Cough Syrup: Expectorants & Antispasmodics + Diaphoretics & Refrigerants
What we are dealing with here is finding a mixture of herbs to address fever, cough, congestion & infection (viral & bacterial) in order to create a perfectly balanced blend, that doesn't lean to the extreme in rectifying the problem.
Did you ever look through the isle of cold & flu remedies just to feel completely overwhelmed as to the many options that are available to address your symptoms. One that particularly baffled me in the past was which one do I chose when I have chest congestion.. do I look for an expectorant.. that will provoke the coughing up of phlegm, or an antispasmodic, which will halt the cough. These two things are contrary in nature, but they are both helpful in the case of cough & congestion, depending on what the actual issue is. If there is a productive cough, where you are producing phlegm, an expectorant is helpful (especially if the mucous feels stuck and is not coming out easily), but if it is just a painful, dry cough, you just want it to stop before you hack your lungs out and end up with achy lungs and a dry, painful throat. However, a little bit of one and a a little bit of the other can go a long way. That's where the combining comes into play.
There are herbs that specifically are expectorant. But it's good, in my opinion, to combine those with soothing, calming (anti-spasmodic) and soothing, coating herbs (mucilaginous) so that you aren't going too far in one direction and suffering more because of it.
Sometimes when you are starting out, and trying to grasp the many many different and unique characteristics of each herb, it's easy to overlook some of the "side effects" when you just want to add something that is "anti-viral" or "anti-bacterial" or something that is just known to be "good for coughs". I made that mistake this time around, and I learned so much.
I had just found a local store that sells bulk herbs, and bought a few that I had never worked with before, but that I knew were commonly used in herbal cough remedies. These were: Elecampane and Horehound. I remember a woman in my herb class that wanted to help me with some allergies I was having at the time, and she made me a syrup with elecampane. I was very new to herbalism, so I had no idea what that herb was, but she was familiar, and boasted that the formula had elecampane, and should be quite effective. I didn't end up taking it, since I was a bit skeptical, especially since the issue was that there was something that her dog was trailing into the classroom that was causing an allergic reaction, and it was irritating me quite a bit since I really wished that she would leave the dog at home, as a classroom is really no place for people's pets in the first place. I know she had the best of intentions, although mostly so that she could continue to bring her dog to the classroom without me complaining about it.. but I just didn't feel like I wanted to take her syrup. More than anything, I didn't know enough about it, and so I just tossed it aside. Maybe there was a bit of resentment there... just maybe. Then my introduction to horehound was when a man in our class made horehound cough drops. It wasn't an herb that we had specifically studied in the program, so I wasn't familiar with it either, but I will always remember it, since horehound is just such a strange name for an herb (well there are plenty of strange names to go around, but this one stuck out to me)... and I remembered that this was an herb for coughs.
So with that knowledge and none else, well I had checked one of my herb books just to confirm these were recommended for coughs but hadn't looked into each and every property (as considered, could translate to "side effect") and eagerly threw those two into the pot, excited to try something new, along with clove, lemon balm, echinacea and anise, let it simmer down to a reduction, added honey and a bit of maple syrup and agave (as the honey ran out) and then let it simmer a bit longer, and strained it through a cheesecloth into a small bottle and proudly presented it to my boyfriend, who had clear symptoms of cold and flu, with the hopes that this would be the miracle blend for his aching body. It wouldn't be the first time that something I made was almost like a miracle cure, making his symptoms disappear overnight. But this is not what happened. Unfortunately.
Although he initially really liked the taste of the syrup, either that or he just liked it for some other reason (sometimes our body is just attracted to, and compelled to consume things that our body just needs at the moment, regardless of whether or not it is the tastiest thing.. as to me, horehound is very difficult on the taste buds), but he gravitated to it, and started chugging it like it was vodka at a club. That gave me an immediate boost of the ego, but the problem was, he started coughing more and more, and then started to sweat profusely. This made me nervous, as it didn't seem like he was getting better. It also didn't seem like a normal progression of the illness, as the symptoms were way too extreme. His coughs sounded painful, and the syrup wasn't doing anything to make it go away, and he was just hacking and hacking, and we all know that that leads to soreness. He was also sweating bullets, and I mean, sweat just pouring down his face, for no apparent reason, and he kept complaining about how hot it was. I freaked out because I really thought that he was just insanely ill. Like not even normal flu symptom ill, but like something way more serious. I have never seen him sweat like that before ever, and I have certainly seen him sick and with the flu, etc. I started to wonder if it was pneumonia.
Even though he really liked it, and seemed to want even more and more of the syrup, which after the second day, he started drinking as a strong tea since he didn't want to wait for me to make it into a syrup, his symptoms were absolutely insane!! I wondered what was going on with the herbs. It wasn't working, not the way I wanted. In the past, he'd started out with similar flu-like symptoms and had been better the next day after giving him (different) herbs that worked mostly on immune boosting (not specifically for coughs). Then the next morning, this morning, he woke up coughing and I thought... enough is enough. This is NOT working. Plus, he told me that he had been sweating so much that his sheets and pillows were completely SOAKED from the previous nights sleep.
Oh lord, I had to re-examine this approach. I went back and looked at one of my herb books, and not to my surprise, four out of the six herbs I had used were classified as DIAPHORETICS. That means, they induce sweat. Well, well. Although it is said that it's good to "sweat out" a fever, I'm not even sure that he had much of a fever, and being drenched like that could possibly aggravate and elongate the healing process. He had even proposed that he got sick precisely for going outside with wet hair into the cold. And since our apartment can get quite drafty, walking around even INSIDE all drenched like that is NOT GOOD.
So, even though I had the best of intentions, I had provoked a problem that didn't have to be there. There is no reason why he had to be pouring water out of his body over the past few days. It was too much, and quite unbearable to watch.
Then I searched for how many of the herbs were expectorants: both horehound and elecampane, which I was so excited to experiment with, have expectorant qualities. That means I doubled up on expectorants and actually didn't add any antispasmodics (to help control lung spasm) or any lubricating herbs, known as mucilagenous, such as licorice, mullein and marshmallow, that coat the lining of the mucous membranes... which helps with sore throat, and pain from coughs. So basically, I created a formula that made him almost cough his lungs out and sweat to the point of near dehydration (I'm speculating, and being a bit melodramatic). Two days after taking the formula, he was a sweaty, drenched cough monster. And although he said he felt better, he certainly didn't look or sound any better. And plus, he had to call in sick to work another day.
He would never blame me, because he knows I do what I can only to help him, and if I screw it up, well .. hey, it will happen once in a while. As he jokes... yeah well you have to make mistakes sometimes, and if I die.. well then you will know...
Of course, nobody is going to die from herbs put into a cough syrup, of course unless they have some unknown fatal allergy, or major contraindication with a pharmaceutical, even over the counter medication (one must always be conscientious of things like this, seriously.. very seriously)
But then there is a case of just being a dumbshit. Which, one might say that I am hard on myself, but it is important to look at not just one, but ALL of the properties on any herb to make sure you are not going to create some crazy side effects while you are trying to help someone to get better.
Today, I dumped that formula. We had been leaving it in the pot on the stove and just re-using it over the course of a few days.. it was time to say goodbye.
I felt terrible. But it was time to clean up the mess I made.
I made a whole new formula, that will help to stop that spastic cough that I helped create by the surplus of expectorant herbs I used, soothing, cooling (refrigerant) and coating herbs (mucilaginous), antispasmodic herbs, and herbs to open up the lungs and soothe them rather than force them to convulse. The only herb I used that has diaphoretic properties this time is lemon balm, which on it's own, should be alright, since I use it in most cold and flu blends and it doesn't seem to cause much of a reaction in that sense. The anti-viral benefits outweigh the sweat inducing effect.
This time I used marshmallow and licorice to coat his throat and cool down his system. Licorice is great for coating and soothing the throat, as is marshmallow, which is also an extremely cooling herb. And after all of the sweating, it was time to just cool things down A LOT. I also used the lemon balm, as this seems like a viral infection and not so much bacterial, just from observation. I used lungwort and mullein, which are specifically good for soothing, clearing and strengthening the lungs. Mullein is also antispasmodic, as is marshmallow. I used rose hips for vitamin C, because in any cold/flu formula, I have to use something that is just purely for the purpose of adding vitamin C. And although he lamented that this tea tasted like "dog pee"... which is one of his default descriptions of anything that tastes bad.. I haven't heard him cough even once since he drank the first cup... and it's been a few hours.. so I think.. this time... I've done something right.
Nothing sucks like watching a loved one suffer.. and to address that issue, I want to focus on a few other things that can be done to prevent someone you care about (including yourself) from getting sick, getting sick-er once you are sick, getting other people sick who are around you.. and to help the process along of getting well again. There are so many things that I can add to this part, but I'm just going to mention the things that came up this time around when dealing with cold & flu.
Number one: If you or someone you love is showing signs of cough/cold/flu... especially if they are already coughing a bit, or have scratchy, sore throat... STAY AWAY FROM DAIRY. Consuming dairy encourages the production of mucous. In retrospect, I made another error that I honestly know better than to do, which is giving my babe mozzarella cheese on some eggs I made for him when he was already not feeling too hot. Bad move. And watching him lay on the couch in agony with barely any energy to move around is enough to make me think back on that.. maybe seemingly small thing, and think ... God, I wish I hadn't done that. That was ridiculously irresponsible, bordering on negligent. What was I thinking.
Number two: Aromatherapy is an indispensable tool in dealing with germs and infections. If you can get a diffuser, and pick up some tea tree and eucalyptus.. you have your sick kit in tact. When either of us is feeling a bug coming on, and this might seem ridiculous.. but IT WORKS!! I take a q-tip, dip it in eucalyptus or tea tree, and swipe it around inside of the nostrils. Once you are congested, the eucalyptus oil is incredible at opening up those nasal passages. If you are not sick yet, or your partner is sick.. or whomever you live with is sick, do the same, but with tea tree oil. It acts as a filter, and helps to keep the germs from entering your system. Then: use tea tree in a diffuser in any room that the sick person is in. It will purify the air, kill bacteria, and also help fight the infection in the persons body who has it. So it's a win-win. It helps the sick person heal, and it helps the non-sick person to keep from getting sick. Eucalyptus in the diffuser is amazing for anyone with cold/flu.. it just helps them breathe and it opens their lungs/nose.. it's sooo soothing. So if it's just one person who is sick (or both of you).. Eucalyptus in the diffuser. If one person is sick and the other is not, I'd recommend a combination of eucalyptus (for the sick one) and tea tree (for the not sick one). It's AMAZING.
So, with that, I'll close this post regarding the never-ending learning process that is natural medicine and herbalism. I'm happy to be able to post these lessons, because they might help someone else, and also because if I'm documenting it, I'm still learning, and the more you know, the better you can be as a health advocate. Thank you, and until next time...
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