Despite living as healthy as I can, I of course still get sick sometimes and regularly hurt myself by being, well, extremely clumsy. But then what is there to do for a soon to be mama that dosen´t take medication (if possible) or use toxic chemicals? When I feel something hitting me I try a few of the natural remedies that I have collected in my toolbox over the years from herbal doctors and other wellness enthusiasts. I wanted to share with you the ones that I have found work very well and inspire you to make your own natural emergency kit.

*if you are on other medication, please advise with a doctor before trying these methods.

*You try it for you, I am just building this on my experience!

DAGNÝ´S EMERGENCY KIT

ALOE VERA – It should be a stable in every household having an Aloe Vera plant. It dosen´t need much from you but serves a big purpose for blisters, burns, sunburn and skincare in general.

BAKING SODA – Baking-soda can be great for heartburn and UTI´s symptoms. Mix a half a teaspoon to water and drink it, only once a day, I would not recommend more. This helps with the symptoms of UTI´s but maybe not the cause, cranberry juice is the best for that. You will feel a difference in just a few minutes after drinking the baking soda mix.

C – VITAMIN – The absolute best against all flu-ish sicknesses. I always try to have a high quality C-vitamin in all forms in my toolkit. These days, this one is my favourite. When I feel any symptoms I try to be proactive and take C-vitamin straight away to try to stop it in its tracks, and I also shorten the time sick by taking it every day.

CRANBERRY JUICE – Strong and undiluted 100% cranberry juice from a health food store can do miracles fighting UTI´s. But it has also been researched that it contributes to lower cholesterol, better digestion, and fights other types of infections, like noro-virus and more. So perfect to have with you when traveling to far-away lands.

CHAMOMILE– is such a great herb for all that have trouble with sleeping. I have also read, but not yet tried, that chamomile tinctures can calm the mouth of teething babies. If you make chamomile tea its a great night cap and reusable, the cold tea can be a great tonic for the skin but also its good to spice up a bathtub with used teabags or the camilla flowers for a soothing effect.

COCONUT OIL– I love coconut oil and use it for many things. It´s great for cooking, for oilpulling and on topical wounds as its a disinfective.

EUCALYPTUS– is not just beautiful as home decoration but also great for a cold, when you have a stuffed nose or other problems with breathing. Then its good to put a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil in hot water, put a towel over the bowl and breath in the steam for a few minutes. Its also good to mix it with coconut oil and put it on your chest to loosen up slime.

EPSON SALT– Always good to have for a bath for soar muscles, after a hard day or when injuries show up.

GARLIC – One of natures strongest flu killers. When me or my partner feel any symptoms of the flu, we eat a clove of garlic. Is it sexy? No. Does it work? Yes!

GINGER – Oh ginger, so great against alls kinds of sickness and is beneficial in every form; tea, dust, vitamin form and fresh. Most of us know that ginger is great for a cold and as a spice, but not many use it for motion sickness and morning sickness. I found that ginger tea amazing for sea sickness when I was sailing in South America, it actually saved the trip (that and peppermint). I drank it every two hours to keep the stomach calm.

ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR– I always have a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar in the kitchen. I mix one teaspoon into water every hour to shorten the flu. It also helps with digestion and is great for food poisoning but also for every day digestion problems so its good to take two hours before a meal.

PROBIOTICS- Taking a good probiotic can help us being proactive against any type of sickness. The probiotics gets you better digestion and that helps the body fight bad germs that lead to many problems. Especially important for mothers that are planning to have babies to think about their flora as the babies inherent there mother flora. I would always recommend buying a high quality probiotic in a health food store.

PEPPERMINT – Another amazing herb for digestion. I chew fresh mint leaves when I sail but peppermint is also great for headaches, then I use a few drops of essential oil, but it behind my ears and on my temple. Its also good to have it with when traveling as it fights food-borne illnesses like E-coli and salmonella.

TURMERIC – Such a great medicine from nature (if you don´t know the benefits, google it!). It´s the best thing nature has for inflammation which is the root of many chronic illnesses. The active ingredient in Turmeric, curcumin, works wonders for inflammation rooted illnesses like arthritics and is a great proactive medicine for all kinds of other life threatening illnesses. Use it for cooking and if you have active inflammation make a cup of golden milk every night. Curcumin the active ingredient in turmeric is better absorbed when mixed with black pepper, so mix together a herbal milk, turmeric and black pepper for a highly beneficial night cap.

YARROW (ICELANDIC: VALLHUMALL) – It has long been called natures band-aid and no wonder. It is said to help with digestion, cramps, tooth-ache, UTI´s, arthritis, headache and infections in the airway. It grows wild in many parts of Iceland and is thought of as one of the best medical herbs we have. I drink yarrow tea especially for pms, infections and fever. Three cups a day during the flu is my advise!

Hope this gives you some inspiration! Do you have any great natural tips for the flu?

xo

Dagný