JULY 30, 2011 COLTSFOOT AND COUGH

"As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom." Maria Ebner Von Eschenbach

When self control and self esteem are intact, you will experience greater freedom. Freedom from what? Freedom to be your own self. Freedom to be the person you always wanted to be. When you boost your self-esteem through a hobby you develop a new freedom. You have reached another level in your life. This new hobby whether watercolor painting, puzzles, lego building, bee keeping, knitting, pottery and even butterfly watching starts you on a path of self control and self awareness. These lead to acceptance.

How often do you get a cough? Is it due to bronchitis, a respiratory allergen, environmental toxicity or 2nd hand smoke? It could be congestion from bacteria or virus that is causing the congestion of your lungs. We treat too many individuals with antibiotics who in actuality do not need these prescriptions. If you remove the infection, the physician has to find the underlying problem. The physician needs to be an investigator. The physician needs to be Sherlock Holmes.

The physician needs to practice and do a more through bedside examination. One factor the physician should discuss is the dietary lifestyle. The physician should be asking about dairy ingestion as this leads to mucous production which then can lead to infection or congestion. It is essential for the patient to have a diet low in mucous forming foods. Inherently there is nothing wrong with mucous , but excess is always a problem. Foods which are mucous producing are the following:

1. Dairy - includes goat and yogurt

2. Gluten grains - B, R, O, W - barley, rye oats and wheat; excluded is steel cut oatmeal

3. Starchy root vegetables as potatoes, turnips

Replace #1-3 above with fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants and low in sugar. For example this would be a diet rich in all berries and green leafy vegetables.

I would rather treat a cough with herbal remedies. It is easy for me to use ginger or elderberry cough syrup which are commercially available. As an herbalist I have my favorite cough remedies. I do love Elderberry. There is one remedy that I have seen other herbalists use with success. It has a pleasing taste to the patient too. I feel this is just as important as the efficacy. No patient will take an herbal mixture that causes them to gag. However I will tell you that the worst tasting herbs have major potential for efficacy and healing.

The cough remedy are equal parts of the following:

1. Coltsfoot - SEE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE; Do not think coltsfoot is dandelion IT IS NOT

2. Mullein - Remember this is used in earaches

3. Liquorice

You can take the above tea every 3 hours if time permits or minimum of 3 cups per day.

My grandfather (Poppy - born July 30, 1901 would have been 110 years old today) never had a cough. It wasn't due to herbs above, but instead from his consumption of an allium species- garlic.

Until tomorrow...