At First Sign of Cold...

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As the days grow shorter, wetter, and increasingly frigid, it’s helpful to have a few recipes on hand to weather the cold season. At first sign of cold… is a short collection of our favorite herbal recipes and practices to help stay healthy as the world moves indoors for winter.

The weather is shifting again. Last week’s light frost melted the tender herbs in the garden, and I suddenly found myself rattling around at a hurried pace, gleaning the final harvests, and outfitting my coffers for a long hibernation. 

We are coming upon the part of the year where life mostly moves indoors, and we gather in closed and close quarters while all manner of ills challenge our reserves. This time of year when colds and such tend to circulate, it’s helpful to maintain a well stocked home apothecary for nourishing support when we need it most, and often at a moment's notice.

Gentle plant remedies are easy to reach for, especially when they arrive in the form of a delicious meal, or a comforting tea. Keeping a few common ingredients on hand can set the foundation for a peaceful and healthy cold season. In our house, we’ve been well served by keeping some common pantry essentials continually stocked…

Fresh garlic, fresh ginger, carrots, celery, and potatoes, dried mint, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, honey, and some vegetable, mushroom, and chicken broth.

In an instant I know I can respond to most of the discomfort that comes with feeling under the weather, while also supporting our immune system with comforting meals infused with medicinal plants.

The following recipes and practices are common in our household because they are relatively easy, available, and powerfully rejuvenating. When someone starts sniffling, a cough rumbles in a crowded gathering, or we start to generally feel run down from all the holiday cheer, the comfort and support of the plants are always close by.

Soup for Supper

Easy to digest, nourishing, and a bubbling repository for enumerable plant extracts - when we are teetering on the brink of infection or in the throes of infirmity, soup is what’s for supper.

A restorative immune supporting soup is all about the special alchemy that is rendered within a quality slow- stewed broth. Certain times of year, when the ingredients naturally make themselves available, I concoct large pots of medicinal broth and freeze (or can) them for storage. 

This recipe utilizes a slow cooker to glean the benefits of a long infusion from a few minor moments of effort in the morning.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to a chicken or vegetable based immune-boosting and nourishing soup. I’ve laid out a loose recipe that can be modified to utilize whatever ingredients are on hand, but also provides context for the reason behind the season. 

This recipe can also be prepared in a pot on the stove, or a dutch oven, but the beauty of a slow cooker is that it demands the kind of energy easy to muster when you’re sick - almost none.

Ingredients:

Chopped onions and garlic; We’re looking for pungent alliums so any shallots, scallions, or even garlic grass ripped from the yard works here. Alliums have strong antibacterial, antimicrobial, and expectorant effects particularly useful during times of congestion.

Vegetables - celery, carrots, parsnips, and/or sweet potato; Starchy vegetables, in addition to being a good source of nourishing vitamins, also help maintain healthy digestion thanks to their fiber content. Keeping the body ‘regular’ will aid in our natural ability to detoxify and maintain proper immune function.

Dried Herbs - pinch of thyme, rosemary, oregano, and or parsley; Common culinary herbs are filled with a host of medicinal qualities thanks to their high concentration of volatile oils (and that’s also why they smell so amazing!). They have a dispersive effect on our respiratory, digestive, and circulatory systems, helping the body to process stagnated fluid and mucus that may accumulate as we fend off infection.

Mushrooms - dried or fresh; Mushrooms offer powerful immune support, and are well regarded for their antiinflammatory effect. Sun dried shiitake mushrooms are one of the only plant based forms of bioavailable vitamin D. Maitake, shiitake, and lion’s mane are all great options, but I’d steer clear of reishi because the intense bitterness will soil an otherwise delicious pot of soup.

Grains - brown rice, short pasta, millet, barley, or couscous; Easy to digest sustenance is on the menu when we’re under the weather. A long cook time will soften grains helping the body to limit its energy expenditure on digestion, leaving more strength available for increased immune function.

Broth - chicken, vegetable, or mushroom; I’m going to do a post on medicinal broths, I think, good idea? Fortunately, for the purposes of this recipe any box of chicken, vegetable, or mushroom broth will work. In a pinch, just use water and couple big pinches of salt. The long infusion time in the slow cooker will essentially create a broth out of the ingredients. You could also toss in some chicken, and it will cook and contribute to the quality of the broth as it slowly heats all day long.

Combine all ingredients except the fresh herbs and greens into the slow cooker. Make sure to completely submerge in broth or water. Set the cooker on low and allow it to infuse for at least 7 hours. Check in every few hours and add more water if needed to keep ingredients well submerged.

Fresh herbs & greens - parsley, chives, spinach, kale; Really any wild greens will do including a few dandelion leaves pinched from the yard. We want to add these tender leaves to the pot towards the end for a kick of fresh flavor. There’s no danger in adding them earlier, they’ll just break down more during the cooking process. But, that’s the beauty of a medicinal pot of soup, all the health benefits of plants are broken down and infused in a readily available form.

Stir in fresh herbs and greens and allow to infuse for another 10 minutes. Serve and save leftovers to get everyone through the next few days.

The Drink

Many years ago when my partner was weathering a bad cold, moaning and tossing about, I told him there was a magic drink that would rescue him, if only he could brave the bold concoction. Desperate for relief he obliged and I set to work brewing the strong drink, ingredients undisclosed. 

Like I promised, he felt better after one steaming cup, and came to call on the mystery brew in times of need. Please make “the drink” he’ll ask when times get tough, and so that’s what I’ve taken to calling it. 

The ingredients (revealed below) are common in a popular herbal vinegar based infusion colloquially called fire cider. In this beverage form, the modified recipe can be whipped up in 15 minutes on the fly.

Bold but comforting, this drink is like being wrapped in a warm blanket from the inside out, and a good idea for a cold day.

Ingredients:

1 inch of fresh ginger grated; Pungent and stimulating, ginger warms the body, helping to stimulate and assist natural immune function.

2 large fresh garlic cloves chopped; Again, alliums have strong antibacterial, antimicrobial, and expectorant effects particularly useful during times of congestion.

Simmer at a very low boil in 12 oz. of water for 15 minutes. Some of the water will evaporate in the process and that is ok, and part of the reduction process that creates a strong decoction.

Strain out the ginger and garlic and stir in…

The juice of one lemon; A great source of vitamin C, with the added benefit of being mildly astringent on mucus membrane tissues.

1 heaping teaspoon of honey; Created from a wide range of plants through the special alchemy enacted by bees, the health benefits of honey are widely established. In addition to its nutritive and immune enhancing effects, the physical quality of honey also offers relief to ravaged mucus membranes.

1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar; Antimicrobial and astringent, vinegar imparts a lot of the same benefits as lemon in this recipe.

Sit and sip.

Elderberry Everything

I’ll admit we’re partial to elderberry over here. But what’s not to love about a potent immune boosting berry with some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants available - that also happens to be delicious? 

Elderberry extracts, syrups, and elixirs have been a mainstay in the home apothecary throughout the ages because this gentle, powerful berry genuinely supports immune function, helping to prevent seasonal infections from taking root, and likewise supporting the body in swift recovery. 

It is also incredibly gentle, safe for kids, and when prepared correctly, can be consumed like any food on a regular basis. 

When we’re talking about elderberry in this way, we are talking about the prepared form (syrup, elixir, extract, honey, jam). Note of caution: elderberry should not be consumed raw.

There are many recipes available with a quick search online, and we’ve got our own super concentrated blend available here. Stock up on some bottles to stay well- fortified this season, and incorporate elderberry into your daily routine to reap the benefits of its preventative support and anti-inflammatory effects.

Below are some delicious ideas for incorporating elderberry into your daily routine beyond the spoonful. 

Once daily is a preventative therapeutic dose, but during times of acute upset, increase consumption to three times daily.


Elderberry; Potent antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects make elderberry useful for supporting the immune system with accelerated recovery from colds, bronchitis, and influenza. Thanks to its capacity to prevent viral replication in host cells, elderberry is also uniquely useful in preventing infection.

Elderberry for breakfast on oats, pancakes, yogurt, waffles, and in smoothies

Easy Elderberry Tea, just a spoonful in hot water

Elderberry Nip, add to drinks in place of a simple syrup, mix, and drink to health!

Additional tips and practices?

Keep a quality essential oil of thyme on hand, and release a few drops on the shower floor while you wash to open and cleanse respiratory pathways.

Lemon balm, passion flower, mint, and chamomile are helpful herbs to keep on hand for a relaxing tea. Sometimes the body can become overly constricted from the discomfort of being under the weather. Plants like these with nervine effects, can also impart relaxation throughout other areas of the body.

Keep some throat lozenges on hand, and use them even if your throat is not giving you trouble. Keeping our mucus membranes moist ensures the first line of immune defenses in our macrophage cells will be primed for the job. It's a counter to the dry heat we experience indoors all winter long that can have a deleterious effect on our body’s ability to fight infection before it takes root.

Get some fresh air and sunlight. It may be tempting to spend the entirety of the day under the blankets, but fresh air and sunlight have well documented healing powers not to be underestimated.

What are your favorite herbal tips and tricks for the cold season? Please share in the comments below!