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ECHINACEA (Photo: Ben Friday) |
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"I never leave home without my Echinacea tincture..."
Seriously, it comes with me on every journey/adventure; it's an integral part of my first aid kit. Here's just a few ways you can use the liquid form of this remarkable herb.
Picture this:
You've just finished riding the rapids, surfing that big break, or snowboarding that impossible ridge...and when the adrenaline starts to wear off you feel the pain setting in. You've knocked chunks of skin off yourself--grazes everywhere! Prevent infection and help yourself heal faster by swabbing your wounds with one teaspoon of Echinacea tincture in 1/4 glass of water.
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JILL SIMONSEN is a qualified naturopath and medical herbalist with a love of life, a passion for travel, and a reverence for nature. She believes in stimulating the body's innate capacity to heal itself via a range of natural therapies, including optimal nutrition, energizing exercise and herbal medicine. Through her freelance writing she hopes to lovingly guide others towards a healthier lifestyle. Jill has a private practice in Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand. |
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You've journeyed for days to a spot where you hope to get your next big rush...but your insides are rumbling, you desperately need to find a bathroom--and it's not the kind of rush you had in mind! You really wish you hadn't eaten that seafood from a roadside vendor last night. Drink one teaspoon of Echinacea in 1/4 glass of water three times a day for the next few days.
You've been out all day in the sun hiking/skiing/surfing and you can feel the dreaded tingling of a coldsore coming on. Apply Echinacea, undiluted, directly to the coldsore and reapply frequently. (You can do this for that unwanted pimple, too)!
You've been bitten by zillions of insects while trekking through the jungle on your way to find that hidden temple. Apply undiluted Echinacea directly to bites to prevent infection.
You've been wearing socks and heavy footwear for days and now have Athlete's Foot. Apply undiluted Echinacea between toes and to affected areas morning and night.
You've got some time off, at long last, to go on that big adventure you've been planning--you can't wait for the sheer heart-pumping thrill that awaits--and whaduyaknow: you have a sore throat/sinus/hayfever or a cold coming on! Dilute 1/2 a teaspoon of Echinacea in a little water, tilt your head back, and use a dropper to insert it up your nose, a little at a time. This will sterilize and decongest your nose and sinuses, then run down your throat and be swallowed to boost your immune system! Swallow (gargle first if throat is sore) an additional one teaspoon of Echinacea in 1/4 glass of water three times a day for a few days. (Great for treating candida/cystitis/bladder infections, too).
Echinacea is a herb that has been used by Native Americans for centuries. It was the Plains Indians' primary medicine; root poultices were used for all types of wounds and infections, poisonous snake and insect bites, and tooth and gum pains. They drank Echinacea tea to treat sore throats, colds, smallpox, arthritis, measles, and mumps. It was so cherished that in religious ceremonies Echinacea was used as an offering to the spirits or gods and goddesses, and to strengthen a spell or ritual.
Echinacea is antibiotic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and has blood-purifying and wound-healing properties, too. It is a potent immune system booster. Don't leave home without it!
