The Natural Path Stylist

What's in my Elderberry Elixir this season?

I made a batch of seasonal elixir this weekend — elderberries, oranges, lemons, ginger, Ceylon cinnamon, rosehips, a whisper of star anise, a touch of licorice root, real vanilla, and raw local honey. It smells like fall in a jar.

🌿 Elderberry — cooling and drying, a classic for viral illness. The clinical reference notes it's a popular flu remedy, good for fever and congestion. (I used dried berries)

🌿 Ginger — warming, settling, circulating.

🌿 Orange, lemon, rosehips, cinnamon, honey — these are food herbs. Flavorful, antioxidant-rich, and generally safe for all ages in normal culinary amounts. The honey also makes a soothing base for sore throats.

Some ingredients to look into:

⚠️ Licorice root — this is a beautiful formula harmonizer and throat soother, but it causes retention of water and sodium and excretion of potassium. That matters in pregnancy, when fluid balance and blood pressure are already shifting. The reference says small quantities in a formula are okay during pregnancy, but use it only under qualified supervision. Also use caution if you have high blood pressure. I used a very small amount, when taken for short term use, there shouldn't be any problems. Discontinue use if you have any adverse reactions.

⚠️ Star anise — anise is a traditional abortifacient, and the reference advises avoiding medicinal doses during pregnancy. A single pod flavoring a whole batch of elixir is food-level, not medicinal-level —If pregnant use for a short amount of time. Id avoid in 1st trimester.
(Also worth knowing: some imported star anise has been adulterated with a toxic look-alike. I make sure mine is the right one.)

A well-made elixir, taken in small doses at the first sign of a cold, is a lovely home remedy for most people. For pregnant women and young children, the wisest approach is simpler: use in small doses and if it doesn't seem to be helping, or if symptoms worsen, consult your physician & discontinue use.

🫖Herbal remedies don't work like OTC drugs. There should be a lifestyle change that supports and nourishes the body and it's natural defense mechanism. ..And sometimes you have to tackle the seasonal funk from many angles. You need to cut out sugars, stay warm, stay hydrated, soups are a great option when not feeling well. Drink herbal teas & broth. Do steams! Try the neti pot morning and night! Put your diffuser on with lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, or cinnamon and clove.

I also like clean sheets and a dusted ceiling fan when I'm not feeling well. (I hate when I have a stuffy runny nose and I'm sniffing in dust particles)

I take daily showers. After being in the public and around people, a shower cleanses me and relaxes my body, which will in turn help me to stay healthier and to heal faster. (*a good body oil rub down feels great too when you're not feeling well*)

Good oral hygiene will also help kick the crud faster. Brush and floss. Do some salt water/salt water & sage mouth rinses.

Take vitamins(vitamin c, eat fruit, coconut water, d3/k2...) Get sunlight and fresh air! Try to get some deep breaths in. The steam and neti pot help with this. Oxygenate that blood.

[If interested in getting some of my elixir-I have 4oz bottles available for $35. If you pay cash, there is no tax. I have cash app, venmo, zelle, and square. I can ship & I can meet locally]

When you get sick, your 1st thought about getting better shouldn't be "what can I take?"

Always ask yourself, how did I get sick?
Was I eating too much sugar? Have I been eating junk and no fruit and veggies? Am I sleep deprived? Stressed? Did I put my hands in my mouth after touching tons of stuff out in the public?

Your terrain, was created to heal and handle sickness. When we weaken our immune system with junk, poor sleeping habits, no healthy food, no outside time, no sun, no down time, too much screen time, we make ourselves susceptible to sickness. If you don't fuel your body and mind properly they can't heal like they're supposed to.

Yesss!

I want you to know that we will never be able to avoid all the toxic things in this world right now. You need to TRY to eliminate as much as you can, when you can, for your health as well as your family's.

I have so many clients say, "I'm going to die from something," to justify not changing what they can in order to get healthier. I of all people, being a food addict, understand that it's easier to just keep doing what's fun, tasty, & easy. But what people don't really pay attention to is the negative effects our unhealthy choices have on our loved ones around us.

The shame we feel when we mess up and eat too much, or eat the wrong things. When we freak out about the unbearable red & black mold that seems to plague these Florida toilets and tubs so we go buy bleach to kill it. Or we spray toxic perfumes all around our thyroid and nose bcuz we can't resist all the new fragrance or the gifts of candles we get from friends, how could we just throw them away or give the toxic things to someone else?
It's hard to avoid the quick fast food after a long 12 hour work day and your hungry attitude is making everyone irritable. I get it.

But each day, we must try to make healthier choices. Our family needs us as healthy as we can be, bcuz sickness and death is taking so many lives these days. I work with many middle age and older clients. I can't even count how many times a week I hear of people dying, having strokes, getting weird blood clot disorders, getting cancer, rare cancers etc.

We can be in denial, but what we put in and on our body, will directly affect our health.

💚Start small. If you need guidance, i'll gladly help.

🌿1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Drinking tea, true Camellia sinensis, which by the way is alllll the tea that is black, white, green, oolong, pu'erh etc., is truly an experience for the senses!

So many flavors, aromas, feels in a lil cup! Thanks to House Of Waking Life - HOWL for my 1st real tea experience & the joy that I now can experience in my living rm & with others.

🍃Benefits of tea:
Antioxidants
Dental health
Polyphenols
Brain health
Amino acids
Stress reduction
Caffeine/theine
Sustained energy
Flavonoids
Heart health
Digestion
& more

A great way to get MINERALS into your body is to add some blackstrap molasses and a pinch of good quality salt into some room temp or warm water.

Molasses has iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and others. The salt has sodium and other trace minerals.

Not only is this a great thirst quencher, it's great to replenish a depleted body.

I believe I saw somebody post about yard tea. This is where they take edible/medicinal plants from their yard and make a tea out of it.

I wanted to give it a try!

It tastes like an unsweet Arnold Palmer! The wood & sheep sorrel(these have oxalic acids so don't drink a lot of this if you have kidney problems) are tart & delicious.

😲Surprisingly, the "tea" has tea(camelia sinensis) undertones.

It's A Very Enjoyable Yard Tea.🍵

Wholistic health is spiritual health as much as it is physical. Today take time to remember you are valuable. ♡