Homemade Cough Syrup

September 19, 2016 · 11 Comments

Homemade Cough Syrup

Recently my hubby got a really bad cold and cough. He doesn’t often get sick and it really knocked him around. As well as my regular cold and flu fighting remedies, I also made him up a homemade cough syrup. It worked so well I wanted to pop it on the website for you all to try out too.

This homemade cough syrup is from the amazing Aussie naturopath, Mim Beim and her book, Natural Remedies! It’s a must have book for anyone that wants simple home remedies for a huge range of common ailments.

What I love about this remedy is that you probably have the ingredients already in your pantry. No need to source weird herbs or ingredients! You can’t get much simpler.

So this is how you make it:

Homemade Cough Syrup

What you need:

1 onion
enough raw honey to cover

*use organic ingredients if you can get them

What to do:

Chop the onion and place in a bowl. Pour over enough honey to cover and set aside in a warm place for a few hours or overnight. The onion will steep into the honey! Strain into a sterilised jar.

How to use:

Mim says that adults can have one dessertspoon of honey every hour and children can have one teaspoon.

I can’t believe how well it worked, within two doses, he had stopped coughing! That was a relief for all of us, I can tell you!! 😀

When I mentioned this recipe on social media, some of you suggested adding lemon and garlic and you could totally do that as well. In fact the beauty of natural remedies is that you can tailor make them. Pretty cool huh.

Just make sure you are using a good quality honey – not that yucky supermarket stuff!

6 Vapour Chest Rubs that are all natural!

August 6, 2015 · 12 Comments

6 Vapour Chest Rubs that are all natural!

It’s winter and time when the lurgies and germs abound.

Vapour or chest rubs are often used to help relieve symptoms of coughs, colds and flu. However, did you know that the leading vapour rubs on the market contains several toxic ingredients?

Petroleum can be problematic for a number of reasons. It’s one ingredient I steer clear of in skincare.

Camphor is a highly toxic poison and can cause serious problems if consumed. Turpentine oil, while a natural product, can burn the skin and cause respiratory problems.

There are some really great options out there though, so it’s easy to make the switch to something more natural. Here are some of the best!

♥ Chesty Rub by 123 Nourish Me

This Chesty Rub from Alisa and Danni at 123 Nourish Me is fresh and minty. It’s suitable for children over 6 months old and contains high quality organic ingredients and flower essences. Get it here.

♥ Baby Breathe Balm by Bubbles Organic

Bubbles Organics is an awesome Gold Coast based small business, owned by sisters, one of whom is an aromatherapist. Get it here.

♥ Chesty Calm Breathing Balm by My Gypsy Child

Cairns mum Sacha is seeing her organic baby range, My Gypsy Child going from strength to strength. Get it here.♥ Lhami Eucalyptus Balm

New South Wales natural new age mum, Natalie makes this Eucalyptus Balm as part of her natural skincare range, Lhami. Get it here.

♥ Simple As That Vapour Rub

This pharmacist formulated range is great for anyone with sensitive skin who reacts to skin care with lots of ingredients. Also in a Baby Vapour Rub version. Get them here.

♥ The Physic Garden Eucalyptus Rub

The Physic Garden make a huge range of balms and rubs and their Eucalyptus one is a best seller. Get it here.

♥ Kiwiherb Baby Balm

I had to add one more because this one is just so good. It’s very safe and gentle for babies with just herbs and a teeny bit of lavender oil. They also make a De-stuff Rub for everyone else. Find them here.

So, there you have some fabulous alternatives to toxic vapour rub!! I also love supporting Aussie family businesses who are making a difference and have a real passion for health and wellbeing.

If you are handy and have some oils on hand at home, you could also try making your own chest rub.

What do you use at home for chest rub? Is it time to make the swap to something a bit more natural?

*Please always double-check any product or ingredient containing essential oils that you use on babies and toddlers. Here is the current safety information regarding peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil around children from a source I trust, Robert Tisserand.

(parts of this post are sponsored)

How to boost your immune system, naturally!

May 8, 2015 · 7 Comments

How to boost your immune system, naturally!

Heading into the winter season, boosting our immune systems always seems to become more of a priority. There is nothing worse than being struck down by lurgies, but an immune system that is in top shape means you can fight them off with ease. Here are some things you can try:

♥ Probiotics

Good gut health is crucial to a good immune system. Taking a daily probiotic or including fermented foods and bone broth in your diet a great start.

♥ Fruit and Veges

I know it’s obvious, but it really does work! As well as the good old leafy greens and citrus, mushrooms are also particularly beneficial as they increase the level of white blood cells in your body, helping you fight off infections.

♥ Superfoods

I like to think of our superfood powders as our ‘insurance policy’ – that extra protection for my family! I don’t think you can go past Aussie company, Nutra Organics/Superfoods for Kidz for the best superfood powders. They are certified organic and contain quality fruit and vegetables in a concentrated form. It’s a much better way to ‘take your vitamins’ instead of the nasty synthetic options that are full of sugar and fillers.

♥ Garlic and Ginger

Add these two powerhouses to everything you cook! Garlic contains allacin which fights infection and bacteria while ginger has amazing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

♥ Get Good Sleep

Make sure you get a restful sleep every night at the amount of hours right for you. This pub-med study says ‘sleep enhances immune defence’.

♥ Chill Out

Getting stressed really impacts on your immune system! Try to eliminate the stress in your life and relax. Take up yoga or tai chi, go for a walk in the fresh air or watch some funny movies.

♥ Meditate

Get your ommmm on! Studies show that meditation improves your immunity in a positive way. Follow a guided meditation if you are new to meditation – there are plenty of free apps or you tube videos.

♥ Essential Oils

There are a number of essential oils that are great for your immunity. This beautiful Immune Boost blend from Twenty 8 is a powerful decongestant with anti-bacterial properties. Diffuse through your home or pop a drop on your feet at night time. Flora Remedia also make this divine infusion of oils combined with flower essences called Immunity Infusion.

♥ Zinc

Zinc is a well-known immune booster and can be found in red meat, eggs, pumpkin seeds, chicken, fish and sunflower seeds. Be careful about taking supplements though, because too much zinc can compromise your immune system.

♥ Herbs

There are so many great herbs that help your immune system and several ways you can take them.

Herbal teas are delicious and easy to make part of your daily routine. This Love Tea Immunity blend is designed by a naturopath and especially to strengthen your immune system. Get a tea flask and sip on it all day! I like to add a wedge of lemon and a sliver of ginger as well. Staying hydrated also helps keep your immune cells working well.

Herbal liquid blends can take a bit of getting used to taking but hold your nose and down the hatch! We find that taking a dose as soon as you get a niggle can prevent anything from taking hold. Try Kiwi Herb’s Immune Guard, or Olive Leaf Extract.

♥ Bone Broth

Make up some of this nourishing traditional broth and improve your immune system! Extra garlic, ginger and turmeric will really have a potent brew. Find how to make it here.

♥ Healthy Lifestyle

Keep smoking and drinking to a minimum or eliminating it all together is one of the best things you can do for your immune system. Exercising regularly will improve your circulation and help keep your immune system humming along nicely. Regular hand washing can also keep away colds and flus.

I hope these tips on how to boost your immune system, naturally have given you some ideas.

How to beat cold and flu – naturally!

May 31, 2012 · 29 Comments

How to beat cold and flu – naturally!

Colds, coughs, snotty noses, flu ….. ugggh! Is there anything worse?

Well, it doesn’t have to happen at your house quite so frequently. We haven’t had a flu or even a bad cold in years at our place!

There is no ‘cure’ for the common cold but natural, toxin-free remedies can help stop the lurgies from getting too bad. As you know, I am not a doctor or a naturopath or have any medical qualifications at all. All I know is that my family hasn’t had a flu or even a really bad cold in ages (actually, this probably coincides quite nicely with our decision to go toxin-free!)

All I can share is things I have researched and tried out over the years that work for us.

First though I think we need to talk about prevention. Everyone says ‘prevention’ is better than cure, right?

What we do to prevent colds and flu:

* a diet high in fresh, organic fruits and vegetables

* a healthy lifestyle (exercise, sleep, toxin-free, no smoking, no drinking, not getting rundown)

* probiotics or fermented foods on a daily basis

* lots of water

* thorough washing of hands

* essential oils like Immune Boost blend from Twenty 8

* drink bone broth (with lots of ginger, turmeric and garlic in it) regularly or put it in our food

* freak out and run away from anyone with a cold 😛

What we do if we start feeling a bit sick:

* olive leaf extract – a couple of doses a day. It tastes feral, but we mix it with a little juice and do a juice chaser. It makes me shiver every time !

* several doses of Super Greens and Reds green powder

* rest, rest, rest

* extra fruit and veges (green smoothies usually do the trick)

* ingest coconut oil, usually in a herbal tea or smoothie

* Immune Boost blend essential oil in the diffuser and on the soles of the feet overnight

What we do if the germs get us:

* all of the above, plus

* a natural chest rub that we make ourselves (and we also use it on feet at night)

* manuka honey, coconut oil and lemon in chamomile tea