Winter Wellness

Although we have been enjoying unusually mild temperatures on Cape Cod this Fall, there seems to be no shortage of three and four week long colds and flu cropping up already. Winter is the season for colds, flu, bronchitis, allergies and seasonal affective disorder. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can arm yourself against opportunistic microbes and moods.

First you can increase your resistance to illness by strengthening your immune system. A diet rich in organic foods and low in refined sugars and carbohydrates is essential. Stews are a great and relatively inexpensive way to get immune boosting nourishment into your body. Try this recipe.

Immunity Stew

2-6 raw Beef bones (ask at the deli or butcher for marrow bones) or a cooked chicken carcass after you have picked off most of the meat. (Bones can be rubbed with oil and spices- garlic, rosemary, curry- and slow roasted for an hour with some vegetables to enhance the flavor of the stew or they can be browned with the onions and garlic in the pot.)

Saute 5 minutes in a little oil, butter or ghee
Bones (unless already roasted)
2-10 sprigs parsley
2 onions
1 head garlic
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Slice and add (saute another 10 minutes)
4 carrots
4 parsnips
3 yellow beets
3 delicata squash
any other root vegetable- winter squash, yams, beets, burdock (gobo) root.

Season with celtic salt (or sea salt), pepper, parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic, chipotle peppers, cayenne, curry powder , nutritional yeast, kelp etc.

Add 1-4 quarts of water, roasted bones and vegetables, and for extra immune boosting power 6-10 Codonopsis sticks, 4-8 Astragalus sticks, Shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried), Maitake mushrooms (fresh or dried), dried Kelp pieces. Simmer for 2-6 hours adding any tender vegetables in the last 15-30 minutes of cooking. Astragalus sticks will remain hard and can not be eaten but the medicinal properties will have been extracted by the simmering. If the stock is too thin you can beef it up by adding a bit of Bragg's amino acids, tamari, good quality bouillon (try to find one without MSG) or some Vegemite or Marmite. (Popularized in this country by the Men at Work song 'Down Under', Vegemite is an extract of yeast with some spices added to it that looks a lot more like an ointment than a food. Notwithstanding, it makes an excellent addition to soups and gravies as a supplier of that sometimes elusive base note- a note I find especially elusive when cooking vegetarian. Marmite is a similar product which can be used in the same way. Add by the teaspoon to taste.)

Secret Immune Enhancer
A concentrated elixir can be made by simmering any combination of the following -Astragalus, Codonopsis, Maitake, Shiitake, Chaga in water until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 the original. Astragalus and Chaga must be strained out. Freeze in ice cube trays and add to soups, stews, gravies and rice cooking water to lend extra immune boosting power to all your winter meals.

Immune boosting herbs can also be ingested in the form of teas or tinctures (alcohol and water extracts).  Herbs such as Astragalus, Siberian Ginseng, Licorice, Schizandra, Chinese Wax Leaf Privet and Pau D' Arco make up our Deep Immune Booster formula.  Most of us have heard about using Echinacea to get over our illnesses more quickly and to ward them off at the beginning but these herbs can be taken daily as a tonic tea or tincture to increase the strength of the deep immune system and help us get sick less often.

Medicinal Mushrooms may also be incorporated into an immune building regimen. Commonly available mushrooms such as Shiitake and Maitake are potent immune strengthening allies which also exhibit anticancer properties. Incorporate them into your cooking as often as possible or try them in tincture or capsule form. We combine Shiitake, Maitake, Reishi and Chaga mushrooms to form our Shroomer Zoomer immune tonic.

Essential oils can also be extremely helpful in reducing the number of cold and flu bacteria in your environment.  During the Plague years, the death rate was much lower in areas of France where Lavender was grown as well as among people who had jobs which exposed them constantly to essential oils. When showering, drip a few drops of Eucalyptus, Tea Tree or Lavender essential oil on the floor of your shower so that you will inhale these potent essential oils while bathing.  If you have a wood stove, keep a pot of water on at all times and throw a few drops of your favorite anti-microbial essential oil to diffuse into the air. Lavender, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Bergamot, Sweet Orange, Thyme, Rosemary or Eucalyptus are a few good choices.

Now when it's just too late and you can feel it coming on, try large doses of Echinacea in either tea (a cup every hour) or tincture form (1/2- 1 teaspoon loading dose followed by 1/4 teaspoon every two hours.) Large and frequent doses of Vitamin C are also often helpful. Try to avoid sugar in all forms and get extra protein.  Osha root is another fabulous herb for heading off colds and flu in the early stages. Osha is anti-viral, antibacterial and warming to the lungs. It is the first herb I reach for when I detect the first scratchy or raw hints of an approaching throat infection. Osha numbs the throat and can bring about sweating to help eliminate toxins. Chew a small piece of Osha root a few times and keep it stuck between the cheek and gum all day, chewing to renew the (distinctive) flavor as necessary. If the idea of chewing on roots is a little too primitive for your taste, you can opt for taking small doses of the Osha tincture (15-30 drops) every hour or two until symptoms subside and then take 30 drops 3x a day for a couple of days as a maintenance dose.

Echinacea in combination with any of the herbs which contain high amounts of berberines (a substance which lends a distinctive yellow color) such as Goldenseal, Oregon Grape root and Barberry are helpful for dealing with colds and flu. Try an Echinacea Goldenroot combination to ward off colds in the early stages and to shorten the duration and severity of them should you catch one.

Winter Blues
If the lack of light and the arctic winds make you wish you could crawl in a hole with a hot fudge sundae and a pile of books until April (I swear, I am DOING that one of these years) try some herbal mood elevators and adaptogens. Adaptogens help the body adapt in times of stress.  Siberian Ginseng (also called Eleuthero) is a premier adaptogen and one of my favorite herbs for easing mild to fairly serious winter depression.  St. Johnswort is another old standby which works very well for MILD to MODERATE depression in some people.  As always, different herbs affect different people differently at different times, so if something isn't working for you, try something else.  Melissa officinalis, also known as the lovely Lemon Balm, is another herb to reach for in these dark times. Dubbed 'the cheery herb' a tincture or tea of Lemon Balm can gently elevate the mood while easing stress and anxiety. Lemon Balm is pleasant tasting and mild enough to give to children.
We combine St. Johnswort, Lemon Balm, Kava Kava, Wood Betony, California Poppy, Vanilla extract and glycerin to create our mood elixir -Blue Mood Adieu.

So when it's February and in desperation you crank the heat up to 90, drag a banana plant into the bathroom and hang a hammock over the steaming tub where you lie, sweating, sipping lemonade and thumbing longingly through seed catalogues- take heart! Herbs CAN help you get through the winter.

Brew some tea. Make some stew. Reread the Lord of the Rings trilogy, some Carson McCullers if you've never read her, or P.G. Wodehouse if you need something light , and hang in there- spring is coming.

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