Though natural and traditional medicines have been in justified resurgence in the past few years and decades, “All of this seems to have disappeared under the Covid tsunami, as society defaults to the old orthodoxy.” (Charles Eisenstien) And yet traditional medicines can still be powerful allies as they are time-tested, easily accessible, fast-acting, multi-dimensional in action and preventative by nature. In fact, many people, including even physicians and doctors of conventional medicine, are turning to traditional methods now as we collectively witness the many limitations and failures of relying on a purely technocratic and Big Pharma model of medicine. [Don’t get me wrong, if you or someone you love is having trouble breathing, go seek medical attention right away, whether or not COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed].
I have put together a short list of traditional medicines for coughs and symptoms related to this virus (and others) but it is by no means an exhaustive list. There are so many wonderful medicines in nature that we could utilize right now. These are what I’m using right now based on my personal lineage but I expect this to be updated as things progress.
1) Boswellia [Frankincense] Juice // لبان الذكر
This recipe for coughs was handed down to me by my Egyptian aunt and was perhaps the thing that helped the most when my daughter had whooping cough* a few years ago. It is a lung nourisher and purifier and as mentioned above, most traditional herbs and medicines are beneficial on multiple levels. So it will also be helpful for other systems and organs in the body as well, particularly helpful for the immune system for this virus. At the time my daughter had whooping cough, I had tried many many many things, and this was the winning ticket! I just made some 2 weeks ago when I had lung tightness and now have it on standby just in case! Here’s how to do it.
-
Soak a teaspoon of resin beads in about a cup of water for 3-4 hours. [the resin is called Boswellia Sacra or often referred to as Bible Frankincense and is used as incense in many SWANA religious and spiritual rituals (SWANA = Southwest Asia/North Africa).
-
Strain the water out and add the soaked resin to a pot with about 3 cups of water in and bring to simmer.
-
Simmer for about an hour or until the water turns milky white.
-
Let cool and then strain the juice into a container for storage. I prefer to freeze it in a bag and I take it out every morning to defrost a bit so I can use it for the day.
-
Take about a tablespoon (2oz) of the juice in some apple juice daily.
2) Sumac // سماق
This is was recently recommended by my spiritual guide and can be used as a preventative to the virus as well as to mediate the cough for the virus. Sumac is an essential SWANA culinary ingredient and it is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatories out there. It is also an antioxidant and packed with Vitamin C and so it is immune boosting! The recommendation was to put a teaspoon in warm water and drink daily to prevent the onset of the disease and you can increase dosing if one is sick or has a cough.
3) Onion & Honey Juice
More Sufi Medicine: this was also recommended by my spiritual guide. Here is the video where she explains how to do it. Take a teaspoon daily for prevention and twice daily to help with a cough.
4) River Rose Remembrance AntiVirals
The wonderful Layla Faghali from River Rose Remembrance put together this beautiful post on traditional anti-viral medicines from Bilad Al Sham / The Levant and Beyond.
5) Naturopathic Medicine
Although not totally traditional, naturopathic medicine it mostly grounded in traditional knowledge and has great success in managing acute infections. Here are some of the suggestions coming from the naturopathic world right now.
-
High Dose Vitamin C: For prevention, adults can take anywhere from 2000-5000mgs in split doses daily and children can take anywhere from 1000-3000mgs of Vitamin C in split doses daily. For those who get sick you can go all the way up to 20000mgs a day in split doses or until bower tolerance.
-
High Dose Vitamin D: For prevention, adults can take 5000IUD’s a day and children can take 1000IUD’s. If someone gets sick adults can go up to 50000IUD’s a day and children 10000-15000IUD’s a day. Please note that vitamin D extracts calcium from the bones and deposits it in other tissues in the body causing calcification and disease. Make sure to also supplement with Vitamin K if taking Vitamin D as it locks the calcium in the bones.
-
Herbal Suggestions for Viral infections: Lemon Balm, FeverFew, LungWort, Astragalas, Goldenseal,
6) Homeopathy
If you don’t know already, homeopathy is one of the loves of my life and my most favorite system of medicine. It has a powerful track record of stopping infectious diseases from becoming outbreaks and in preventing risk to complications or deaths from infectious diseases. I’ve already written quite a bit about homeopathy, check it out here:
-
The Purpose of Epidemics : A Bio-Spiritual Perspective
If you would like to book an appointment to come up with a specific support plan for you and your family, please reach out.
Be Well!
Footnotes
*Yes, she had whooping cough and this isn’t our first quarantine. Don’t worry, zero people got whooping cough from her because I identified it early and quarantined us right away. Because that is what I was taught to do as a homeopath when someone gets sick, support them but isolate them!