one in the cup holder of my car, by the doors and in the bathroom. Olive oil soap is moistening.
Steam with aromatic herbs Oregano, Thyme, Chamomile, Hyssop or Lemon balm and add Roses in to make you more beautiful. Bonus.
Leave the fan off while showering or bathing, door shut and breath in steam.
Heat your body. Sit in the sun, lay on a Biomat with an emergency reflective blanket over your body. Biomats have amethyst and tourmaline crystals with far infrared rays shot through them. Or heat up in a sauna or bathtub. Epsom salt baths allow you to absorb magnesium and are very relaxing! Far Infrared Heaters kill Covid. I placed two of these heaters in my shed, left the doors open and had a safe social space to encounter humans for meals or consultations. Sit close to a fire outdoors. Out of doors, air moving, fire burning, six feet apart is as close to a party as is safe when a world Pandemic is happening.
Oil the rest of your body. Have fun doing it. Self-love is good love.
Drink half your body weight in ounces of warm water. I feel a little burst of fairy dust around me when I hear that warm beverages are best to ward off this contagion! Who has said those words these past forty years? Half your body weight in ounces, at body temperature of warm fluids. Yes!
Enjoy Mate, Green and Black teas. L-Theanine will protect from Covid-19 and calm you. 60% or higher content of Dark Chocolate is beneficial, bless you my child.
All beverages need to be warm. I know I am repeating that. Do it.
Eat raw Garlic, chopped and let stand for 10 minutes activates the allicin. Or put in a glop of honey.
Supplements
Vitamin C with bioflavonoids. I use Designs for Health C + BioFizz Ô Various Cs 2,569 mg, with Quercetin, Hesperidin and Rutin. 1 teaspoon in room temperature water. Canker sores? Decrease dosage.
Vitamin D3 cholecalciferol 1 – 4,000 IU with food.
EPA DHA Fish oil with a meal, follow bottle directions. Liquid or pearls.
Zinc 15 to 50 mg with food. Canker sores? Decrease dosage.
Selenium 20 to 55 mcg daily depending on age.
Complex B liquid 500 mcg B 12 methylcobalamin plus Folate and Intrinsic Factor, or lozenge or sublingual
Nutrition
Eat your organic Orange, Lemon and Lime peels!
Organic vegetables of all colors every day.
Add medicinal mushrooms or steamed, dehydrated mushroom powders to soups and sauces.
Eliminate sugar. Be happy. Selflove, right, there’s a good class!
Fire Cider, go to freefirecider.com for recipes or buy Fire Cider! By Rosemary Gladstar.
Gargle with warm salt water.
Roast Chicken
Roast Chicken with Astragalus roots, then make soup stock.
Heat oven to 500 with large cast iron pan inside on the middle rack. Put your stove fan on high.
Prepare bird: Place Astragalus roots, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Parsley, whatever herbs appeal to you inside the cavity, oil the skin, salt and pepper.
Carefully remove pan with oven mitts.
Place bird carefully, breasts up, onto hot pan. Place on the middle rack and cook 25 minutes. Do not open door! Shut off heat and leave in another 25 – 30 minutes depending on bird size.
Remove from pan, use a large wooden spoon to enter the cavity, a spatula to loosen beneath and shift to a serving plate. Let it rest.
To the cast iron pan add water or soup stock with a few tablespoons of mushroom powder, stir to make gravy. Scrape all the bottom bits into solution.
Have dinner with lots of vegetables.
Remove the meat and store in a covered dish for the next meal.
For chicken stock:
Pull apart bones into smaller bits, add ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 5 new Astragalus roots and those from the roast, vegetable clippings (previously gathered daily and put in a zip lock bag in the freezer), some Carrots, maybe Burdock root, more Onions, especially Onion and Garlic with peels for Quercetin, simmer 2 – 24 hours, strain and freeze in portions for daily use. Variations with Turmeric, Curry Powder, Fruits. Allow your imagination to go wild.
Increased Sleep Quality
Start with drop doses of tinctures: A glycerite made by Kelly Howard with Mimosa, Passion flower, California Poppy and Skullcap will magically drop you into dreamland. 3 – 6 drops before bed. The power of intention.
Experiment with teas or tinctures of the herbs listed below.
Calming drinks: Nervines like Chamomile, Wood Betony (keeps you on Earth), Motherwort, (Mom needing a break juggling family, work and zooms), Lemon balm (yummy and smells amazing), Mints (ditto), Oatstraw or Milky Oats decoctions (the herbal equivalent to Mother’s milk), Tulsi, aptly named Holy Basil, Elder Berries and Throat Coat tea all help.
Herbs that encourage Stem Cell Growth:
Echinacea Echinacea Angustifolia, purpurea or Pallida, Calendula Calendula officinalis, Eleuthero Eleutherococcis sentcosis, “Sweetleaf” Monarda fistulosa, Baical Skullcap Scutellaria baicalensis, Yarrow Achillia millefolium, Gotu kola Centella asiatica and Horsetail Equisetum hymale or arvens. Improve your immune response with Gotu Kola pesto! Add in some of these herbs into teas or tincture formulas. Stem cell growth decreases with the accumulation of years. I had many clients simply take a combination of Elderberry and Echinacea, 2 droppers twice daily.
Demulcents once a day: Okra, Marshmallow root, Slippery Elm bark all help. Start in cold water, bring to a simmer, simmer 15 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes and strain if you can. Oatmeal. Oatstraw and Milky Oats decoct for 40 minutes.
Considerate Behaviors
Never shake used clothing, bed sheets or cloths. While it is glued to a porous surface, it is very inert and disintegrates only between 3 hours (fabric and porous), 4 hours (copper, because it is naturally antiseptic; and wood, because it removes all the moisture and does not let it peel off and disintegrates), 24 hours (cardboard), 42 hours (metal) and 72 hours (plastic). But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, then can lodge in your nose. Oil nostrils!
Do not spit on the street. Do not cough without covering your mouth. Do not wipe your nose and then touch anything fellow humans might touch.
Wear a mask indoors: You may have been super careful, and still exposed and carrying and not even know it. That adorable kid who coughed in line at the market. The runner or biker who vaporized the moisture in his lungs, coughed and turned the corner before you saw him. A tiny chance due to aerodynamics, but why risk it? It is a bizarre time and we are all in this one together. We all share breath and vapors. Each day an un-masked person adds two weeks to the life of our world Pandemic. Be responsible.
Get vaccinated. Maybe stay home. It isn’t about an individual, it is about all of us caring for each other. Some feel vulnerable around vaccinated people! Two very different opinions. You get to decide who enters your space whether you choose vaccination or not. This is all fresh now, new thoughts and actions.
During periods of isolation reach out to single people. Talk on the phone, write your memoirs. I have begun mine. My daughter Sarah said ”Oh my God Mom, that book will burst into flames!” Chuckle, chuckle. Take online yoga or anything at all that makes you move and fills your soul. Stay connected to humans, walk in Nature and learn to love yourself better than you ever have before.
