8 Natural Health Remedies You Need in Your Home

I want you to know first and foremost how powerful the nutrients and herbs below are going to be for your families health. I am a firm believer (and passionate about) that natural ways are superior to conventional or medical ways to build health. Viruses, bacteria, colds, cuts, wounds and insect bites happen throughout our days. It’s important to know what to use to fight off those microbes and infections and get your body healing again. I have outlined and explained 9 of my favorite items I have around the house that help your body back to wellness . If you have these, you will be ready and prepared to tackle lots of things that come your way! These products, supplements and herbs are how I keep my family and patients healthy!

Activated Charcoal

Activated Charcoal is a binder. It binds toxins, chemicals and poisons. You may know about activated charcoal because they often use it in emergency situations to get toxins out of the body quickly (You know it as pumping the stomach). Activated charcoal can help with GI toxicity or can be use topically for wound healing. If you have leaky gut, activated charcoal can be something you use on a regular basis to bind toxins and prevent them getting into the blood stream. When toxins and foods get into the blood stream, symptoms occur. One of the biggest ones being brain fog and fatigue. 

If you are killing of candida or bacteria in the gut and are having a kill-off reaction, activated charcoal is perfect for binding those toxins. In some people, activated charcoal can help with constipation. But, on the flip side, others can become more constipated from taking it. It that happens to you, just take magnesium or vitamin C in higher doses to get the bowels moving. One warning with activated charcoal is that it is so good at binding, you need to take it 1 hour away from food, supplements or medications. It will actually bind the nutrients and not allow your body to absorb them. When I take activated charcoal I take it at night before bed because I know I will have an empty stomach. I will take 2-4 capsules. If I need more toxin binding I will take it 2x/day. Also, you can use it for wound healing by mixing activated charcoal with 3 parts salve or coconut oil and 1 part activated charcoal (empty a capsule). Here is an article full of precautions when using activated charcoal.

Vitamin C

We all know that Vitamin C strengthens the immune system. But did you know that vitamin C’s benefits go way beyond only the immune system? Vitamin C helps in detoxification, can clear out bacteria and viruses from the gut, destroys free radicals and much more. All animals can make their own vitamin C except for humans. That is why we need to consume vitamin C on a daily basis in the form of fruits and veggies. But there are often times when supplementing vitamin C is necessary. At the first sign of a cold, start taking vitamin C. I would even recommend taking more vitamin C in times of greater stress (more C is used in our body in stressful times). Everyone has their own tolerance to vitamin C, but I suggest taking 2,000- 8,000 mg per day. If you take too much, you will know because it will cause diarrhea. Speaking of diarrhea, you can also use vitamin C to do a vitamin C flush. It is great for constipation and clearing out pathogens in the gut. A vitamin C flush also helps in flooding the tissues with vitamin C, which in turn floods the body with healing. To perform a vitamin C flush you will take a heaping teaspoon of vitamin C (buffered ascorbic acid) every 30-45 minutes until you “flush”. It’s as simple as that. 

Usnea Lichen

Usnea Lichen is something that grows hanging on tree branches. It looks a lot like moss. It’s also called Old Man’s Beard. It grows all over the world and is a mixture between a fungi and algae. Usnea Lichen is a powerful anti-bacterial. It can be used as a natural antibiotic for all kinds of thing. It has been used for over 1600 years, way before antibiotics were invented. It can help with:

• Bladder infections
• Kidney infections
• Strep infections
• Skin rashes and wounds

It also strengthens the immune system. It comes into a liquid tincture you take orally. My favorite way to take it is 2 dropperfuls 2x/day for adults (at least 1/2 that dose for kids). You can dilute it in a little bit of water to make it easier to take. You can also mix it with shea butter or coconut oil to apply topically. Just be careful not to come in contact with the eyes.

Colloidal Silver

I use colloidal silver often in my home. Ionic silver is silver ions suspended in filtered water and is clear in color. It is an anti-viral and antibacterial. It’s a powerful antibacterial! Colloidal silver can be taken orally and applied topically. You may be wondering, how do I use it?

• You can put it on a burn, cut, scrape or wound to prevent infection
• You can take it internally at the first sign of a cold
• You can put a drop in each eye 1-2x per day to fight pink eye or a stye (don’t use in eye for more than 7 days)
• Fights the flu
• Better than antibiotics (and it’s much safer too)

Colloidal silver never expires! And the most potent silver contains the smallest particle size. And I want to be clear that it is very safe to use and can be used on a daily basis. I don’t personally use it daily, but you can. My favorite brand is Sovereign Silver and it can be bought with a dropper top, spray or screw top. My favorite is the eye dropper one because I think it’s the most versatile. 

Calendula

Calendula is an herb, which comes from the marigold flower. I use Calendula in creams, gels and salves. It is used to disinfect minor wounds and infections of theskin. It has antibacterial properties and stimulates the immune system. It is very helpful in healing slow-healing wounds and it actually stimulates the production of collagen which will reduce or prevent scarring. You can think of it as a replacement for conventional first aid antibacterial ointments. You can also use calendula for diaper rashes, chapped lips or hands and with other skin irritations. You can also use if for animals. I have put it on my dog when she had a cyst open up and when her paws froze in the snow.

Schisandra Berry

Schisandra Berry is  mainly grown in China and is commonly used in Chinese Medicine.  Schisandra Berry is anti-inflammatory, supports the adrenals (it’s an adaptogen) and my favorite benefit is that it stimulates the immune system an fights viruses. It comes in a liquid and I take it to fight off a virus. I do approximately 2 dropperfuls 2x/day (adult dose). It doesn’t taste the best so I dilute it in a little bit of water to make it easier to take.

Herbal Oil of Oregano

My oh my Oregano. Oregano holds a special place in my heart! I recommend it specifically for the lungs. Aromatic oils can help when a cold and virus move into the lungs and you have drainage sit in the lungs. That drainage (made up of fungus or bacteria) can lead to bronchitis, bronchial congestion, a lung infection or pneumonia.  Oregano is a very powerful herb and has strong properties supporting a healthy immune system response and lung response. I encourage the use of Oregano for a very small amount of time, 1-4 days. If you take it for longer it has the ability to disrupt the balance of the microbiome in the gut.  

The best way to use Oil of Oregano is to ingest it or apply it topically. I recommend an herbal tincture of Oregano oil at your local coop. This is not an essential oil, though it has “oil” in the name. You can add 1-2 the drops to an empty capsule and fill the rest with an oil like olive oil of fractionated coconut oil. You can also float a couple of drops in a little bit of water. Oregano, in supplement form, is not recommended for pregnant women or small children. 

Garlic

Garlic is great for cooking. But is also carries many health benefits. Garlic is a powerful anti-microbial (known to kill H. Pylori), antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and can boost the immune system. Garlic is known to kick out a cold faster than any medication. You can take garlic in many forms. If you are using cloves of garlic you want to consume it raw. You can add it to your green juices or just eat a smashed clove raw (if you’re really brave!). You can also take garlic in capsule form to get the benefit of many cloves (sometimes up to 100) in one capsule. Garlic cloves are also useful in healing yeast infections and skin irritations. I have even seen it used in pregnant women trying to fight Strep B naturally (and have effectively killed it off pre-birth. Do you know what that means, no antibiotics).

 

Resources

activated charcoal

Looking for online definition of activated charcoal in the Medical Dictionary? activated charcoal explanation free. What is activated charcoal? Meaning of activated charcoal medical term. What does activated charcoal mean?

http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=schizandrae.asp&title=Schisandra

Schisandra chinensis – Wikipedia

Schisandra chinensis , whose fruit is called magnolia berry or five-flavor fruit ( Chinese: ; pinyin: , in Korean: 오미자, omija , Japanese: ゴミシ, USDA Zone 4. The fruits are red berries in dense clusters around 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long.gomishi ), is a vine plant native to forests of Northern China, the Russian Far East and Korea.

The health benefits of vitamin C go well beyond a stronger immune system

The health benefits of vitamin C go well beyond a stronger immune system

http://www.beyondhealthnews.com/wpnews/index.php/2012/08/the-vitamin-c-flush-a-critical-weapon-in-the-fight-for-health/

Ten ways to use colloidal silver’s amazing healing abilities

Ten ways to use colloidal silver’s amazing healing abilities

http://purehomeandbody.com/essential-oils-2/single-and-blended-essential-oils/symptoms/colds-and-flu/oregano-essential-oil-a-natural-antibiotic/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/23/garlic-health-benefits.aspx