our bodies heal themselves

Last month I got hit with a pretty gnarly upper respiratory infection. I was moving through this for the better part of October, every day a new symptom would present itself. And every day I would experience my body evolving the method of healing. For me, it started with body aches that eventually shifted into an intense dry cough that moved into a very wet cough to a sinus infection. It was exhausting for my body to be moving through such a tumultuous dis-ease and the sheer length of it didn’t help. I chose to skip the doctor and nourish my body’s healing mechanisms naturally using the medicines that have been given to us from the land. Although at times I really wanted that quick fix to get over the hump of the symptoms, at times I wanted just to be told exactly what sort of infection I had so I would have some false sense of security in knowing it would pass. But I know a doctor could never give me that. I needed to trust in my body in the thick of feeling like my body was crumbling to pieces. In the thick of feeling like I would never get my energy back. There was a light at the end of the long dark tunnel somewhere in my consciousness, even if it was dim and flickering.

I turned to my plant relatives. the healing herbs. Those that have been known for millennia, for as long as we have roamed this earth, to support these bodies that are made from the same soil. I noticed immediately how they began their work. Helping to alleviate some symptoms and ease others that still needed to be worked through. Promoting my body to clear out the infection. Some herbs actually worked to strengthen certain symptoms that were actually important healing processes that needed a boost. Like when I had a dry cough - what would be called an unproductive cough - herbs helped to moisten and actually expel what it was that my body was trying to remove, making it more productive.

This is something to remember when working with herbal medicine and the healing art of our body, they are not a quick fix, and they ideally do not bypass the natural healing processes of the body but are there to serve as aids. Symptoms are often important because they are the body trying to recalibrate and restore harmony. Shutting them down is counterintuitive to healing. Sometimes what we want is to strengthen them. To help clear out. To help amplify, so the body can do the work. The herbs I worked with didn’t immediately clear the infection, I don't think anything would have that wasn’t engineered in a lab and artificially working in my body. It was simply a process I needed to go through, my immune system needed to work through, that ultimately supported the rejuvenation and strengthening of my entire system.

When we allow these functions to work in us, to move through us, they heal in all directions. Not only the physical dis-ease, but once we emerge from that state of unwellness, we are strengthened, and our immune systems are stronger and more capable of continuously maintaining harmony. Our circulatory system is rejuvenated. Our livers are renewed. After an illness that we allow to reach its natural end in our body, we are renewed and at an even higher level of health and well-being than before. Why an illness like an infection keeps returning is because we artificially medicate ourselves and don't allow the body to heal in the way it is designed to, it is never strengthened, and the infection is never fully cleared because the body never learned to clear it out itself. So whenever this bacteria presents itself in this environment of misbalance, it goes right back to wreaking havoc, more than before, and we actually weaken the body and its immune response.

Here are some herbs and remedies I worked with to support me specifically with an upper respiratory infection that can be good to have in your home apothecary, especially during this winter season. 

Elecampane root ~ This was a big one that I worked with every day that really helped me clear out the phlegm buildup in my lungs. It is strongly affiliated with the upper respiratory system and is a robust expectorant - which helps bring up mucus. It is a good tonic to nourish and support the lungs over longer periods - in this way, it helps to clear out infections. Some would call it an antiviral/ antibacterial herb, although this is an inaccurate description based on how herbs actually work in the body. The way that it works is to actually strengthen the lungs, to help bring equilibrium so the lungs can clear out the infection themselves. Its fragrant, resinous roots are good for when infection sets in, when phlegm is yellow/green and it helps to overall bring up stagnant mucus. 

Marshmallow root - This herb helped to make my cough more productive - more wet when it was in a very dry and irritated state. Marshmallow is a very moistening herb that works on the mucous membranes in the body, which include the lining of the lungs This helped rev up my cough and continue to clear out phlegm. It is also known as an emollient, which has the action of softening hardness or tension in the tissue which can occur in the lungs when so much coughing is taking place. Also helps to loosen hard and stuck phlegm along the lining of the lungs. 

Liquorice - Is a potent treatment for dry and inflamed tissues, namely in the lungs. It has been employed as a remedy for cough and respiratory complaints for centuries and is a very old herbal ally. Also one of those herbs that is known to help the body clear out infections and soothe irritation. 

Mullien - Is a really good tonic for the lungs. Tonic essentially means an herb is good to be taken in small doses over long periods to restore and rejuvenate the body, often these tonic plants have an affinity for certain systems in the body. In this case, Mullein would be a good tonic for the lungs specifically. Mullein helps to calm spasms in the lungs, soothe coughs, especially good for when one is taken by intense fits of coughing. It is a good muscle relaxant in this way. While at the same time helping the lining of the lungs loosen stuck mucus and support its removal. 

Thyme honey - Thyme has traditionally been worked with to clear out infections, often used as a wash externally for this purpose, and internally taken as a tea. Helps soothe sore, irritated throat, especially when it is combined with honey. It also has a tonic effect, helping to restore the body to optimal health.

Yarrow - I used this herb as a steam inhalation along with mullein to help clear out my sinuses when they were very blocked. Yarrow is known also as a good herb for infections, although perhaps not the most productive for this case, it still aided in offering its medicine to the places it was needed.

Bee propolis and pollen - The medicine of the bees. Are old remedies used to rejuvenate the body. Strengthens and activates the immune system to continue its work. The bees are the shamans of the natural world. The healers. Everything they do and everything they are is medicine. Their potent elixirs offer vital nutrients that naturally elevate the restorative and healing qualities in the body.