An Inside Glimpse of Supporting Symptoms with Herbs
This blog is written by Georgia Fickes, a bright soul who is an herbalist and full of wisdom. She shares her personal health journey as she aspires to bring insight around this experience. This share is just that. It is not meant to be used to replace medical guidance.
I write this today so I can share resources and information that have been passed onto me by my teacher, Sage, the plants, and herbalists that I have found along my journey of communing with plants. This post is to ignite the confidence in your ability to support your health. I hope this brings you a better understanding about your body in order for you to make wise and conscious decisions. I was tested for Covid-19, have been through a week of sickness, and finally got my results back after 9 days of waiting. I tested negative, though I was convinced that I must’ve of had it. I am going to share herbal remedies that supported me through it all.
MY SYMPTOMS:
Congestion in the lungs. Phlegm that was causing blockage in my lungs, creating wheezing and shortness of breath. I was coughing through out the day to move suck phlegm. This created a sore throat and tired lungs. I had low energy and finally my cough and congested moved to my head. I had headaches, congested sinuses and earaches. I am still working on my congestion by supporting my lymphatic system. Though I did not have Covid-19, l supported myself as if I did. Working with plants and medicine to help my lungs, immune and nervous system.
I M M U N E & L Y M P H A T H I C S Y S T E M
We have two different immune responses.
The first being our innate response this includes fever response, mucus production, and stomach acid. Our second response is our adaptive response, this is how we build the immune system overtime with memory. Our body identifies and remembers invaders, so the next time our body is exposed to the same pathogen, it is ready and able to fight it off faster.
The lymphatic system filters the blood and fluids of the body while also screening for pathogens. This system works by cleaning up cellular debris and waste products and then off-loading fluid back into the bloodstream. The movement of lymph fluid is through our diaphragm, it does not have a pump as the blood does with the heart. That is why people use the rebound trampoline or a dry skin brush to activate the lymphatic system. When we get sick, our immune and lymphatic system work together to produces cells (army) to support our body in ridding it of the pathogen. There are multiple cells that are produced; some cells consume or engulf pathogens, some attach and kill, and some multiply to prevent it from spreading. Some of our cells die in the process and are in our blood and lymphatic system. This is where the lymphactic system comes into play as we need to clean up after cellular death. This is important to note so that even when we start feeling better we need to stay hydrated and care for our lymphatic system. Cleansing is still needed so we can fully recover.
Home grown garlic
IMMUNE SUPPORT:
Reishi
Chaga
Astragalus
Ginger
Garlic
MY PROTOCOL:
Crushed garlic 3x a day and ate it on an empty stomach. As well as raw onion (anti-viral).
Reishi daily- I have been taking medicinal mushrooms daily for quite sometime now. Reishi does not work if you take it once, best used over an extended period of time.
Fresh ginger in soups throughout the day
I found throwing things in a pot to be the easiest/most nourishing thing I could do for my body. This is super supportive as it is the season when it is cold and damp. Make sure to add spice to keep you warm.
S L E E P
Sleep is always at the top of this list. Sleep is a time for our bodies to rest and fight off infections. Without adequate sleep our bodies become depleted, inflamed and stressed. When our body does not have the energy it needs to fight off pathogens, we become more susceptible to sickness. Adequate sleep and lowering stress can be supported by nervine herbs. Nervines are lovely herbs that support your nervous system by lowering anxiety, nourish the nervous system and relieving muscle tension. Herbalists are making sure to highlight nervines as this is a highly stressful situation. We need to make sure that we are able calm our minds, so our bodies natural intelligence can do its work.
I found nervines extremely helpful during nighttime. This was when I felt my worst. My anxiety was heightened by my wheezing and my symptoms seemed to be more apparent, yet my body just wanted to sleep. I took heavy nervines such as hops and vervain root as well as more common herbs that I find comfort in such as lavender and chamomile. There are many nervines out there, find the ones that are calling to you. I found it essential to take nervines at this time as it was one of the few things that got my mind and body to rest.
Valerian and Kava kava root tea to calm muscle tension and nervous system
NERVINES:
Oatstraw
Skullcap
Motherwort (do not take if pregnant)
Mugwort (do not take if pregnant)
Blue Vervain
Hops (may be trigging to those with history of substance abuse)
Kava kava (may be trigging to those with history of substance abuse with numbing effect)
Lavender
Chamomile
MY PROTOCOL:
Chamomile tea with sleep tincture of choice-hops, skullcap, or motherwort. Two dropper full in 8oz cup of nerving tea. I would also steep hops with lavender and sip before bed. I drank oatstraw top infusion during the day.
R E S P I R A T O R Y S Y S T E M
Our lungs resemble an upside-down tree. “As above, so below. As within, so without” is something that comes to mind, as we are in direct relationship to plants when it comes to the air we breathe. When we exhale, we release carbon dioxide, which plants then take in and in return release oxygen that we breathe in.
Our Respiratory system starts at the tip of our nose, down through the trachea (windpipe), and then splits into two bronchi’s. These tubes then continue to branch off, subdividing into smaller tubes with less and less cartilage. Once there is no more cartilage, they are considered bronchioles. At the end of each bronchiole is an alveoli, air sack. The alveoli are surrounded by capillaries which bring deoxygenated blood to the lungs. This is where gaseous exchange happens. The oxygen from the lungs and alveoli exchange with the carbon dioxide from the capillaries. The oxygen is then brought to the heart and distributed through-out the body and the carbon dioxide is exhaled out. If there is inflammation or obstruction of this process you can have shortness of breath, feel tired, and your PH will become more acidic from the carbon dioxide not being released properly.
In light of COVID-19 we want to make sure we take steps in supporting our respiratory system. My symptoms included coughing, phlegm in my lungs that I was having trouble getting up, dryness from all the coughing, and feeling tired from not being able to breathe that well. There were a few herbs that I will write a bit about that really supported my tissues and body when my symptoms were at their peak.
Local Mullein rosette with stalk growing up, which produces the yellow flowers
RESPIRATORY SUPPORT:
Elecampane
Mullein
Licorice *I mixed marshmallow root when I ran out of Licorice. Supports the health of tissues. Coughing is irritating and causes tissues to become dry and inflamed
Thyme
Eucalyptus *used as essential oil, breathing it in
Bee Balm
Elecampane, Bee Balm , Thyme, & Eucalyptus are aromatic respiratory herbs. The oils from the herbs when taking internally are released through the lungs and support in disinfect the lungs airspace. You may also use Thyme and Eucalyptus in a steam pot to breathe directly into your lung space to fight off any pathogen while helping to open the airways . These four herbs are antibacterial & antiviral.
Mullein is a plant that has been use for ages to support the respiratory system and the tissue of the lungs. It supports us in taking deeper breaths and addressing infections or chronic lung cases. One tip when drinking mullein is to make sure you strain through a tightly woven bag as the tiny hairs from the leaves can be irritating. Tea straws or metal strainers may not suffice.
Licorice is an herb that is great for support the mucous membranes of the lungs as well as assisting in moving any stuck phlegm. It is anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and great to take along side of herbs if they are too drying for the respiratory system.
MY PROTOCOL:
Every night I made myself a tea to drink the next day. A cold infusion of licorice and elecampane alternating with mullein tea. It was a lot of liquids, but my body was craving the hydration. It was supporting my lymphatic system and body in flushing out. I also used a Thyme and Licorice Tincture in my teas through out the day to support any infection in my lungs and to support the respiratory system in general. Licorice was a herb that I looked over for many years but know appreciate its application more than ever. This herb not only helped to sooth my inflamed and overworked tissue but it also made it easier to expel phlegm that felt super thick and stuck.
OTHER TIPS
Soup broth:
My energy was low. One thing I could do for myself was make a soup broth with carrots, celery, onions, cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, seaweed, sea salt, thyme, and reishi. This is something we can all make. Throw in whatever immune kitchen herbs and veggies you have on hand in your soup. Heat it up through the day. It keeps your body warm during Spring’s cold and damp weather.
soup ingredients
This is the seaweed I like to put into broths
Steam pot:
I was steaming with Thyme a couple times a day. I ran out of the fresh herb and transitioned to rosemary. This helps to fight off pathogens but also to loosen any stuck mucus.
Neti Pot:
I used a neti pot with salt water to clear out congestion. This felt soothing and relieved some pressure.
Mucilaginous herbs:
This was tough on the tissues, one reason being was because I was coughing a lot. My throat became super dry and horse. I substituted licorice (I ran out) with marshmallow to support the health of my mucous membranes.
Lymphatic support:
Once I was feeling a bit better, I still felt congested. This is a great time to focus your support on the lympathic system and cleansing the blood. Herbs that are good for this are Burdock, Dandelion root, Calendula, & dry skin brushing.
Spiritual practices:
Praying helped me to focus my attention away from my wheezing and into the greater good. I prayed for the healing of earth, the animals, the sick, the underserved, and lastly for my body to heal. Praying is powerful and simple.
Gentle Reminder and Takeaway:
I reminded myself daily of my body’s natural intelligence and with the right support I was going to be okay. With media and heightened fear in society it was challenging to stay calm all the time. I was also very aware that I could call the hospital if my symptoms grew worse and I needed more support, yet I didn't want to resort to that. I knew there was a chance that I did not have Covid and would be exposed if I did go to the hospital. I trust that we have the tools to get support our bodies (lessening the burden on healthcare providers), but I was very thankful that I could call upon nurses and doctors if I needed to.
Thank you to the herbs for supporting me through an anxious time with tenderness and love.
Thank you to my friends and family who cared about my emotional and physical well being during these times.
Blessings,
Georgia Louise
Georgia harvesting chickweed