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Herbal Recipes for Preventing and Addressing Upper

Respiratory Infections

by Rosalee de la Forêt 2

Text by Rosalee de la Forêt.

Illustrations by Tatiana Rusakova

©2020 Rosalee de la Forêt, LLC. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.

The and information in this ebook is for educational purposes only. The information within the ebook is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other medical professional. If you have or suspect that you have a serious health problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Always consult with a health care practitioner before using any herbal remedy or food, especially if pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.

Published by Rosalee de la Forȇt, LLC, Methow Valley, WA

First digital edition, March 2020. Published in the U.S.A 3

Astragalus Immune-Building Chai 4 Strong Elderberry Tea 5 Parsley & Garlic Gremolata 6 Garlic-Infused Honey 7 Kid’s Immune Support Tea 8 Elderflower and Yarrow Tea 9 Strong Tea 10 Cayenne Tea 11 Healthy Lungs Tea 12 Looking for herbs? 13 About Rosalee 14 4

Astragalus Immune-Building Chai

I drink a version of this throughout the winter months and attribute it to my good health. It’s spicy, sweet, delicious and is best when taken daily for an extended period of time.

Ingredients

30 grams dried Astragalus root (A. propinquus) 30 grams dried codonopsis root (Codonopsis pilosula) 6 slices dried reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) 2 grams cinnamon 1 gram dried 3 cloves 20 ounces water

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30-60 minutes. (You can also put this in a crockpot overnight).

Strain. Drink throughout the day. This makes two servings; both servings can be drunk in a day. 5

Delicious Astragalus Immune-Support Tea

This beverage is a tasty way to provide deep nourishment, soothe your nervous system and broadly support your immune system. Kids especially love this recipe. For best results, enjoy regularly.

Yield: 4 cups

15 grams dried astragalus (or small handful of sliced roots) (Astragalus propinquus) 10 grams dried oatstraw (1/3 cup finely sifed) (Avena sativa) 10 grams dried de-seeded rosehips (1 tablespoon) (Rosa spp.) 10 grams dried roasted dandelion root (1 tablespoon) (Taraxacum officinale) 3 grams dried cinnamon chips or one stick broken into pieces (Cinnamomum spp.) 4 cups water 1 cup apple juice

Place the herbs and water into a medium-sized sauce pan.

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

Turn off the heat and add the apple juice. Let stand five minutes.

Strain.

Drink warm or cold as desired. (I prefer warm!) Drink within 48 hours. 6

Sweet Elderberry Tea

Well known for their ability to ward off a cold or flu at the onset, elderberries can also be used as a way to prevent getting sick. Building and nourishing herbs that can modulate or broadly support the immune system are ofen classified as sweet herbs. These herbs don’t taste sweet like sugar or honey, but they do have a hint of sweetness to them, ofen indicating that they contain polysaccharides, which are known to benefit the immune system.

This recipe features a favorite sweet herb known for its ability to keep people healthy during the cold and flu season: Astragalus (Astragalus propinquus). Astragalus comes in many shapes and sizes, from long thin roots to chopped rounded roots. As a result, it is most accurate to measure astragalus by weight for the tea. On the other hand, it’s hard to take too much astragalus as it is a high dosage herb, so measuring by the handful is also acceptable. The demulcent marshmallow root () also has a sweet taste and gives the tea a thicker consistency, perfect if you live in a dry and arid climate or spend a lot of time in heated buildings in the winter.

If not available, you can omit the Astragalus from this recipe.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried elderberries (30 grams) 20 grams dried astragalus root (small handful) 1 tablespoon dried marshmallow root (4 grams) 14 ounces water honey or other sweetener as desired

Place the herbs and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain. Add honey or other sweetener as desired.

Drink throughout the day. 7

Parsley & Garlic Gremolata

Gremolata is an Italian preparation that is very similar to pesto. However, instead of putting the ingredients in a blender to puree until smooth, you finely mince everything in a coarse texture. The result is an explosion of flavor that is delicious on meats and vegetables alike. This is a wonderful way to enjoy lots of raw garlic daily! It’s super simple to make and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley 3 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon salt (I prefer Maldon or another flaky salt for this)

Finely mince the parsley leaves (I use some stems if they are young and flexible) and add them to a small bowl.

Finely mince the garlic cloves and add them to the parsley.

Zest the lemons and add it to the parsley and garlic. Mix well and taste. Does it need more lemon? Garlic?

Add salt and taste again. Adjust to your preference. Enjoy within the day.

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Garlic-Infused Honey

Honey is a tasty and powerful medicine all on its own. In fact, researchers have shown a spoonful of honey to be better at stopping a cough than standard OTC medicines.1 When we add the wonders of honey with medicinal herbs, we have quite the pairing!

Practically any fresh herb can be infused in honey. Honey is hydrophilic, which means that it pulls the water out from the fresh herbs. What you’ll notice is that in a day or two the infused honey mixture transforms into a thinner liquid, more like a syrup.

I especially love garlic-infused honey. The sharp and pungent taste of garlic enlivens the sweetness of the syrup. I reach for this mixture for a congested cough as well as a sore throat.

Look for local raw honey for this recipe. If your honey has crystallized, then heat it very gently in a warm water bath in order to get it to a liquid state.

Note: Honey should not be consumed by children under the age of two or used in excess if you have a metabolic disorder such as insulin resistance or diabetes.

Ingredients about 5 garlic cloves raw honey

Roughly chop the garlic cloves and let them stand for 15 minutes.

Place them in an 4-ounce glass jar; ideally the jar is 3/4 full with the garlic.

Next, fill the jar with honey. Stir well. Add more honey if necessary.

The honey will taste like garlic in as little as 2-3 days. You can strain the garlic if desired, or keep it in the honey and eat it along with it.

This will keep indefinitely; however, the honey may crystallize over time. If this happens, you can reheat the honey in a double boiler.

1 Goldman, Ran D. “Honey for Treatment of Cough in Children.” Canadian Family Physician 60, no. 12 (December 2014): 1107–10. 9

Kid’s Immune-Support Tea

This is a delicious blend of immune-supporting herbs to keep your whole family healthy. It can be enjoyed as a way to prevent illness or served freely at the first signs of a cold. This recipe makes 1-4 servings, depending on the age/size/sensitivity of the child. Serve in small amounts and let them decide how much is enough. Children under the age of two should not consume honey.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried elderflowers (Sambucus nigra, S. cerulea) 1 teaspoon dried elderberries (Sambucus nigra, S. cerulea) 1/2 teaspoon dried (Melissa officinale) 1/8 teaspoon dried ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Steep the herbs in 10 ounces of water, covered, for 10 minutes.

Strain. Add honey or other sweetener if desired. 10

Elderflower and Yarrow Tea

This recipe comes from my book, co-authored with Emily Han, Wild Remedies.

This is our version of a very old Western herbal formula for colds and flu. It’s effective for relieving general discomfort, but gentle enough for most people and even children. Both elderflowers and yarrow are relaxing diaphoretics, making this blend especially well suited for people with fevers who feel hot and restless. For best results, sip this frequently over the course of an hour or so, rather than all at once. Putting it in a small thermos will keep it warm.

Peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, or even bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) are wonderful mints to use in this blend. This is a strong-tasting tea. If you have a sensitive palate, you might want to start with less yarrow or steep it for less time.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried yarrow leaves and flowers 1/4 cup dried elderflowers 2 tablespoons dried rose hips, cut and sifed, or 1/4 cup dried whole rose hips Big pinch of dried mint, any type 2 cups water Honey, to taste (optional)

Place all of the herbs in a pint jar.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Pour the water over the herbs, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.

Strain. Add honey to taste, if desired.

Sip while warm. 11

Strong Chamomile Tea

This variation of chamomile tea is much stronger in action than a simple chamomile tea made with tea bags. I use this recipe when someone is experiencing a lot of spasmodic pain such as back pain or menstrual cramps. I ofen recommend this when there is a fever accompanied by aches, pains and a headache. You’ll notice that this tea has a strong bitter taste, but you’ll also notice that you can really feel its relaxing and pain-relieving properties.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (10 grams) dried chamomile flowers (Matricaria chamomilla) 16 ounces of water

Steep the chamomile flowers in 16 ounces of hot water. Steep, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Strain and drink slowly while warm

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Cayenne Tea

Get ready to sweat! Cayenne is an incredibly diffusive herb that almost immediately pushes fluids out of the skin, hence sweating! Taking a hot cayenne tea (or hot ginger tea) is one of the first things I do when I feel a cold or flu coming on. Not only does this speed the healing process and shorten the duration of a cold or flu, it also feels really good on the throat (ironically).

The first time I made cayenne tea... well, it wasn’t pretty. Don’t do what I did and try to make this with a tablespoon of cayenne powder. Holy smokes! If you have really potent cayenne powder, then start with just an 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon. If you can handle that well, then slowly increase the amount. The hotter the better, but you will get nauseous if you drink something that is too strong for your tummy. My last advice is to sip this slowly. Again, it can upset the belly if it is drunk too fast.

Ingredients

1/4 tsp cayenne powder (or more or less) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tsp of honey (or to taste) 8 ounces of hot water

Place the cayenne powder in a cup. Pour the just-boiled water over it. Stir.

Add the lemon juice and honey. Stir. Sip slowly once it has cooled. The hotter you drink this the better. 13

Healthy Lungs Tea

This recipe comes from my book, co-authored with Emily Han, Wild Remedies.

This blend offers soothing relief for the respiratory system and is perfect for when you have dry, irritated lungs that may be accompanied with spasmodic coughing. We like this blend when we are recovering from a cold or flu or when we’ve been exposed to air pathogens like wildfire smoke. For best results, drink throughout the day.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (10 grams) finely crumbled dried mullein leaves (Verbascum thapsus) 2 tablespoons (4 grams) finely crumbled dried plantain leaves (Plantago spp.) 2 tablespoons (4 grams) finely crumbled dried mallow leaves (Malva neglecta) 2 tablespoons cut and sifed dried rose hips, or 1/4 cup whole dried rose hips 2 teaspoons dried mint or tulsi leaves 3 cups water

Place all of the herbs in a quart jar (or quart-sized tea press).

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Pour the water over the herbs, stir well, and cover. Infuse for 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

Strain well, using a coffee filter or a couple of layers of cheesecloth to avoid the small, irritating hairs of the mullein leaf.

Drink within 24 hours. 14

Looking for herbs?

Here’s some ways to find high quality herbs.

1. Search for herbal apothecaries near you. Grocery stores will carry common spices like fresh garlic and ginger.

2. Visit my listing of herb farms and wildcrafers within the US and Canada to find fresh herbs near you.

3. Visit Mountain Rose Herbs, an online apothecary that sells high quality organic herbs. They are my first choice for herbs I’m not able to find near me. 15 16

About Rosalee

Rosalee de la Forêt is passionate about helping you explore the world of herbalism and nature connection. She is the Education Director at LearningHerbs and a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild. Rosalee is the author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal as well as Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craf Your Own (co-authored with Emily Han).

You can learn more with Rosalee through her online courses The Taste of Herbs, Herbal Cold Care, and Apothecary: The Alchemy of Herbs Video Companion.

Get more herbal recipes and exclusive herbal trainings at

HerbsWithRosalee.com