During flu season a common question that comes to us here at Marilyn Farms is how often Echinacea containing products such as our Immune Boost should be taken to help prevent a cold. Echinacea is one of the most highly recommended and extensively researched immune boosting herbs due to its amazing ability to help the body rid itself of infection. Echinacea contains active ingredients that act in similar ways to antibiotics, as well as other components that are antiviral.  It is most commonly used internally, but has been found to be effective when used topically to help prevent and treat infected wounds and even as a mouthwash to treat gingivitis!

Contrary to popular belief, Echinacea is not effective as a daily immune support aid, but works best when taken in cycles. This is most likely due to the fact that Echinacea works by stimulating and supporting the immune system, and if taken every day for an extended period of time the body may become “immune” to its effects. During a chronic and active infection, Echinacea can be used continuously for several months, but for preventive use during times of health it is most effective to use Echinacea for 2 to 3 weeks on and 2 to 3 weeks off throughout the year (just follow dosing instructions on the label of the product you are using). During active cold and flu season, Echinacea can be used for 3 weeks on and 1 week off each month. This pulsing of dosage actually allows the immune system to adapt and get stronger during the breaks, while constant daily use of Echinacea in times of health may actually be stressful for the immune system!

It seems like this year’s flu virus is already making its rounds! Lots of people I know either are sick now or just got over being sick, including my own household. Once a virus takes hold, there’s not much you can do medically to stop it. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses and cold medications only treat symptoms (which is still important if you’re especially miserable!). The best thing to do is start boosting your immune system as soon as people around you get sick. If you still get sick despite this, here are a few tips to help stop a cold from progressing. This is not an extensive list, but it’s a great place to start.

1.     Eat garlic. Garlic, especially when eaten raw, has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Taken at the first sign of illness, it can help shorten the severity of a cold.  I like to eat it crushed raw on salads (I double up and add the immune boosting SuperForce tincture as salad dressing) or mixed into soups. If you don’t like the taste of garlic, you can do what a friend of mine does and just peel the cloves and swallow them whole like pills. This keeps you from having to taste the garlic on the way down but I can’t promise it prevents garlic breath!

2.    Take vitamin C. Whenever I feel the first signs of a cold, I do a vitamin C flush, which is basically taking vitamin C in large doses over the course of the day. I personally find it to be one of the most effective ways to prevent flu.  Complete instructions on how to do a flush can be found in the Marilyn Farms Blog Vitamin C For Cold and Flu.

3.    Take elderberry. Unlike Echinacea, which is best taken preventively as an immune booster during flu season, elderberry can be effective even after illness has set in. Elderberry has been extensively studied for its antiviral effects, and in many studies has even been found to be effective against the flu virus in particular, including the H1N1 strain. Elderberry extract is one of my favorite herbal preparations because it has a nice flavor and is safe for children as well as pregnant and nursing women. Elderberry preparations vary, so follow instructions on the label for dosing.

4.    Include coconut in your diet. Coconut contains lauric acid, a type of fat that has been found to break down the protective membrane surrounding certain types of viruses. Coconut oil has been widely studied for its effectiveness against viruses including those that cause the flu, herpes, mononucleosis, and even AIDS. Easy ways to include coconut oil in your diet when you’re feeling sick include eating coconut milk based soup such as Thai curry, making a smoothie with coconut milk and fruit, or even melting a tablespoon of coconut oil into a hot cup of tea.

5.     Take care of yourself! Sometimes succumbing to a cold is just a sign that your body needs a rest. Do all the things you know to do to help support the immune system—rest, drink plenty of water, eat chicken soup or other healthy foods that make you feel better, read a good book or watch a funny movie, and try to think happy thoughts!

Last Saturday’s webinar on weight management had a big emphasis on blood sugar control as a key to keeping weight in check. You don’t have to have diabetes or hypoglycemia to care about blood sugar! When blood sugar is out of control (too high or too low), you may be prone to mood swings, fatigue, body fat gain, and loss of muscle. We covered several key points during the webinar to help keep blood sugar levels stable. If you missed it, contact us at info@marilynfarms.com for information on how you can purchase and download the webinar complete with handouts. Here are a couple of easy ways to support stable blood sugar levels that we didn’t discuss in the webinar:

• Eat cinnamon! Cinnamon exhibits effects similar to insulin in its ability to reduce high blood sugar levels. A study done earlier this month in the journal Phytomedicine (title of the study is “Cinnamon extract regulates glucose transporter and insulin-signaling gene expression in mouse adipocytes”) showed that cinnamon may even work on a genetic level to keep expression of genes in a balance to improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin and decrease the likelihood of excess blood sugar being used as fat. Most studies recommend one to two teaspoons, per day of ground cinnamon sprinkled over food or try Marilyn Farms tasty Cinnamon Extract.
• Use vinegar in cooking and on salads! In fact, a study in the January 2010 issue of the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism found that just two teaspoons of vinegar consumed with a meal were found to effectively lower blood sugar levels after the meal. Other studies found that regular intake of vinegar produced a modest (but still significant) decrease in HbA1c levels (this test gives a window into the level of a person’s blood sugar over the past three months), and that people who consumed a tablespoon of vinegar with lunch and dinner lost an average of 2 pounds over 4 weeks! For more info see the article A Spoonful of Vinegar Makes the Blood Sugar Go Down? which can be located at www.dlife.com.

There are simple things that you can do to ensure that you live free from the common ailments that afflict much of the world today, such as heart disease and stroke. Just like taking care of your car, preventive maintenance for your body is an important component of living a healthy lifestyle.

One of the greatest ways that you can keep your body tuned up is to optimize your circulation system. The easiest way to do this is to move your body. We are all descendants of cave men that had to “use it or lose it” if they wanted to stay alive.  Although we don’t have to run after our food to catch it these days, we are not much different from them in that our bodies are built to move vigorously and consistently.

Another way to help your circulation system is to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet and if you’re going to eat meat and dairy products make sure they are organic and not full of pesticides, antibiotics and hormones.

A third way to keep your circulation system free from all blockages is to take a great herbal heart tincture as a regular tonic, such as MFC’s  “Heart Health”.  From the description: “The herbs in this formula have been known to help reduce the risk of heart attack, regulate cardiac rhythm and generally tone the circulatory system.”
 
Remember, maintenance is what you do on a regular basis, even when nothing’s wrong with your car — or your body.

Information on the herbs in Heart Health:

-Hawthorne, known to ancients as the traditional “heart herb”, helps to promote a steady heartbeat and is coupled with other powerful heart-healthy herbs to help reduce cholesterol as well. Hawthorne strengthens the heart and promotes a strong, regular heartbeat. In addition, Hawthorne may help reduce chest pain and arrhythmia and prevent stress-related heart attacks.
-Garlic affects the circulatory system by lowering blood levels of sugar and LDL (harmful cholesterol). Garlic may also reduce blood pressure and raise the level of HDL (good cholesterol).
-Motherwort is an all-purpose heart tonic, helping to regulate the heartbeat.
-Gingko leaf has antioxidant properties, enhances heart efficiency and gradually tones blood vessels.
-Red clover blossoms have an inherent ability to remove toxic waste from the blood.
-Ginger root and Cayenne pepper are two of the best-known circulatory and herbal cardiac tonics.
-Cactus grandiflora, a cardiac tonic and regulator, increases the heart s ability to pump stronger without increasing the heart’s oxygen demand.

Tinctures are not just for when you have a cold or the flu.  They can help you in your every day life, even when you are not sick. Three of my favorite wellness tinctures are Digest-Ease, Tooth and Gum and Kidney Klean.  Here are a few of the benefits that using them will give you:
 
Have you ever eaten a meal and the food tasted so good that you ate a little more than your stomach could comfortably hold?  Then you feel very full and wish that you had saved half of your food for later!!  What can you do to feel better right away?  You take one or more dropperfuls of Digest-Ease tincture in a little water or juice.  It helps your digestion and makes everything go back to normal, fast.  You can also take Digest-Ease whenever you feel queasy due to motion sickness.  It’s amazing how much it helps.  Half a dropperful in a mouthful of water gives you a fresh taste in your mouth and quiets your stomach down.
 
Tooth and Gum tincture helps give your mouth that squeaky clean feeling when you haven’t been flossing your teeth as often as you know you should.  You put a dropperful of the formula right on your gums and massage it in vigorously with your finger so that it gets into all the spaces where bacteria can hide.  You can also put a dropperful of the tincture in your water-pik.  Regular use of Tooth and Gum will help your next dental checkup be more enjoyable by making your gums less likely to be tender.
 
And last but not least, Kidney Klean is a great tincture for preventive maintenance.  The herbs in this formula are specifically chosen to help your kidneys, bladder and urinary system and you may have used this formula once in a while to do a cleanse.  However, you may want to consider taking it more often.  Your entire pelvic region can benefit from taking this tincture on a regular basis.  It helps strengthen the muscles you use to do your Kegel exercises and keeps your urinary elimination system in top shape.  Just drink down a couple of dropperfuls in some water or juice once or twice a day.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about tinctures.

WHAT ARE TINCTURES?

Herbal tinctures are what you end up with after you take parts of herbs or plants and soak them in alcohol for a few weeks.  (Non-alcoholic tinctures are made from herbs soaked in glycerin, water or apple cider vinegar.) After you strain the plant material out of the mix, you have a concentrated extract of the herbs or plants.  Depending on what combinations of herbs you use, tinctures can be therapeutic, medicinal, preventive or even life-saving.

For example, one of the most important first-aid tinctures is Cayenne.  This tincture may be able to help stop a heart attack, slow or stop bleeding and revive someone from unconsciousness. 

 WHY USE TINCTURES?
 
Tinctures are an easy way to get a concentrated dose of the healing properties of the herbs you are using.  Especially when the herbs are extracted in a base of 80 – 100% alcohol, your body can absorb the tincture quickly and put it to work!  When I feel myself coming down with something, the first thing I reach for is my bottle of Immune Boost.  It helps me fight off all the bad bugs fast!! 

Another of my favorite tinctures for fighting colds or flu is Super Force, which is onions, garlic, horseradish and peppers soaked in apple cider vinegar.  I even take it when I’m not sick because I like the taste of it so much.  Some people I know will mix it with olive oil to make an immune boosting salad dressing.

WHAT KIND OF TINCTURES SHOULD I USE?

Always look for tinctures where the best, organic and wild-grown herbs and plants are used.  That way you can be sure you are not getting any herbicides and pesticides along with your extracts. 

Next, make sure that the tinctures are full strength, not diluted or watered down so that you receive the full benefit from taking them.

You can easily make your own tinctures at home if you have the time.  There are many different websites explaining how to do this.  If you are short on time, you can order them for very reasonable prices from Marilyn Farms, with the full assurance that you are getting a product that is safe and full-strength.

The flu virus seems to be coming up again and again in the media and in my friends and neighbors so I thought it would be good to share some information with you regarding an herbal remedy that is well-known for flu treatment: Elderberry.  The link below takes you to an interesting article that discusses research from Israel that explores the power of this (somewhat) tasty berry.  Elderberry preparations (in the form of “Sambucol”, an elderberry tincture) were found to be effective against human, avian, and swine flu and in most cases reduced the duration of the flu by 4 days.

Elderberry Article

Marilyn Farms offers our own elderberry preparation (click here to view) which is available as a standard extract, or a great tasting glycerin syrup.  And, best of all, it’s now on sale!  The recommended dosage at onset of the flu is 1 teaspoon–1 tablespoon (5–15 ml) for children and 2 teaspoons–2 tablespoons (10–30 ml) for adults, taken twice daily.

I’m sure many, if not most of you, have either tried or are now using the SuperForce herbal tincture.  I have been surprised over the years to hear of its many uses – from sprinkling on popcorn (it really is good!), to flavoring soups, spicing up a salad dressing and even using topically  – I’m sure the list goes on and on.  And these uses are in addition to how it’s “normally” taken internally to fight bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.  It really is an all-purpose tonic!

Do you have any special ways you use Superforce?  We would love to hear your ideas.

Here’s a link to the MFC web site for SuperForce, and it’s on sale!

http://www.marilynfarms.com/index.php?main_page=mfc_product_edible_info&cPath=65&products_id=62

Through the month of October we’re running specials on our herbal tinctures, so I thought it would make sense to kick off our new blogging page with some info on herbal tinctures. By the way, for those of you who – like me – don’t really understand why blogs are called blogs, I just looked it up and the word “blog” is short for “web log”. So it’s just a log of thoughts that you can read on the web. And now you’ve learned something new today! That is, unless you’re more technologically advanced than me and already knew that. In that case, keep reading and hopefully you’ll learn something.

Most of our herbal tinctures are suspended in grain alcohol. We have had several questions about this since the word “alcohol” is not necessarily something that people associate with the word “healthy.” The reason we use alcohol is that from a chemical standpoint, alcohol is the most effective solvent for extracting and preserving an herb’s active ingredients. This is very important for two reasons:

1. Extracts used in tinctures are made by soaking herbs in a solvent. If the solvent is not extracting the chemicals in the herb that give it the health-promoting qualities, what’s the point?
2. Once the active ingredients are extracted, you want to keep them stable so the benefits are preserved. Alcohol does this very well, which is why herbal extracts made with alcohol will maintain their potency indefinitely, assuming the container they’re stored in maintains its integrity.

We do carry several tinctures that are preserved in glycerin (a sweeter type of alcohol), but they are mostly intended for children and adults who can’t tolerate the taste of tinctures dissolved in grain alcohol.

Here is a trick you can use if you are sensitive to alcohol but still want the benefit of an alcohol-extracted tincture: put your dose of tincture in a small glass of water that has just been boiled and let it sit for 5 minutes before drinking. Alcohol has a low boiling point and this process allows the alcohol in the tincture to evaporate without affecting the active ingredients in the herbs.

Hopefully you’ve learned something new! If not, then keep checking this blog – we’ll update it weekly.