Did you know that willow bark is the better aspirin? In this medicinal plant compass for winter, I explain why this is the case. And I also present five medicinal plants that you can use to fight cold viruses.
Spikenard: cough remedy from the herbal pharmacy
By the way: With its wound-healing and antibacterial effect, plantain leaves are also ideal as first aid for fresh wounds. Simply rub one or more leaves between your fingers until plant sap comes out. Then place the leaf on the wound.
Fennel fruits for mild gastrointestinal upsets and persistent coughs
"Essential oils stimulate the cilia in the lungs, which remove the mucus," says Wink. "It's best to combine them with natural substances, such as those in ivy or cowslip, which liquefy the mucus beforehand. This makes it easy to cough up afterwards."
Medicinal plant ginger: balm for indigestion and colds
It is said that sailors used to chew ginger root to treat seasickness. No wonder, as it contains valuable pungent substances, polyphenols, bitter substances and essential oils that can soothe an upset gastrointestinal tract in no time.
Pasture bark: Natural painkiller and effective antipyretic
Taken together with the other ingredients - tannins, caffeic acid derivatives and flavonoids - willow bark not only reduces fever, but can also have an anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effect.
If you suffer from hypersensitivity to salicylic acid, this natural remedy is not for you. Otherwise, willow bark tea is a great flu remedy: pour a cup of boiling water over one to two teaspoons of chopped or powdered bark and leave to infuse for 20 minutes, then strain.
Relaxing cold bath with eucalyptus
If you are sensitive to eucalyptus, you may experience stomach pain, diarrhoea or nausea. However, most people are not hypersensitive.
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Cough, cold, flu, sore throat: just a normal winter. Isn't it? No, because this year we're trying something new in the fight against viruses and bacteria: Medicinal plants. There are a whole host of them - which doesn't make it any easier to stick with them and actually choose the right one. No problem, I've done it for you and present five medicinal plants that will help you get through the cold season. I was supported by biologist and medicinal plant expert Prof. Dr Michael Wink.
The Germanic tribes called ribwort plantain the "ruler of the path" because it usually grows on and along paths. The plant with the long, lanceolate leaves is known in phytotherapy as an excellent cough remedy. Unfortunately, there have been few studies to date that have taken a closer look at the effects of ribwort plantain.
What is known so far: The most important ingredient in ribwort plantain is the secondary plant substance aucubin with its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral effects. In addition to aucubin, ribwort plantain contains mucilage, tannins and flavonoids. Biologist Wink knows: "The mucilage plays a special role, helping to remove mucus from the lungs."
A pressed plant juice made from ribwort leaves or a cup of tea can relieve coughs. To make the tea, take one to two teaspoons of dried ribwort leaves and pour a quarter of a litre of boiling water over them. Leave the brew to infuse for ten minutes, then strain. The tea is ready to drink. There are no known side effects. In acute cases, the juice offers an excellent alternative to synthetically produced cough syrup. If you like tea blends, you can combine it with thyme and coltsfoot.
Another natural cough remedy is fennel. You rarely come across fennel in the wild, most likely in the Mediterranean region. The plant is native to this region. Extensive scientific research into the effectiveness of fennel is still pending. The fruits - yes, we are talking about fruits, not seeds - taste good even to the very young and can also be used in children without hesitation and, as far as is known, without side effects. With their essential oils, fatty acids and flavonoids, they have an expectorant, mucolytic and antibacterial effect.
Fennel is not only effective for coughs. The fruits also have an antispasmodic and anti-bloating effect - and are therefore also suitable as a gastrointestinal remedy. Especially for flatulence and gastrointestinal irritation, fennel tea is the remedy of choice from the natural pharmacy. To make it, pour hot water over one to two teaspoons of fennel fruit, cover and leave to infuse for around ten minutes, then strain.
Ginger can do even more: the pungent substances it contains really heat up your body. And: "Ginger is a great remedy for a cold. With its essential oils and polyphenols, it counteracts the cold," says expert Wink. You can simply cut a few slices off the root and chew on them. Or pour a cup of boiling water over the slices - alternatively, you can also take a teaspoon of ginger powder. Leave to infuse for five to ten minutes and enjoy. Or you can cut a little into your food or stir half a teaspoon of powder into your food. For indigestion, "0.5 to 1 g can be taken in the form of tea", recommends Wink in his "Handbuch der Arzneipflanzen".
In principle, the following applies to fever: only reduce the temperature if your doctor expressly recommends it. This is because fever is a natural reaction of the body to get rid of pathogens. Therefore, please seek medical advice before using willow bark. Once you have obtained the OK, you may want to use willow bark instead of aspirin if you have a fever or pain. This is because willow bark contains the herbal equivalent of the synthetically produced main active ingredient in aspirin: Salicylic acid. More precisely, willow bark scores highly with the plant substance salicin. Paracetamol or aspirin work just as well, says Wink, but: "The plant-based version has fewer side effects." This refers to side effects such as micro-bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract or increased bleeding in the event of injury - which can occur when taking aspirin. Or as the expert says: "Salicin from willow does not irritate the stomach." Willow bark works a little more slowly because salicin is first converted to salicylic acid in the liver. This takes two to three hours.
"During a cold bath, essential oils are absorbed through the skin and then released into the lungs," says Wink. The biologist advises paying attention to the dosage, as essential oils can have a toxic effect on the liver if the dose is too high. Therefore, do not add more than a few drops of oil to the bath. A simple recipe goes like this: mix 10 drops of eucalyptus oil with 500g of sea salt. This makes a small winter supply. Add a dash of cream to the bath water as an emulsifier every time you take a bath - so that the oil doesn't float on the water but mixes nicely with it.
Eucalyptus leaves, from which eucalyptus essential oil is extracted, contain around 1.5 to 3.5 % essential oil, with 1.8-cineole or eucalyptol as the main component. The leaves also contain sesquiterpenes, euglobals and flavonoids. Together, these have an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, expectorant and liquefying effect. And we all know it: eucalyptus lets us breathe deeply.
