There is a lot of attention on the 'Flu' right now because 'tis the season'. Whether you are on the #ChemtrailFlu bandwagon, are a believer that people are getting the flu from the vaccines, or even if you are a firm believer that the flu is totally natural, and normal (nothing to see here, move along..) there are things you can do to boost your immune system naturally, and possibly prevent or even rid yourself of the flu much much more quicly after you have already contracted it.
Here is my "DISCLAIMER" I am not an M.D. and the statements made here are my well researched opinion only! Wouldn't want the big pharma police (FDA, etc..) coming after me for telling you to "Let thy food be thy medicine!" and telling you to eat some organic healthy food to get well!
One of the best immune boosting foods (and it's becoming popular again now for good reason!) is the folk remedy known as Elderberry Syrup. You can use Elderberries is any number of ways. It is generally recommended that you only consume cooked Elderberries as it is generally accepted that eating more than a few raw Elderberries can cause an upset stomach. Some people claim to eat them raw but I have not tried it yet. You definitely should not eat unripe Elderberries.
There are some sources out there that are suggesting that (As per usual) if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have immune system 'disorders' you should either not consume Elderberries OR you should consult a physician first. I won't go far into it for the purposes of this post, but both my sister and I have overactive immune systems and thus; from personal experience having taken this and not had anything but great results I tend to subscribe to the other side of the debate. Other researchers have suggested that if you have an overactive immune system you need to take immune boosting remedies to encourage proper function of the immune system, to help restore balance to it. This can be touchy with each individual so I recommend wading through the propaganda that keeps people dependent upon corrupt corporations with multi billion dollar marketing schemes and other tactics to find what truly works for you.
If you have any personal experience with this yourself, I'd be happy to hear about them in the comments!
You can purchase Elderberry syrup in many health food stores. Elderberry syrup can be a little hard on a family budget if you are taking it as a preventative throughout the entire flu season, especially if there are a hand full of people taking it! Something to consider would be making your own Elderberry syrup, or tincture (more on tinctures in another post). The berries of the Sambucus Nigra plant are readily found growing wild in many places both in the U.S. and Europe, as well as others.
It is vitally important to make sure you are identifying any plants you intend to ingest accurately as consuming the wrong plants can certainly make you very sick or even kill you. (read the warning labels/inserts for the pill bottles you have before suggesting scary stories you've heard about eating wild plants! Life is full of risk, we all have choices, Lol.)
There are many recipes readily available online for making Elderberry Syrup. Here is one simple well known recipe I like:
You can use a little more or less depending upon what you have available; approximately 1/2 Cup or dried Elderberries (I have used Frozen. Something you want to keep in mind is that dried berries will be more concentrated due to the reduced water content.) If you pick them yourself you should remove as much of the small stem material as possible, but having some in my mixture hasn't caused me any problems.
Approx. 3 Cups of water
Approx. 1 Cup of raw honey(not to be added until final mixture is cooling as the heat can reduce medicinal properties of the honey.)
Approx. 1 Cinnamon Stick
Approx 3 Whole Cloves
You can also use Lemon (I have used Orange) and Ginger to taste.
Place the berries and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Next you will want to reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by about half. I mix the spices in about halfway through the simmering process, some people put them in right at the beginning. My reason for putting them in after is so as not to destroy the beneficial qualities of the spices. You can make it without the spices, so how you choose to add them is a matter of personal preference.
Next you will want to crush up the remaining berries in the pan. Then remove the pan from the stove and allow to cool enough to strain using a cheese cloth or some other similar method to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Be careful it makes a mess, and can stain! When the mixture is close to room temperature you can stir in the honey making sure to mix it well. You can usually keep this in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator for a month or so. If you were to can the syrup it would last longer. Heat would destroy more of the Vit. C content but it would still be medicinal.
Most sources recommend for a child over 2 years of age approximately 1 Tsp per day and adult approximately one Tbs per day as a preventative dosage. It has been suggested that you can use this dosage every 2 hours or so if you feel like you are coming down with, or have come down with a cold or flu. Some people eat it as a condiment on pancakes and such so I don't worry about taking it in exact dosage.
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If you like this image, a version of it is available on a wide variety of home decor and other items. This is not the purpose of my post, but I am sharing here because I can, and I am a contributing artist for this site :) Being new to Steemit I have not yet figured all of the rules out, so if there is a problem with me adding this to my post then please let me know. I'll be looking further into this. It is my image. http://studioananael.com/product/elderberries-indooroutdoor-designer-throw-pillow/
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