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Page 63
| supplements are useful to strengthen the immune system and combat infection. |
| Home self-help remedies for catarrh can include steam inhalations and teas. A useful inhalant can be made by putting 5 drops of thyme or eucalyptus oil in a basin containing a quart of boiling water (see p. 53). Alternatively, use thyme or peppermint infusion as the inhalant, with 1 tablespoon of dried herb to 1 quart of boiling water. |
| Anti-carrhal Tea |
| 2 parts each of elderflower and yarrow |
| 1 part each of thyme and ribwort plantain |
| Mix the dried herbs and use 2 tablespoons to 1 quart of boiling water. Drink a cup of the mixture 3 to 4 times daily. |
| Onion is very anticatarrhal, so eat plenty of onion soup or a serving of hot boiled onions once a day. |
| Chilblains |
| Chilblains are caused by a limited blood flow to the remoter parts of the body, generally in response to cold. In order to maintain vital organs and deep tissues at a suitably warm temperature, the blood flow to the fingers and toes is constricted. This leads to numbness, and the tissues become more alkaline because of the reduced levels of oxygen reaching them. When the temperature rises and blood supply returns, normal balance is restored and the familiar burning and itching sensation of chilblains follows. |
| Wearing adequate clothing on cold days is the easiest way to avoid occasional chilblains, while habitual sufferers can improve their circulation with teas of stimulating herbs like cinnamon and ginger. Using external creams and oils that encourage blood flow to a particular area may also be helpful for chronic sufferers. Massage the infused oils of cayenne or rosemary regularly into the toes or fingers prone to chilblains or use a mustard footbath (p. 29). |
| Arnica cream can help relieve the discomfort of chilblains once they've appeared but it should not be used on broken skin. Other helpful remedies to relieve symptoms include aloe vera gel |
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