Passionately Holistic

Colds can be miserable for anyone but it is especially hard to see our little ones sick. There aren’t many options we can do to help…or are there? For me I would rather use natural cold remedies than turn to any over the counter medication, including Tylenol and Motrin. Over the past 6 years I have learned A LOT about using homeopathy, essential oils, and other natural remedies, including some of “grandma’s old ideas”. Some things work for us but others haven’t. This seems to ring true with any illness in the family. Something that worked before might not work this time or the remedy takes longer and needs some tweaks. In my opinion that is the hardest thing I have learned with homeopathy. It might take a little longer and the remedies have to be given more consistently BUT they do work and I never feel bad about leaving behind all of those harmful ingredients found in over the counter medications.

I will add more to my remedies, ideas, advice, and just tips on how to start and what my family uses but for now I have two easy ones to share. If you feel you or someone in your family are becoming sick, the easiest thing is to start drinking water. A LOT of water. Me and my husband seem to have completely different ideas of what “a lot of water is” but the point is to help flush everything out. The second is to make an “Anti-Microbial Garlic Lemonade Tea”. It sounds kind of gross doesn’t it? Garlic…?? YES! Garlic has been used for centuries because of its medicinal properties. It improves your immune system and is believed to help boost the disease-fighting response of white blood cells when they encounter viruses that cause the common cold or flu. The anti-microbial properties of garlic prevent the bacteria from spreading. Lemons are loaded with Vitamin C which again helps the immune system, reduces phlegm, decreases the strength of a cold. Just like garlic, the anti-microbial properties in lemons help to prevent the bacteria from growing. Lemons have anti-bacterial properties as well which actually kill the bacteria. Honey too has anti-bacterial properties and is soothing to the throat. You can see why this is such an essential remedy that can help prevent and lessen the duration of an illness.

This “tea” is simple to make and should be given as often as possible. It might be a little harder for children to swallow so I usually add more honey. You can always tweak the recipe and dilute with more water or reduce the garlic if they’re completely turned off.

ANTI-MICROBIAL GARLIC LEMONADE TEA

Ingredients:

2 Cloves minced garlic
1 whole organic lemon
raw honey
filtered water
1 Qt glass mason jar

Add minced garlic to mason jar. Fill with boiling water and cover for 30 minutes. Strain liquid and add the juice of 1 whole lemon (strained). Sweeten with honey and serve warm. Drink as often as possible.