STAY HEALTHY THIS WINTER

HERBAL MEDICINE-MAKING BASICS

THE SOAKED BEAN 

by Lauren Haddad-Olivet  (holistic nutritionist, herbalist, cook, writer, and lover of plants, animal fats and ferments.)

 

It’s here.

The greyest, windiest, darkest season of the year, the time when our lists of things to do seem endless and our energy levels dwindle. November in Geneva is challenging to even the most cheerful among us. On top of the dreariness, it’s the beginning of cold and flu season.

Could there be a less convenient time to fall ill than the final stretch to the end of the year?

 

LAUREN’S TOP TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY IN WINTER

1. EAT FERMENTED FOODS – 70-80% of our immune system is based in our gut. Support your gut health by eating probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and homemade lacto-fermented vegetables.
2. GET VITAMIN D – at a latitude of over 40°, the vitamin D we absorb from the sun is inaccessible for 9 months out of the year. Geneva is at 46°. Take a vitamin D supplement or eat vitamin D-rich foods like lard, mushrooms, pasture raised eggs and beef liver.
3. DRINK BROTH – chicken and beef broth are mineral-rich, anti- inflammatory and help support immunity and build resistance to colds and flus. Use broth to make soups, stews, braise greens, cook grains or just drink a mug of it every morning.
4. MAKE FIRE CIDER –  fire cider is an age-old herbal remedy for cold and flu season. It helps to stimulate the immune system to ward off viruses and acts as a potent antibacterial and antimicrobial for when you do fall ill.
5. TAKE A WALK IN THE WOODS – studies have now proven what our grandparents knew. Being in nature actually helps to boost our immune systems, fight off infections and lower stress. The perfect remedy for November, indeed.

 

RECIPE FOR FIRE CIDER

Ingredients

1 red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1⁄2 inch horseradish root, grated

1 inch ginger, grated

1 cayenne pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a glass jar.
2. Add honey and fill jar to the very top with apple cider vinegar. Make 
sure your ingredients are completely submerged.
3. Cover the bottom of your jar’s lid with some wax paper. You don’t 
want the lid to rust into your medicine.
4. Let sit in a cool, dry, dark place for 2-4 weeks.
5. Strain ingredients from liquid. Pour liquid into another clean jar. 
Compost your discarded ingredients and label your jar.
6. Take a spoonful or two as a daily tonic or whenever you’re starting to 
feel ill. Keep in the fridge and consume within a year.

 

 

WORKSHOP: HEAL THYSELF:

HERBAL MEDICINE-MAKING BASICS