Strengthen your lungs and you strengthen your sense of ease in the world …

In Chinese medicine, lung problems are most often associated with grief. I saw an example of this in my youngest son. He had a wonderful relationship with his nanny, who had been with us until he was eight years old. She felt then that he was too old for her to be useful to him any more and decided to leave. She found separating from this child, whom she so loved, very hard and when he expressed sadness about her going she urged him not to cry. So he swallowed his grief. It soon erupted in asthma attacks. It was not until he felt able to express the grief and let it go that they cleared completely. There are a number of herbs that I use to strengthen the lungs, helping to protect against asthma and bronchitis, sinusitis, coughs and catarrh.

Herbal Beauty

Marshmallow means to heal

Its botanical name is Althaea officinalis from the Greek altho which means ‘to heal’. Not only is marshmallow, right, ideal used as an ointment to heal sores and speed wound healing, this lovely plant with flowers rich in flavonoids and mucilage also soothes mucous membrane and strengthens the lungs against attack from exposure to passive smoking and pollution. It also soothes, strengthens and tones the bladder, helping to protect the urinary system from infection. You can make an infusion of marshmallow and drink it three times a day.

Elderberry protectors

Long before the coming of vitamin C syrups, wise women used elderberries (Sambucus nigra) to strengthen the lungs and protect from winter colds and flu. Elderberry supports the immune system too and is a natural laxative, which is why elderberry tinctures are so useful in detoxifying the body. I recommend taking 1 teaspoon of tincture in a little water three times a day.

Roman secrets

In practice Roman camomile (Anthemis nobilis), left and its near cousin German camomile (Matricaria chamomilla) are practically identical in properties. It is the flowers from these plants that you use either in tea form — drunk a couple of times a day — or as a tincture: 1 teaspoon in half a glass of water before bed each night. They are a gentle but effective way to strengthen both lungs and nervous system against asthmatic attacks in those prone to them.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Herbal Medicine Purifying the Lungs