Last Friday I was suddenly struck by flu which hit me hard and fast. Earlier the week I'd been sneezing a bit, nothing serious, but then on Thursday, after giving two yoga classes in a place that had air con, oh man, that was it - flu saw its chance and was about to take a visit at My Temple. In couple of hours I felt so stuck that I couldn't breath properly and my head weighted hundred kilos, at least! I was panicing because nowadays I rarely get sick and had almost forgotten how it feels like. Now couple days later, I'm happy to tell that I can again breath normally and it's almost like I never was sick! I wanna share my best home remedies and natural cures I use whenever I'm feeling a bit sick so here they are:
1 HONEY
Honey has for maybe centuries been known for its curing properties - maybe you first heard it from your grandma' but it has actually been scientifically proven to be antibacterial and work for many sicknesses. I use honey quite a lot, even when I'm not sick. I use it in smoothies, porridge, to give flavor to foods, many many ways. But I copied this recipe from one cafeteria, it could be called The Flu Fighter:
Boil fresh, cold water. When the water has boiled, let it cool down for couple of minutes (you don't wanna burn all the good stuff with boiling water!)! Make hot drink from rooibos, honey, bites of ginger and lemon (preferably all organic!). Put wool socks on, drink it slowly and feel the Mother Nature taking care of you. It's delicious and works, at least for me!
2 GINGER
I love ginger root, how it smells, tastes and even how it looks! Not that beautiful maybe but when you peel off the skin, what a beautiful colour and smell comes out! I use ginger again in smoothies, porridge, tea, to give flavor to foods, in dips - so many ways you can use it! But I've discovered that it is actually the best remedy for soar throat and coughing. Cut a small piece, peel it and put it in your mouth. Let the juices do its work and when it's loosing its taste, you can chew on the bite a bit, but carefully! It can be quite strong and "burn" your mouth. You don't want that for sure. I don't use any pastills from the pharmacy anymore but have ginger in my fridge all the time.
Carmolis is made of medicinal herbs, over ten different oils. You can treat cold or digestion problems with it. You can take drops as they are or then mix it with your tea or with a spoonfull of honey, the latter one has been many of my friends favorite whom I've lovingly forced to try the herb-honey-mix. Last person's comment: I love it, uuu can I have more!. The drops work also externally for headaches or muscle pain. Multi task tool!
These two I also have with me all the time. Tiger balm I use to the chest and on the same location in my back so that it's placed where my lungs are. So when I'm breathing, I can feel the herbal vapors cleaning my body. I also put the balm in the soles of my feet. My mom used to put slices of fresh garlic in my socks when I got sick and what I've understood is that our feet are connected to every part of our body so I dare not to do that anymore. Don't they say that Mothers know best?
Tea tree has also always been used in my family so I've learned since kid to rubb the oil in the lymph nodes in the throat if I started to feel soar throat. It also helps to open a stuck nose. For some people these both might cause allergic reactions so if you haven't tried them before, try carefully with small amounts to one place at first and see how you react. I've been always able to use them with no problems at all but still, never using if there isn't real reason so I won't get sensitive over time.
5 REST AND SLEEP
Sickness is a sign that you're body isn't doing well so you should do your part of the healing and just rest for a while! Take the time to read a good book, maybe watch some documentaries or movies, eat well and healty, drink enough of water and just be! Don't start cleaning your home, do some work things you hadn't had time for earlier, stress and push yourself deeper - be kind to yourself and let the healing do its work. You can also do some visualization meditation where you imagine your body being purified with every exhale and breath in new, fresh air.
Of course there are tons of other good ways to get rid of flu and maybe I'll share some more later, but for me these are the five most effective, easiest and most-used techniques. Let me hear what are yours - each one, teach one!
Have a nice week cupcakes and don't get sick! But if you do, I hope these tips will help you too!
xxx
Hanna
1 HONEY
Honey has for maybe centuries been known for its curing properties - maybe you first heard it from your grandma' but it has actually been scientifically proven to be antibacterial and work for many sicknesses. I use honey quite a lot, even when I'm not sick. I use it in smoothies, porridge, to give flavor to foods, many many ways. But I copied this recipe from one cafeteria, it could be called The Flu Fighter:
Boil fresh, cold water. When the water has boiled, let it cool down for couple of minutes (you don't wanna burn all the good stuff with boiling water!)! Make hot drink from rooibos, honey, bites of ginger and lemon (preferably all organic!). Put wool socks on, drink it slowly and feel the Mother Nature taking care of you. It's delicious and works, at least for me!
2 GINGER
I love ginger root, how it smells, tastes and even how it looks! Not that beautiful maybe but when you peel off the skin, what a beautiful colour and smell comes out! I use ginger again in smoothies, porridge, tea, to give flavor to foods, in dips - so many ways you can use it! But I've discovered that it is actually the best remedy for soar throat and coughing. Cut a small piece, peel it and put it in your mouth. Let the juices do its work and when it's loosing its taste, you can chew on the bite a bit, but carefully! It can be quite strong and "burn" your mouth. You don't want that for sure. I don't use any pastills from the pharmacy anymore but have ginger in my fridge all the time.
3 CARMOLIS HERB DROPS
Carmolis is made of medicinal herbs, over ten different oils. You can treat cold or digestion problems with it. You can take drops as they are or then mix it with your tea or with a spoonfull of honey, the latter one has been many of my friends favorite whom I've lovingly forced to try the herb-honey-mix. Last person's comment: I love it, uuu can I have more!. The drops work also externally for headaches or muscle pain. Multi task tool!
4 TIGER BALM AND TEA TREE OIL
Tea tree has also always been used in my family so I've learned since kid to rubb the oil in the lymph nodes in the throat if I started to feel soar throat. It also helps to open a stuck nose. For some people these both might cause allergic reactions so if you haven't tried them before, try carefully with small amounts to one place at first and see how you react. I've been always able to use them with no problems at all but still, never using if there isn't real reason so I won't get sensitive over time.
5 REST AND SLEEP
Sickness is a sign that you're body isn't doing well so you should do your part of the healing and just rest for a while! Take the time to read a good book, maybe watch some documentaries or movies, eat well and healty, drink enough of water and just be! Don't start cleaning your home, do some work things you hadn't had time for earlier, stress and push yourself deeper - be kind to yourself and let the healing do its work. You can also do some visualization meditation where you imagine your body being purified with every exhale and breath in new, fresh air.
Of course there are tons of other good ways to get rid of flu and maybe I'll share some more later, but for me these are the five most effective, easiest and most-used techniques. Let me hear what are yours - each one, teach one!
Have a nice week cupcakes and don't get sick! But if you do, I hope these tips will help you too!
xxx
Hanna
