Tag: Elderberry

Elderberry tea has antioxidant properties and can strengthen your immune system. It helps you fight the flu and cold and may ease constipation, pain, and depression. It’s also good for your heart as it can counter HDL dysfunction and help manage your blood sugar levels.

Winter is the season of cold winds, snow, and the flu. Are flu shots your only way out? Not really. This winter, take the natural route and choose these flu shot alternatives. Certain plants and herbs can act as preventive measures and fight the virus, treat the symptoms if you're already sick, and boost your immune function. Be sure you include these foods in your regular diet to keep the flu at bay.

To protect yourself from the flu, focus on the gut. Clostridium orbiscindens – a good bacterium – breaks down flavonoids creating metabolites that enhance antiviral ability, so eat a flavonoid-rich diet. Citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit and berries like blackberries and elderberries are top choices. Dark chocolate, red cabbage, and chickpeas are also high in flavonoids. Black or green tea will also help, even if you already have the flu.

Elderberries are natural remedies that can help boost your antioxidant levels, stimulate the immune system, regulate blood sugar levels. They also work as a natural diuretic and can even help keep blood pressure down. Elderberries may even have the potential to battle cancer. You can eat the ripe berries or have them cooked. Just don't eat them raw, though, as unripe elderberries can be toxic.

An herbal tincture is a concentrated liquid made with herbs, alcohol, and water. They’re easier to take than pills, and need little to no prep time unlike herbal teas. Tinctures are don’t have mysterious chemicals. Examples of useful herbal tinctures include elderberry for immunity, holy basil and ashwagandha for stress, skullcap for insomnia, and ginger for nausea. Always talk to a doctor before taking herbal tinctures.

Foods labeled as healthy may not always be so. A classic case is diet soda that can cause kidney problems and depression. Rhubarb leaves and elderberries can cause digestive problems like diarrhea and nutrient deficiencies. Not far behind is grilled meat that can expose you to toxic PAHs. Mercury in fish is becoming a major concern with pollution not taking a step back.

In a world that is slowly going back to nature and consuming its foods in all its raw glory, or if you're experimenting with...

There are more than 400 different viruses that can cause infections, including the common cold, the flu, hepatitis, mononucleosis and HIV. Many people choose...