Viral Emergency Kit

Viral Emergency Kit

Under the threat of Covid19 and flu and viral season in general, here is a list of food, herbs, and supplements I would keep on hand in case you need to shelter in place while healing and caring for yourself.

Here is a list of recommendations from IFM, it is geared toward practitioners but very helpful for all, it includes dosing information. 

And this is another link from the IFM website that talks about the lifestyle impact and what lifestyle factors are important to keep your immune response healthy. 

Herbs, supplements, food medicines:

  • Ginger – keep powdered ginger always on hand and keep fresh ginger as you can.  Powdered ginger is more heating than fresh so it does add a little extra punch.
  • Turmeric – both powdered and fresh as you can.  Here is a link on ways to use turmeric everyday, and at the very end is my potent turmeric tea recipe I use when I am feeling ill.
  • Licorice extract (Glycyrrhiza glabra) – for longer term usage get DGL licorice extract or powder or supplement.
  • Elderberry syrup or dried berries
  • Zinc supplements
  • Melatonin (a supplement not an herb) – I keep this on hand too as it is highly anti-inflammatory, helps with sleep, and also aids in preventing the cytokine storm that can happen when your immune system is “freaking out”.  I like the liquid version Dr. Douillard makes at Lifespa.   
  • Berberine Extract
  • Mushrooms
  • Honey – I know its more a food than an herb but it behaves as a medicine!  Honey is good for killing bacteria and soothing your throat, and helping your body to eliminate mucus. Dip in a teaspoon and lick it off or add a teaspoon to warm teas.  A nice honey lemon option is to mix honey and juice of a lemon together and eat. 
  • Oregano – dried (always have on hand) and fresh if you can.  Oregano is a powerful anti-microbial, you can make a strong tea with it when you actively have a flu virus, you can also use it prophylactically in cooking 🙂
  • Echinacea – dried or tinctured.  I add tincture to my teas, about a dropper full.  I add it once or twice per week preventatively and 1-2x per day if sick. 
  • Chlorella / Blue Green Algae – I always keep this on hand as well, it helps your body cleanse (detox) itself and circulate oxygen.  I like the spirulina from Hawaii.
  • Triphala – an ayurvedic herb that helps your body cleanse and detoxify — it also helps to prevent the cytokine storm that is responsible for many of the covid19 deaths.  You can get the herb in pill form at banyanbotanicals.com or in powder form to add to honey or make tea with. 
  • Sunshine 😉  aka Vitamin D – Get outside and sit in the sun (if its warm enough), a little sweat if you are well hydrated could be helpful as well.
  • I use citrus for Vitamin C, but always good to have a good Vitamin C supplement on hand as well.  I like the vitamin C here.  

Foods:

  • Lemons, limes, and citrus in general.  Try to always keep ample amounts of citrus in your house.
  • Sip on Mineral or Bone Broth
  • Horseradish for chest congestion
  • Apples
  • Fire Cider — this needs to be made about 30 days ahead of time.  I always keep a batch of this on hand, when current batch is low I get another brewing.  I use this occasionally just as a tonic, in illness I will take a tablespoon 1-3x per day.
    • If you didn’t get that message 30 days ahead of time … you can do an internet search on a “cheat” fire cider that you heat over low heat for a couple hours instead of letting it ferment and brew.

And Lastly … Aromatherapy.  Here is what I put together when researching viral respiratory oils:  There are a lot of essential oils that are both anti-viral and respiratory oils, I will list just a few common ones here: 

  • Eucalyptus
  • Thyme (better to diffuse, has some concerns topically)
  • Tea Tree
  • Spearmint & Peppermint
  • Silver Fir
  • Pines – scots pine, pinon pine, Juniper berry
  • Black Spruce
  • Laurel
  • Fragonia

Diffuse into the air — this works two ways: 

  • one by breathing in the molecules you will absorb them through your lungs and they will get into your bloodstream from there.  
  • And secondly, IF the virus comes into contact in the air with the essential oil components it has the ability to kill them airborne.

Lemon and thyme are potent anti-virals, pines, spruces, and firs are also great respiratory oils and anti-virals.  Here is a nice diffuser blend made with common oils, you can substitute with any of the oils listed above:

  • Peppermint – 2 drops
  • Pine (Pinus sylvestris) – 4 drops
  • Pinon Pine – 4 drops
  • Laurel (Laurus noblis) – 2 drops
  • Bergamot – 8 drops

Here is a recipe for an Air Spritzer:

2020 CoVid19 Air Spritzer

  • 1/4 oz vinegar
  • 3/4 oz high proof vodka or 91% Rubbing Alcohol
  • 9-10 drops of a conifer (any pine or fir essential oil)
  • 5 drops Sweet Orange
  • 5 drops Litsea cubeba aka May Change
  • 3 drops Rose Geranium
  • 2 drops Thyme

Shower floor blend – You can use the same diffuser blend above in  stock bottle to drop a couple drops in your shower or just simply drop couple drops of a pine or fir oil in the back of your shower while showering where the vapors catch the volatile components but not the water.  For a shower floor / diffuser blend stock bottle:

  • Peppermint – 10 drops
  • Pine (Pinus sylvestris) – 20 drops
  • Pinon Pine – 20 drops
  • Laurel (Laurus noblis) – 20 drops
  • Bergamot – 40 drops

Nice personal inhaler recipe I found in a blog from my school NYIAS:  

  • Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus or radiata) – 8 drops 
  • Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) – 4 drops
  • Lemon (Citrus limon) – 13 drops

Here is a nice chest clearing breathing salve I make.

Body Oil – Here is a nice body oil recipe you can make that somewhat stimulating, but chest clearing and sinus opening blend:

  • 2 oz of carrier oil – sesame is best, combining 1 oz each of sesame and hazelnut is a lovely mix, hazelnut is not as common so you could use sunflower or olive oil — or could use just straight sesame oil.
  • Essential oil Blend:
    • 11 drops – Fir – I like douglas fir, any fir oil you have will work.
    • 8 drops – Pine – pinon pine is lovely and my absolute favorite — any pine oil you have will work.
    • 4 drops – Laurel
    • 13 drops – Sweet Orange or Grapefruit

Drop essential oils into the bottom of your 2 oz jar, add in carrier oils and roll the jar around in your palms for a few seconds.

To Use:  Use just after shower while skin is still damp (or spray your skin with a hydrosol) and massage in oil to chest, upper back and upper body.  If you have aches or pains, use a little more pine and rub it especially over your achy areas for additional healing.

Yarrow Chest Clearing Oil:  Yarrow Chest Oil – for 2020 covid-19 pandemic:

  • 1/2 oz. Tamanu
  • 1 tsp approx. Sea buckthorn
  • 1/4+ oz. St. Johns Wort

EO synergy ~5% dilution

  • Eucalyptus Stageriana – 5 drops (or any Eucalyptus you have)
  • Rosemary ct. cineole – 9 drops (or any rosemary you have)
  • Yarrow – 14 drops
  • peppermint – 9 drops
  • Hyssop – 14 drops

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