Boost Your Immunity - Herbal Immune Berry Tincture

Hello to Everyone & Welcome To The Fall Season! 'Tis my favorite season . . . this colorful, cool, bright, dry time of year. A time when all living things begin to draw inward and fatten up their nutritional stores, gathering their reserves in preparation for winter's long, dark days. This blog will be the beginning of a new series on whole foods and rejuvenative herbal supplements that will boost immunity, increase energy, well-being, and longevity, and restore beauty and suppleness to your skin (face and body), plus add shine and strength to your hair and nails. I guarantee that the food-related & herbal tips and formulas that I share with you will be most tasty and the skin/body/hair/nail care recipes will feel luxurious, nourishing your skin from the outside-in. Let's dive in, indulge our senses, and prepare for a healthy, radiant fall and winter!

Boost Your Immunity

There is much talk today about immune system breakdown and the need to protect the immune system and maintain its strength and function. The term immune means to be protected from something harmful or disagreeable. This system is your first and often best line of defense against the onslaught of "foreign" invaders such as harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, yeasts, germs, environmental chemicals, insect bites, foreign particles (such as splinters, dust, or pollen), or even a simple paper cut.

Your immune system works 24/7, largely unnoticed - that is, until something invades your body or the system fails. If a mosquito bites you, your skin swells, itches, and gets temporarily red. That's your immune system at work attempting to rid your body of the poison. A splinter may cause similar swelling, or even an infection.

When a harmful bacteria or virus enters your system and your immune system attempts to fight it off, a cold or flu may develop. Most harmful invaders are stopped in their tracks before they have a chance to take hold in your body, but if the immune system is weakened, all manner of problems can develop, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic fatigue syndrome, mononucleosis, cancer, lupus, candida albicans, herpes, staphylococcus and streptococcus infections, and arthritis, to name only a few.

With age, unfortunately, comes the increased risk of decreased immunity. Some common problems can include slowed wound healing; autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Graves disease, diabetes mellitus, AIDS, and rheumatoid arthritis; increased infection risk; and cancer.

The key to boosting your immune system is simple. Give it whatit needs by feeding it the appropriate fuels: organic, whole foods, immune boosting herbs, purified water, fresh air and sunshine, and exercise. Be sure to balance work with rest, maintain a zest for living, control your stress level, engage in a soul-satisfying spiritual practice, and maintain loving relationships.

The following recipe is for a tasty herbal immunity-boosting tincture that can help enhance your defense system for when its assistance is most needed. I think you'll like the astringent, slightly sweet berry flavor - inspite of the vodka used to extract the medicinal properties from the herbs. It's also wonderful for improving symptoms of constipation, low energy, indigestion, and minor arthritis, and it's extremely high in anti-oxidants.

Herbal Immune Berry Tincture

The recipe is relatively easy to make and the ingredients can be purchased through reputable herbal mail-order suppliers such as Jean's Greens www.jeansgreens.com or Mountain Rose Herbs www.mountainroseherbs.com. Avena Botanicals, here in Maine, makes and retails pre-made elderberry syrup. Look them up at www.avenabotanicals.com. Jean's Greens also retails a yummy elderberry syrup - try a bottle if you don't want to make your own formula.

Ingredients:
1 sterlilzed quart canning jar with lid
1/2 cup dried elderberries
1/2 cup dried schizandra berries
1/2 cup dried, tart cherries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup raw honey
3-4 cups of 80- or 100-proof vodka (an inexpensive brand is fine)
1, 5" x 5" square of plastic wrap or a plastic sandwich baggie


Method:
1. On the evening of a full moon, add all ingredients to the quart jar. Pour vodka to within 1 inch of the top.
2. Lay a piece of plastic wrap or plastic baggie over the top of the jar and then screw on the metal lid. (The plastic prevents the metal from rusting when coming in contact with the water-based vodka.) Shake daily and store in a dark, dry, cool place. Allow formula to synergize for at least 8 weeks, and up to 6 months for maximum potency. This is NOT a quick-to-make recipe, so make it in early or late Spring and then it will be ready for use by September - just in time for fall/winter.

3. After at least 8 weeks has past, on the evening prior to another full moon, strain mixture through a strainer lined with pantyhose or a coffee filter or several layers of cheese cloth (so that all fine particulate matter is caught). Press herbs and berries with the back of a large spoon or with your fingers in order to extract all of the liquid. Restrain if necessary.

4. Divide the liquid into several 2- or 4-ounce, dropper-top, dark glass bottles. Store the bottles on a dark, cool, dry shelf until ready to use. Label and date each bottle. Your tincture should last for many years if you don't use it up that year or give it all away as "herbal wellness gifts".

5. To use, take 1 or 2 droppersful daily directly on the tongue or diluted in a glass of water. Can be taken year round, but I generally recommend taking it September through March or April, then making a new batch.

Yield: Approximately 2 1/2 cups of tincture - total depends on how much residual moisture the dry ingredients contain when you make the recipe.


NOTE: This article was written by Stephanie Tourles and adapted from her book, "How To Feel Fabulous Today", Storey Books, 2001. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author. Ms. Tourles disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.

Power of Fresh, Raw Fruit & Vegetable Juice - Part 4

Hello Health Enthusiasts! Cold and flu season is upon us . . . at least here in the Northeast! Everyone I meet lately has had the local strain in some form or another these past weeks. Yes, even I, the maker of my own herbal medicines and aromatherapeutic health-fortifying formulas, have succumbed to a moderate cold/flu bug this week - complete with chest congestion, coughing, achiness, and general malaise. My hubby came down with it real bad last weekend, then gave it to me. Oh well . . . such is life. I've finally decided that I've inherited a tendency towards lung and stomach weakness (thanks, Dad!), and must constantly fortify myself against pesty bacterial/viral invasions - and watch my stress load. Lots and lots of hot ginger root tea and cayenne tincture on the tonsils came to my rescue . . . loosening phlegm and opening my respiratory passages! The American Botanical Pharmacy - run by Dr. Richard Schulze - offers the absolute best cayenne tincture. Check out his entire herbal formula catalog at www.herbdoc.com. His recent catalog is amazing. He even has a new Super Food energy bar that I suggest you try out!

Another immune-boosting formula that you might want to add to your daily food intake is "Rachael Jean's Super Green Drink" offered through Jean's Greens Herbal Tea Works & Herbal Essentials. Look up www.jeansgreens.com or call (888) 845-8327, tell Holly I sent you, and order a bag. Good stuff and loaded with "good for you ingredients".

Don't forget to check out my other website www.rawenergy-juiceplus.com if you are interested in adding potent dehydrated fruit, veggie, and berry juice powders to your supplement regimen. Juice Plus is a fabulous product and chock-full of anti-oxidants, and if you don't have time to do actual juicing, it is the next best thing!

It is paramount that you pay attention to your nutritional intake, especially pre- and post- fall and winter seasons so that your immune system is strong and able to fight off what discomforts may come your way . . . and they will. Today, I will share with you another delicious juice blend. Try to make this colorful, nutritionally potent drink a part of your regular immune boosting arsenal! Enjoy and be well!

Tart and Tangy Winter Nectar

Enjoy this late fall and mid-winter blend when citrus fruits are at their best - succulent, ripe, and heavy with juice. Grapefruit is a great blood sugar stabilizer, and it helps to maintain energy and mood levels throughout the day. I especially like to serve this delightfully colorful beverage during the holidays - sans alcohol.

Ingredients:
- 2 medium pink or red grapefruits
- 1 medium lime (or lemon)
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Method:
1. Cut the grapefruit and lime in half and juice with a manual or electric citrus juicer; strain out the seeds.
2. Pour the juice into a blender, add the honey, and blend on medium for 10 seconds. Or . . . vigorously stir room-temperature honey into the juice by hand.
3. Serve in 2 of your best tumblers or wine glasses with or without crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprigs if desired.

Yield: 2 servings

A Good Source of: antioxidant flavonoids, vitamin C, and potassium


NOTE: This article was written by Stephanie Tourles, Lic. Holistic Esthetician, Community Herbalist, Aromatherapist, Nutrition Consultant, and author, and adapted from her latest book, "Raw Energy", Storey Publishing, 2009. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author. She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.