By Joyce White

While the experts in medicine, science and pharmacology work diligently at creating a vaccine to protect humans from COVID-19, there are many things we can do for ourselves.  Most are inexpensive, have no worrisome side effects, are easily obtained, and have a long track record for effectiveness. Many come from plant sources and were often first introduced to Europeans settlers by Native Americans.

I have not seen or heard mention of most of them in the usual admonitions to wash hands, wear masks, shelter in place and it may be months before an effective vaccine is found. The heading of an article in April 24 edition of The Week entitled “Scientists hunt for a COVID-19 treatment” begins with the statement: “With a COVID-19 vaccine unlikely for at least a year, scientists around the world are conducting some 300 clinical trials into existing or experimental treatments that might help patients infected with the coronavirus.” 

And even if they get a vaccine, how do we know it will be safe?  

In the meantime, if you smoke, give your lungs a break. Do some deep breathing of fresh air. Viruses are less likely to survive where there is sufficient oxygen.  

Did you know that eating sweets will depress your immune function for several hours? I was already an adult with teenage children when I noticed that often after I’d spent a couple hours scarfing down M&Ms while  playing Scrabble that I’d have a sore throat and cold symptoms  within the next day or so. I suspected that the candy had something to do with colds, but I hadn’t seen any scientific evidence. My suspicion  was eventually confirmed by science. Sugar does indeed interfere with the ability of macrophages to function effectively for several hours. Macrophages are the cells responsible for detecting, engulfing and destroying invading organisms, an important aspect of our immune systems.

In addition to observing the prescribed ways of preventing COVID-19 when doing necessary shopping,  gargling  afterwards with a mild solution of cider vinegar and water—or even just salt and water—will go a long way in removing any unhealthy particle we may have been exposed to.

My first experience with the possibility of healing with plant medicine came in the 1990s when the naturalist at Baxter State Park, Jean Hoekwater, casually mentioned that she was going to harvest her Echinacea plants and make a tincture for healing colds and flu. 

Her Echinacea plants, tall with varying shades of pink and magenta blooms, were vibrant and she showed me how to make a medicinal tincture from the flowers and stems using vodka to extract the healing properties from the chopped plant material. I grow my own plants and I’ve used it ever since when exposed to colds or flu for its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It works as a preventive and as a treatment if one does get sick, but it is most effective if used frequently right at the beginning of symptoms.  It is readily available now at most health counters in both capsules and tincture.

Boneset is new to me, but is a very old treatment especially for fever and achiness from flu viruses, but also for many other ills that humans experience. It got its name for its usefulness in treating “break-bone fever,” technically known as Dengue which is characterized by fever and severe joint and muscle pain, described by some as “aching down to the very bones.”   

Boneset is a perennial which grows wild in much of Canada and the United States. Its leaves are hairy ending in long points. Bunches of white, feathery flowers form a flat top on a straight, hairy stem and is most often found in moist places. I haven’t made this one myself yet, but I order herbal preparations I don’t make myself from Maine’s Avena Botanicals in Rockport or Swanson catalog.

Peterson’s Field Guide describes boneset as “a common home remedy of nineteenth-century America, extensively used by Native Americans and early settlers. It was widely used during the flu epidemics of the 19th and early 20th centuries with reported success, mainly as a leaf tea to induce sweating in fevers, flu and colds. It was also used for malaria, rheumatism, muscular pains, spasms, pneumonia, pleurisy and gout.” It is also reputed to taste pretty bad and large doses can induce vomiting and diarrhea.

Astragalus is a Chinese herb that I use all year round as an immune stimulant. It is reputed to be helpful in preventing Lyme disease as well as many other ailments. This one is available in extracts and capsules, as well in the root itself in strips that resemble tongue depressors. Those strips of bark are useful to put in soups and stews. As the stew cooks, astragalus releases its immune-boosting properties.

Joyce White is a resident of Stoneham.