Herbs for coughs

b) Research different types of cough – wet/cold, hot/dry, spasms, nervous, pharmaceutical side effect. Which herbs would you use for each type of cough and why?

In my life B.H. (before herbs!) a cough was simply a cough and was either to be tolerated or, very rarely, “treated” by sucking on cough sweets. I’ve never been able to take medicine well so those were the options for me, although I may have considered buying an over-the-counter cough remedy if it was my husband or daughter suffering.

When I first started considering plants as medicine, long before joining the apprentice list, I presumed they would be like conventional medicine and that if you had a cough, you’d take one herb to fix it. It’s only more recently that I’ve come to realise it doesn’t work like that at all. Instead of there just being one herb for all coughs it’s important to look at what type of cough it is and what type of person has it in order to decide which herbs to use.

Coughing is actually a very beneficial thing in most cases as it's your body's way of clearing ant irritants from the lungs or throat. Because of this it is generally advised to steer clear of herbs that will suppress the cough as this can lead to further complications. Having said this, some of the best remedies for colds and flu accompanied by coughs are sleep and rest so if the cough is keeping someone from sleeping then using a mildly suppressing herb can be beneficial for a short period.
On the same note, although taking the herbs mentioned in tea form can often be the best way (the hot tea will work in a similar way to a steam), it may be best to switch to tinctures before bes as they contain less liquid and are less likely to disturb sleep for that reason!

TYPES OF COUGHS

Hot, dry cough (unproductive)

Persistent, dry, tickly coughs are often experienced at the end of a cold when there is no longer any phlegm to be expelled and can also be caused by allergies and exposure to irritants like dust. 
These coughs need herbs that will sooth the mucous membranes and antispasmodic herbs to help calm the cough reflex.

Herbs that can help with hot/dry coughs are:

MULLEIN, Verbascum thapsus

Mullein is cooling and moisturising. The leaves, flowers and root can all be used for coughs although it's interesting to note that Paul Bergner points out most herbals quote mullein leaves as being demulcent (forms a soothing film over mucous membranes) they are actually an irritating expectorant while it's the flowers that are demulcent.

Kiva Rose recommends using the leaf for tight, wheezy coughs that come and go, indicating the constriction beginning to become chronic while Jim McDonald states "The leaves are the most commonly used part of the plant, and among the first remedies to be thought of in treating congestion & dry coughs, as they are an excellent expectorant. Mullein will stimulate coughing...assisting the body's natural response to congestion"

MARSHMALLOW, Althea officinalis

Marshmallow is another cooling, demulcent herb and is also very mucilaginous which makes is an excellent choice to sooth and protect irritated mucous membranes. Again flowers, leaves and root may be used and it makes a valuable addition to a cough syrup.

Marshmallow is also very soothing for an inflamed and sore throat that can accompany hot dry coughs.

COLTSFOOT, Tussilago farfara

A traditional herb given for coughs, especially those that are irritating and spasmodic. It has a soothing demulcent effect and helps to loosen mucus and reduce the spasms of a cough. The Latin name Tussilago literally means "cough dispeller".

It has a long history of being associated with coughing and the ancient Romans used it to ease symptoms of asthma and bronchial conditions.

Coltsfoot is a warming herb so it might be wise to combine it with a cooling herb like Marshmallow for coughs which are predominantly hot.

THYME, Thymus vulgaris

Debs Cook writes about the fact that Thyme "remains a popular remedy for sore throats, laryngitis and dry coughs. Herbalists also recommend it for other respiratory ailments such as whooping cough and bronchitis"

Thyme is very healing and an anti-spasmodic and it's volatile oil is  included in many over the counter cough drops and syrups. Used as a tea, tincture or steam it can be very effective in bringing relief.

Other herbs that may be useful for dry coughs are licorice, fennel, red clover and slippery elm.

Wet, cold productive cough

A productive cough is one where you are actually coughing up some kind of phlegm. It's normally felt as a chesty cough and you can normally feel the phlegm moving after a bout of coughing. Productive coughs arise when the body needs to get rid of an irritant in your throat or lungs and should not generally be treated with suppressant herbs as the phlegm will them remain in your lungs rather than being expelled. This can lead to conditions like pneumonia if the cough is completely suppressed. 
Instead, use expectorant herbs to help loosen up the phlegm, making it easier for you to cough up and easing your breathing.

Herbs that can help with wet, productive coughs are:

GINGER, Zingiber officinale

Ginger is a warming and dry stimulating expectorant that is also anti-spasmodic and antitussive (capable of relieving coughing)

Ginger is also used to heal sore throats that can accompany coughing. The University of Maryland Medical Centre recommends placing a few slices of fresh ginger to a bowl of hot water to use as a vapour steam.

When combined in a tea with honey and lemon juice it can give powerful relief from coughing as well as other cold symptoms.

ELECAMPANE, Inula helenium

Elecampane is another warming, stimulating expectorant that can help in virtually all chronic lung conditions including coughs. 

It's often mixed with other herbs that have an affinity with the lungs like white horehound and coltsfoot. Elecampame is also ideal for treating coughs in children, although care should always be taken with regards to dosage. 

HYSSOP, Hyssop officinalis

Hyssop is a drying and slightly warming expectorant which encourages the production of a more liquid mucous while stimulating expectoration. Hyssop can sometimes irritate mucous membranes so it's best given after an accompanying infection has peaked to allow it's tonic action to aid recovery.

Medieval herbalist Hildegard considered hyssop to be an excellent lung cleaner and wrote that chicken should be cooked in hyssop and wine to make a broth for lung complaints.

WHITE HOREHOUND, Marrubium vulgare

A bitter and slightly cooling expectorant that dilates the arteries and helps to ease lung congestion. It also causes the secretion of a more fluid phlegm.

It also helps to relax the muscles in the lungs. It is also mildly sedative and anti-spasmodic helping to calm and ease the coughing.

Other herbs that may be useful for wet, productive coughs are ground ivy, angelica and marjoram. 


WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR

Some signs that a cough has gone beyond being a simple cough are:

• a persistent cough that doesn't respond to anything over the course of a week
• a cough that is very painful
• coughing up blood and/or yellow or green phlegm
• a cough that lasts for three months or more and even several doses of antibiotics won't clear. In this situation, make sure your doctor orders an urgent x-ray as it's one of the first signs of lung cancer. 

I read a post on HubPages and one of the statements on there really struck me as very simple yet sound advice: 

"The number one reason to see a doctor is when your gut feeling says to do so. You know your body better than anyone else and if you feel the need to see a doctor, odds are you truly do."

A new year and a clean start

This last week of the year is a time I love, and a time I drive my family mad! I tend to go into hibernation mode, clean my house from top to bottom, itch to put away the Christmas decorations and launch a major planning initiative. 

It's the time when I plan out the main unit studies and books that we'll study for the coming year (I homeschool my 4 year old daughter), the herbs that I hope to look at in more depth and the improvements I want to make to our day to day lives. I do try to steer clear of setting "resolutions" though as personally, telling myself I have to do something is like an open ticket to do the exact opposite!

So there I am lost in my own little world of calenders, planners, lists and schedules when an emails pops into my inbox from Sarah. Can you imagine my inner organisation freaks joy at seeing the tasks for January?  Let me tell you, it was a happy moment indeed!

I had worried that I wouldn't have that same little buzz of excitement at seeing the new month's tasks as I had last year but luckily it's still well and truly intact. As a self-confessed stationary addict it's a lovely feeling to have tasks to put into my new apprentice folder. I'm also continuing with my Herbal Journal, have a new book ready to decorate for my herbal ally studies and a folder set up with file dividers for each of the herbs on my study list and blank study guides in each section ready. Did I mention I have an addiction? Yes? Oh good! 

It does feel a little strange to be looking at the year two tasks on the list and I'm very grateful for Jackie's amazing work on Moongazing Hare which provides great inspiration! 

My first tasks are as follows:

Find and map all the horse chestnut and cherry trees in a one mile radius from where you live. Gather twigs. 

Remove the bark from the horsechestnut twigs and make a cell wall strengthening salve.

Remove the bark from the cherry twigs and make either a tincture or a cough syrup (or both).

a) Research the structure of human blood cells. How does horsechestnut help to strengthen them?

b) Research different types of cough – wet/cold, hot/dry, spasms, nervous, pharmaceutical side effect. Which herbs would you use for each type of cough and why?

Research and note the meaning of the following terms: expectorant, astringent and bitter.

Collect rosehips and sloes to make a single syrup or combination syrup flavoured either with lemon or spices and/or make a rosehip honey. At the end of the month, source and make a Seville orange bitter 

A look back and a glimpse forward

I’ve been so quiet on the herb front for the past few months. It started with regrettably having to put my apprenticeship on hold and then a series of unfortunate incidents meant that I lacked both the energy and the time to put into my studies, leaving the year very much a tale of two halves.

My first 6 months were a real eye opener and the amount of confidence I gained in such a short amount of time was nothing short of staggering. I not only feel able to treat common ailments (which was one of my original goals) but I’ve also developed a more grounded personality as a result. Herbs are remarkable in their ability to heal but the secondary benefits have proven to be equally breathtaking to me. Hours nurturing seedlings and tending to plants has taught me a valuable lesson about slowing down and living entirely in the present rather than borrowing worries from tomorrow.

The experience of getting together with people who share a passion is something I had previously underestimated in its importance. I was, rather naively, convinced that I could learn everything I needed to from books and internet sites. While I’m sure this is true to an extent, the wealth of information I’ve absorbed by chatting, experimenting and working alongside you all far exceeds what I could have achieved alone.

Which brings me on to stocktaking. It’s been a little while since I looked over my original list of herbs to study and my outlook has changed considerably over the course of the year. Of the herbs I picked to work with, the ones that stand out as having made an impression are plantain, lemon balm, elder, cleavers and calendula. I ended up being introduced to more plants than I knew existed and some of those dearest to me now are ones I never even considered! I had a fairly poor year for growing this year. A few prolonged periods of absence and many times when gardening had to take a low priority took their toll on my young seedlings. My big successes are my lovely weeds. I managed to grow enough to get a nice harvest from lemon balm, feverfew, catnip, chamomile, calendula (thank you Charlie for the seeds! They did wonders) and a lovely William Shakespeare rose that my husband rescued from a sale bin in the garden centre. Sadly I didn’t get to explore my herbal ally as much as I had wanted despite a good start. I'm happy that I now know Elderflower well but seemed to totally miss the window for Elderberries. One to add to the list for next year I think.

I’m reasonably happy with the remedies I’ve managed to put up. The one huge success is my itchy-bitey-stingy salve! I infused oils with calendula, cleavers, plantain and chickweed and then combined them into a salve with some lavender EO. It’s been used successfully by so many people this year including family and work colleges and I have a waiting list of about 10 names who’d like a pot next spring. It’s been used for everything from bites to rashes, cuts to healing burns and sore noses to rough skin!

With the support of the wonderful Sarah Head, I'll pick up my apprentice studies in the new year and start working on my revised herb list and goals ready for then. Oh, and I promise to stay away from pots of soup!

Where there's a will.....

We went down to pick someone up from Gatwick airport on Friday night and stayed in a lovely hotel located in the centre of a busy roundabout. Had some time to kill so we went for a walk into the nearest town. The grass verge that we passed directly outside our hotel was astounding!

In one 4m square area, right beside the main A road to the airport we spotted St Johns wort, meadowsweet, plantain, bramble, cleavers, chickweed, elder, nettles, yellow dock, hawthorne, self heal and horsetail - and they were just the ones I recognised.

Not exactly an unpolluted source but a lovely example of how, even in the midst of construction and development, wild plants will find a way.

Elderflowers everywhere and not yet a drop to drink

Yesterday was a little like Christmas come early for me. I've been searching for elderflower for a few weeks now and other than a few small trees I've not had any luck so I was pretty excited when Steve came home from work to announce he'd spotted a large elder tree laden with flowers in a small unused quarry. One short trip later and that one large tree turned into a whole avenue of elder along side a public footpath, well away from the usual pollution sources I seem to find plants next to!

There must have been 15 trees, all well established and all in flower. Even making sure we didn't over-harvest any one tree and following wild crafting guidelines we still came away with a shopping bag full of creamy elderflowers.

I split the pile into thirds and spent a lovely time sitting on the grass in the sunshine, fingers covered in yeasty pollen, sorting out and persuading bugs to vacate the flowers. I keep hoping to find the time/flowers to make elderflower cordial and elderflower mead but it seems that'll have to wait till another time. I also need to make up a large jar of elderflower tincture but the bank balance didn't stretch to alcohol so that's another one to add to the future project list.

In the end I decided to make a large jar of elderflower vinegar, elderflower delight for a party I'm attending on Sunday, and to put a large quantity up to dry for tea blends.

Elderflower Delight

Recipe from the River Cottage website

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Servings: 60 cubes

Ingredients

20g leaf gelatine (I used two sachets of vege-gel instead)

20 large elderflower sprays

700g granulated sugar

400ml water

130g cornflower

30g icing sugar

juice of 2 lemons

Directions

Soak the gelatine in a shallow dish of cold water to soften. Strip the Elderflower blossom from the stems with a fork and tie them in a piece of muslin to form a bag, leaving a length of string. Put the granulated sugar, lemon juice and 300ml water in a heavy-based saucepan, heat gently until the sugar is dissolved, then leave to cool.

In a bowl, mix 100g of the cornflour with the remaining 100ml water until smooth, then stir into the lemon sugar syrup. Return the saucepan to a low heat. Squeeze the gelatine to remove excess water, then add to the mixture and stir with a balloon whisk until the gelatine has dissolved.

Bring the mixture very slowly to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring almost continuously to prevent the mixture sticking and any volcanic build-up of steam.Suspend the muslin bag of Elderflowers in the mixture and simmer, still stirring, fora further 15 minutes, giving the muslin bag an occasional squeeze with the back ofthe spoon to release the Elderflower fragrance. The mixture will gradually clarify andbecome extremely gloopy. When ready, leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Mix the remaining 30g cornflour with the icing sugar. Line a shallow baking tin, about 20cm square, with baking parchment and dust with a heaped tablespoonful of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture. Remove the muslin bag from the gloopy mixture, then pour it into the baking tin and place in a cool place (but not the fridge) to set.

Now refrigerate for a few hours until it becomes rubbery. Cut the Elderflower Delight into cubes with a knife or scissors and dust with the remaining icing sugar and cornflour.

May summary and June goals

I can't quite believe it's the end of the month again and the year is once again flying by. I'm going to be away from the computer until the start of next month now so it seemed like a good time to pass on my May summary.

Harvested this month:

Calendula - flowers. Double infused in almond oil and then added to plantain and chickweed oils to make a large pot of salve for bruises, rashes, bites and scrapes.

Hawthorne - flowers and leaves. Tinctured in vodka. Once the berries are ripe later in the year I'll tincture those in the spring tincture to make a well-rounded heart remedy.

Cleavers - all aerial parts. Put to dry for teas and tinctured in vodka. Both for use as a lymphatic remedy.

Elder - flowers. So far I've dried a large bunch for part of a fever tea mix but hopefully I'll be able to find some more for tinctures, vinegars, honeys and other recipes and remedies.

Plantain - all aerial parts. As mentioned earlier, a lot of the double infused oil went into making a salve mix. I've also chopped a pile of fresh plantain and mixed with a little bit of water to make a kind of slurry. I've frozen this in an ice cube tray to keep handy for burns. I tend to use a mix of both ribwort and greater plantain as I have both growing in my harvest area and the properties are similar or identical depending on which source you read.

Dog Rose - petals and leaves. I've started off a rose petal elixir although I need to find another source of flowers to complete it.

I also put up a couple of chilli and garlic oils to infuse. The chilli will be used to make a salve for aching muscles and cold hands and feet. I'm going to turn the garlic oil into a salve for chest infections. I know it's best to use fresh garlic as a poultice but I'm hoping this is a compromise my husband will be happy to use!

Learning goals:

Sarah Head's apprentice tasks: I'm pleased I managed to complete or start all the practical tasks this month. Unfortunately I missed this months workshop due to prior commitments but I'm looking forward to June's - even if the menopause is a subject that hopefully I won't need to be familiar with for a few years yet! I have started the theory task, which is to study the reproductive system, but am not even close to finishing it yet - one to carry over to next month.

Kristine Brown's Herbal Ally Challenge: Now that Elder, my ally for this year, is starting to come into flower I'm able to revisit the earlier challenges and take part which is really quite exciting. Over the weekend I hope to collect enough Elderflower to make a vinegar and a tincture as well as having a quantity of dried flowers for the infusion challenge. I'm finding this much more achievable now that the challenges are less frequent and really appreciate the work Kristine's putting in.

Learning your Plants course: I was starting to fall behind on this but luckily I was able to miss the cashew family out as it's not relevant to where I live. This month I looked at the identifying features and medicinal properties of the parsley and the rose family. I love the fact that every time I complete a module I can identify so much more when looking at a hedgerow.

My herb of the month was Lemon Balm. I made a tincture and a vinegar, used it in facial steams, dried some for adding to a fever and a headache tea mix, added a whole pile to a rather whiffy plantain oil (I used olive oil and didn't enjoy the smell of "cooking" that lingered), and ate it in salads. I aim to fill in a set of worksheets for each herb and set up a folder to help organise my research.

We also renovated the front garden this month and replaced several ailing shrubs with a lovely thyme, hyssop and lavender hedge which will hopefully be pretty, useful and scented when it matures. I also bought a beautiful William Shakespeare rose from David Austin roses to go in the circle in the centre of the lawn.

June's aims:

• to attend Sarah's workshop and complete the apprentice tasks, including catching up with May's theory task.
• to complete Herbal Ally Challenges 2 (infusions), 5 (Vinegars), and 6 (tinctures).
• to study the daisy family and learn it's identifying features.
• to harvest yarrow, agrimony, calendula, cleavers, white deadnettle, lemon balm, peppermint, catnip, nettle, heartsease and hopefully find meadowsweet.

My herb of the month will be plantain as it's healthy and abundant here at the moment.

Hope you all have a fun, happy and productive month!

Stocking the medicine cupboard

I can't quite grasp where May has gone this year! It seems like no time at all since the start of the month and yet here we are, already half way through. It's been a busy few weeks here with holidays, courses and jobs and it's certainly been a case of trying to carve out time to look at herbs rather than being surrounded by them. The May apprentice tasks came through at the end of last week and up until now I've only managed to take a quick glance before dashing off again but with a few hours free this morning it's been nice to get up to speed with the jobs to do over the next fortnight.

The first part of the practical task is:

Now is the time to start thinking about what you may need both for the coming summer and winter. Which conditions may you need to treat? What would be good to make just for the fun of it? Which herbs to you need to dry, which oils should you be making, which flower waters, tinctures or vinegars can you make fresh now?

It's come at a rather nice time really as it fits in with what I've been looking at for the last couple of weeks on and off - the process of making a functional herbal first aid kit. I've grown to realise that in most cases there is no definitive answer as to which herb treats which complaint and so much comes down to availability and personal preferences. Because of this, the list I ended up with is very much based on what I have to hand, what fits our circumstances and what I know about. It's not comprehensive and sure doesn't cover everything but I hope it will allow me to have the remedies to hand to be able to treat some common problems without having to resort to pharmaceuticals.

I've sorted my "want list" by ailment and though about what I will realistically use. I've also tended towards tinctures for convenience when travelling. So here's my list of remedies I'd like to end up with in my kit by the end of the year.

Hawkins Herbal First Aid Kit

Cold and flu

A tea mix of yarrow, peppermint, elderflower and lemonbalm.

Elderflower, rosehip and peppermint tea mix (mainly for the tiny one)

Fire cider vinegar

Elderberry elixir

Echinacea tincture

Dried boneset for tea

I'd also quite like to make a elderberry, bergamot and thyme honey to make into an oxymel with a lemonbalm vinegar.

Hayfever

An elderflower, plantain, chamomile and nettle mix (either as a tea mix or more likely as a tincture mix for convenience)

Infused nettle honey

Asthma symptoms / chest infections

Garlic (1 clove, chopped up small and swallowed with some water - don't do on an empty stomach though)

Dried chamomile for steams

A tincture or tea mix of hyssop, borage and thyme.

Bites and stings

I've made sure that we have plantain growing in the garden for fresh spit poutices but I'm also considering freezing chopped fresh plantain, made into a slurry with water.

A salve made of calendula and plantain

A red clover tincture to be taken internally for multiple bites/stings

I also want to make up a batch of yarrow and lemonbalm insect repellent.

Headaches

Possible tinctures to add to a headache mix (it will depend on what I can find growing) are skullcap, valerian, meadowsweet, willow bark, rose, lovage and cramp bark.

Dried chamomile, feverfew and lemonbalm for teas.

Cuts, scrapes, bruises, sprains and muscle pains

Plantain and ginger salve specifically for aches and bruises

Plantain, comfrey, chickweed and calendula salve

Ginger and chilli salve

Meadowsweet tincture to be taken internally for pain

Yarrow tincture in a spray bottle

Black tea (Camilla sinensis) bags to stop bleeding

Calendula wash

Minor burns

Lavendula officinalis essential oil (to be applied directly to the burn)

St Johns wort and comfrey salve with lavender EO (herb infused in sunflower oil and using shea butter to set - both have natural SPF) - use once the burn has cooled

Aloe vera gel

Echinacea tincture wash

Nausea, vomitting and stomachaches

Poor digestion - chamomile tea, dandelion tincture

Trapped gas - fennel and catnip tincture

Motion and morning sickness - crystallized ginger

Heartburn - chamomile, marshmallow, meadowsweet and licorice tincture mix

Stomach flu-type illness - lemonbalm tincture

Constipation

Yellow dock root tincture

Linseed water

Dandelion leaf/root tincture

violet syrup (for the tiny one)

Diarrhoea

Bramble root decoction tinctured in brandy

Raspberry or blackberry leaves as an infusion

Cinnamon in hot water

Self heal tincture

Stress/anxiety:

Tinctures: Valerian, skullcap, hops, lemon balm, motherwort

Rosemary EO spray for rooms and upholstry

Food poisoning:

Elderflower, thyme and yarrow tincture

Wormwood tincture (especially for parasites)

Coughs:

Elderberry and elecampane syrup (for productive, chesty, phlegm-producing coughs)

Hyssop, thyme, rosemary, plantain and lemon balm syrup/tincture/tea mix

I also want to try making some herbal cough sweets but I'm still playing with recipes at the moment.

Menstrual problems:

White deadnettle tea

Crampbark and pennyroyal tea/tincture

Evening primrose tincture

Tonsillitis:

Cleavers tincture

Chamomile and ground ivy tea

Sunburn:

Rose, elderflower, chickweed or plantain vinegar wash

Rose and elderflower salve (once cooled)

I'd also like to have the following on hand:

Clove tincture for toothaches

Plantain salve for drawing

Yarrow tincture spray for nosebleeds

Grapefruit seed extract as an antibiotic

Tea Tree oil for its anti-fungal properties

Lemon balm lipsalve for cold sores

Garlic oil for earaches

Bear in mind I'm still very much a beginner so please check any of the above remedies for accuracy yourself before using - oh, and let me know if I got it wrong!! :)