Herbal Support for Coronavirus ~ ideas from around the world

Herbalists are committed to helping. We want to use remedies which have been proven for centuries to help the immune system, respiratory system and the body in general to be in optimum fighting shape!

We need to remember, that at this time, there are not yet any large trials of herbal medicine treating COVID-19. We are only at the very beginning of this incredible situation.  We are not legally allowed to suggest that an herb has any effect on the prevention, cure, or treatment of any disease, and in this case, we need to repeatedly state, that herbs which have been used for centuries for all manner of symptoms, are only ideas -- suggestions based on longtime use by herbal traditions.

There are some specific combinations of herbs  thought to be helpful with specific symptoms as a part of  herbal support for coronavirus ~COVID-19 ~ but as I mentioned, I cannot stress enough, I am sharing ideas from my own understanding and that of respected herbal professionals around the world-- and it is up to you to read through and make decisions regarding what works for you and your family from the  various recommendations below.

 

At this time, more than ever, we can benefit from a solid plan to make health-conscious choices, and prepare some go-to pantry items, herbal blends, tinctures and immune-boosting condiments.
As cold + flu symptoms, sore throats, respiratory issues and fever -- are some of the concerns during this time, there are some specific remedies which come to mind.

If you haven't read my post on "Coronavirus and Herbs", it's here. I share lots of information about immune supportive herbs, anti-viral herbs, adaptogenic (for stress) herbs and some ideas for medicinal mushroom support. This post can give you some ideas for self-care and ways to optimize your immune system function.
Stay tuned for an easy to follow list of DIY 'self reliant' projects, coming soon ~~to help us stay sane at home!

Sore throats: I firmly believe that if we can stop a sore throat before it takes hold, that's a 'win'. My favourite remedy to use and I always grow enough to ensure it lasts me all winter long! If you don't grow any, pick up some fresh sage at the grocery. Here's a post about Sage medicine and sage tea.

I wrote an ebook a while back, with lots of recipes and formulae for immune support + dealing with colds + flu. It's on sale here. There are so many home remedies which can be 'at the ready' and many of us now have a little time on our hands.. Why not make a few?

 

There is a concern about congestion ~ both sinus and chest congestion. We can make sure to have ingredients on hand at home to be able to help ourselves feel better. Check out this post for some ideas and recipes for warming steams and herbal syrups to soothe. There's an entire group of herbs which support our respiratory system. More about that here and specific lung herbs to consider here.

Make yourself an herbal tea formula, like this one, to help with the treatment of fevers. Put it together now so that you will have it on hand. It's delicious at any time.

Here's another traditional formula, shared with me by a wonderful medical herbalist Susan Elliotson. Susan is famous, around here, for her garden. She is also the current president of the Ontario Herbalists Assocation. (We are upgrading our website and it will be ready in 2 weeks! Will post it)

This is more of a template really, as many herbal traditions can be:
Put together a few of these diaphoretic* herbs in a bowl and mix well.
Store in a glass or opaque jar with a good lid + away from light.
Make it 1 part of at least 3 of these if possible:

Then, add ½ part of
Boneset or Peppermint/Spearmint
or if if these are not available, try
Lemon Balm or Wild Marjoram
diaphoretic* herbs induce perspiration, help the body to sweat

 

If this is all new to you and you are shaking your head.. check out this post  about how to mix + infuse herbs to make infusions or decoctions. For a small container of ready-mixed tea blend, make a "part" be ½ cup of herb. Herbalists tend to share recipes using 'parts' so that we can reduce or expand the amount of the blend by simply choosing 1 tablespoon or 1 cup or more, depending upon the amount available or required!
If you don't have any of these herbs on hand, you can visit your local health food store (mine is still open but I guess it's possible that some are not) or go online to the links in this post for good sources.

 

 

Some folks have written to ask about herbs + cytokine storm issues. If you are concerned about this and want more info about 1)what that means 2)a good perspective for increased understanding, here's an informative post by Agatha Noveille who writes at Indie Herbalist.

My dear friend, teacher + brilliant herbalist, Michael Vertolli published a video discussing ideas for dealing with colds, flu and viruses in general. Take a look here
Michael is founder/director of the Living Earth School of Herbalism, offering predominantly online courses in traditional western herbalism.

Guido Masé  Tammi Sweet, and Deb Soule - three cherished herbal friends, have put together an informative general webinar on COVID-19. You can access it here  Here's a link to the handout/slide show. It's packed with good information.

Guido Masé is a clinical herbalist at Urban Moonshine and an educator at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism

Tammi Sweet Tammi has been a practitioner of herbal medicine and a teacher of primitive skills & herbal medicine for many years. She is co-founder/director at Heartstone Herb School in NY state.

Deb Soule is a long time dear friend and such a special woman. She is the founder and director at Avena Botanicals.Deb is a wonderful herbalist, inspired gardener, amazing teacher. I've had the privilege to know her for 20+ years and can guarantee that her gardens are a glory to be hold if you are ever in Maine.

 

From Phyllis D. Light:
"The closest illness I can think of is "a chest cold on steroids." A dry cough is an initial symptom. To me that indicates that in early stages, the coronovirus infection is a dry illness, not a damp one. It doesn't become damp until later stages of the infection. Like any cold, the trick will be to stop it in the dry, early stage before it becomes ingrained in the tissues and creates dampness. Early stage -- moistening and defending herbals such as elecampane, angelica, yerba mansa, pine, skullcap. Strengthen the tissues with vitamins A and D. Strengthen the terrain with probiotics. Eat lightly so as not to overload the digestive system. Make sure you are pooping everyday and assist that process if needed"
You can find more info about Phyllis and her teachings : here

 

7Song came to Toronto last fall as our keynote speaker at the Ontario Herbalists Assoc. annual general meeting. He is the director/founder of the Ithaca Free Clinic.

Here is his handout called An Herbalist's Notes on Covid19

Paul Bergner from the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism. has put together an herbal resource site for COVID-19 here He discusses 'Herban Legends' about the virus and has some very good information about the cytokine storm debate.

 

From Heather at Red Moon Herbs:
"But even though the symptoms of COVID-19 manifest as hot and dry in some, other are presenting as damp and cold. Some people (up to 50% it seems at this point) will manifest with more gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and some will need more cooling, mucilaginous remedies for the lower respiratory channel."
This pandemic is thought to be an exception, largely because of the scale and speed with which treatment will need to take place. Red Moon Herbs products are made in the Wise Woman Tradition of herbal medicine.

 

 

The American Herbalists Guild (aka AHG) has put together a list of articles and resources. It's quite extensive on a variety of related topics.

Here's a vimeo recording by Thomas Avery Garran, PhD

 

 

This very in-depth article by Todd Caldecott is one of my favourites. It's long but I want to include it for those looking for this depth of study/detail. Todd is a wonderful Ayurvedic herbalist who runs the Dogwood School of Herbal Medicine.

 

Herbal Support for Coronavirus:

My longtime mentors, good friends and herb farmers, Matthias and Andrea Reisen operate the
Healing Spirits Herb Farm

"Healing Spirits is working with the herbs that we have here on the farm and will continue to offer immune-boosting packages with our own special touches to help support your immune system.

Calming and supportive of all systems in the body to help boost immune system for prevention of viral illness.

These packages are designed to boost your immune system (to help prevent) and treat viral symptoms with herbal remedies that have been used for centuries. We do not claim to be able to cure the coronavirus"

Immune-Boosting Package

• Healthy Body Tea 2 oz. Oats, Calendula, Horsetail, Meadowsweet, Cleavers and Chickweed. The tea is beneficial for your nervous system, lymph system, and aches and pains. Drink 4 cups a day.
• Cordyceps Mushrooms 8 oz.  For the immune system. Take 1 tablespoon 1 to 2 times a day.
• Strong Immune Tincture 4 oz. Take ¼ teaspoon 3 times a day, unless you are feeling poorly, then take 6 times a day.
• Japanese Knotweed Tincture 4 oz. Take ¼ teaspoon 3 times a day, unless you are feeling poorly, then take 6 times a day.
• Propolis Throat Spray. Use 3 times a day.
• Mugwort Oil 1 oz. Rub on your lungs and place a hot water bottle (not included) over top once a day.

If you order this from Healing Spirits, when you call, you'll probably be speaking to Andrea or her daughter Juanita or another lovely staff member @ 1 607-566-2701    Do tell them Carol sent you!

Please check the website here for availability ~ If it's not listed for sale, it's "out of stock" for now.

From Stephen Buhner (herbalist + author of the book Herbal Anti-virals)
Stephen has created a support and treatment protocol for past coronaviruses. His book on antiviral herbs has a special place in my library. Herbalists around the world are now sharing this protocol so it has a place here, on the topic of coronavirus and herbs. Stephen has used this with other corona virus infections, including SARS, it says it works well.

We are in 'un-charted territory'.
It is important to remember that CoVid19 is NEW and these ideas are based on Stephen's experience with previous related viruses.

Per Stephen Buhner:
"I have an analysis of how corona viruses infect tissues, what tissues they infect, and the herbs that are useful to interrupt that process, as well as the herbs useful to shut down the cytokine cascade they create on pages 52-55 of Herbal Antivirals.
It is useful reading in that it can inform treatment from a knowledgeable place (there are also some suggestions, not often used by medical professionals, for specific pharmaceuticals that have been found to be useful). Here is a sample protocol. Please note it is rather more extensive than the ones I normally suggest, this is because the particular corona virus that is now spreading world wide is exceptionally potent in its impacts.

Again, this is only a suggested protocol, but all the herbs are specific in one way or another for this virus. A number of the herbs are thought to be strongly antiviral for corona viruses.

In general, I would only begin using these formulations IF there is good reason to believe that the virus is entering your area. The formulations are preventative as well as specific for acute infections, the only alteration is the dosage."

Herbal support for Coronavirus

Formula ideas from Stephen Buhner below and click here for very complete details:
(there is also an 'addendum' to the link  in the line above.. Very interesting.)

Core tincture formulation:
Baikal skullcap (3 parts), japanese knotweed root (2 parts), kudzu (2 parts), licorice (1 part), decocted elder leaf tincture (1 part). Note, the berry will do i guess but it is about ⅓ as effective as the decocted leaf (which no one sells, you have to make it yourself).
Dosage: 1 teaspoon 3x day as a preventative
1 teaspoon 6x daily if active infection present

Immune system, cellular protection, cytokine interruption tincture formulation, supportive for core tincture activity:
Cordyceps (3 parts), Dong Quai (2 parts), rhodiola (1 part), astragalus (1 part).
Dosage: 1 teaspoon 3x day as a preventative
1 teaspoon 6x daily if active infection present

Cellular protection, cytokine interruption, spleen/lymph support tincture formulation:
Dan Shen (3 parts), red root (2 parts), cinnamon (1 part).
Dosage: 1 teaspoon 3x day as a preventative
1 teaspoon 6x daily if active infection present

Also —  With active infection present, make a strong boneset tea and drink 5 to 6x day.
How to make an herbal tea instructions   here.

There's another 'point of view' about the possible treatment of Coronavirus, which takes a different approach. It involves the analysis of plant "lectins" which possess an antiviral component. This is a very in depth article. I will include it here for those interested in other options. I will say that some of the plants thought to be excellent allies from this point of view, include nettles and 'ramps' (wild leeks)

I will continue to add more ideas as time passes. I hope that you have found some answers to questions. May we move through this situation and find ourselves  feeling well ~ on all levels in time.

     with only good wishes + virtual hugs, Carol xo