Medicinal Plants for Colds and Flu

By Aaron Matas

Elderberry Juice! That's it, you don't need anything else.... Well, Thyme is Commission E approved for Coughs and Bronchitis, you could add some fresh Thyme to your Chicken soup along with a little Commission E approved Onion. Maybe a little Garlic. Radish Honey juice for Whooping Cough sounds a little far fetched so I won't mention it. But the Teas, a little Anise or Clove with some Mint and Honey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781304116048

Book preview

Medicinal Plants for Colds and Flu

Medicinal Plants for Colds and Flu

Third Edition

Copyright © 2013 Aaron Matas

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-304-11604-8

Sources Referenced

FIJIAN medicinal plants R.C. Cambie AND J. Ash -> FMP

PDR for Herbal Medicines 4th ed. 2007 -> PDR

Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals Max Wichtl 3rd ed. 2004-> HDP

PDR - abbreviation for Physician's Desk Reference

Most Herbal PDR information cited or referenced from Germany's Commission E (similar to America’s FDA) and PhytoPharm U.S. Institute of Phytopharmaceuticals

Fiji plants and references can be found in FIJIAN medicinal plants

Additional information from

An Illustrated Guide To Herbs their medicine and magic by Anna Kruger 1993

A Few Notes

See ..White Mustard

A lifelong interest in herbs and plants. Three and a half years in pre-med and a degree in Electrical Engineering. I found an article on Garlic about 20 years ago. It listed specific viruses and bacteria. I loved it. Wondered when someone would put the information together and make it easier to get to. The economy is bad and work is slow. I’ve been working on this information steady for about 10 years now. I sent a copy of the first revision to my brother, his reply ‘WHAT IS IT?" That was the original book ‘1000 Plants and Remedies’. Seven, eight or nine revisions later I tried to get it published, finally someone suggested a book for each ailment. Still not good enough, ‘its just a list’ or ‘you need pictures, maybe some recipes’. Almost forgot, ‘(1)why did you include Fiji plants?’  ..because I originally made an ailments index for a friend in Fiji, also most plants are found in the tropics and we’ve got global warming and cross referencing two good sources made a lot of sense to me. Most plants are not found in both books, but the ones that are, usually agree about the beneficial effects. Information from half way around the world from another culture that agrees with scientific data from our western culture kinda clinches it for me. This stuff works!

(2)Why did you include Fiji plants?  …My first trip I twisted up my ankle real good. The locals said they had a lot of cures and after two or three different remedies I finally wrapped my ankle in a leaf, I don’t know which one. I go back seven years later and one of the locals ask me for Advil, another asked for some other western medicine. Actually I just thought of this now, I visited 2001 and 2008, now its 2013. They are losing their medicinal lore. Just like we lost ours.

Why did you include Fiji plants? …..To preserve their culture.

A lot of these plants are found in Florida, Texas and further south. Jeff Masters posted a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map showing the shift upward from 1990 to 2012.

Pictures or additional information, where? Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR), its online, has a lot of good pictures. Wikipedia was the only resource where I could type in the scientific name and consistently find information. Common names can be misleading at times.

If in doubt, consult a Professional

Allergies?, Nursing or pregnant? Taking medications? Very young or very old? Chronic illness? - Check with a professional.

I DO NOT go into the woods and find natural medicines. I’m not smart enough to do that. I check maybe 3 or 4 different sources, people, books, the internet and etc..  When I am absolutely certain I have the right plant and dosage, I take a very small amount. Wait a day or two and try it again. DO NOT experiment! There is enough information out there. You