 "Photo: Mitch Ramos / UCD Advocate")
No matter the strain, the only thing students may enjoy about the flu is that it allows for extended deadlines and excused absences. But if those perks don’t outweigh being bedridden, welcome to the brains of an herbalist and a nutritionist, and the world of an apothecary.
Catherine Perry is a community herbalist and the shop manager of the Apothecary Tinctura off of 6th Avenue and Fillmore. According to their website, it is a store and clinic devoted to promoting natural ways of living and healing.
At the Apothecary Tinctura, customers can find recipes for cough syrups and other remedies. Or customers can conveniently have the remedies made for them by employees. In addition, the apothecary has bulk herbs that can be combined for unique teas—some of which can aid in treating the flu.
Perry said that during flu season, “prevention is most important. People need to sleep, they need to wash their hands, and they need to eat well.”
Robin King, who works at the apothecary with Perry, is studying to be a nutritional therapist. To elaborate upon eating well, she said that “vitamin C rich foods, like broccoli and strawberries, and zinc rich foods, like peanuts and potatoes, are all effective in revving up our immune system.”
She also advised avoiding sugar because it “competes for the same binding cites as vitamin C and can interfere with its absorption.”
Perry suggested an alternate way of prevention by doing “facial steams” with ravensara essential oil, which she described as “highly antiviral.” She said to boil water, fill a bowl about halfway, drop in several drops of the oil, sit down with the bowl in your lap, cover your head and the bowl with a towel, and breathe in the steam and essential oils. This can be beneficial by “breaking up congestion and getting antiviral essential oils into your system.”
However, if you feel the onset of the flu, the only thing to do is focus on how to minimize its effects.
King advised “ingesting as much garlic as possible for its antiviral and antimicrobial properties.” This means that it will cause viruses and harmful microbes to die off.
To treat coughs, the apothecary has recipes for syrups. Perry suggested “elderberry syrup with rosehips, which is high in vitamin C, astralagus, which provides immune support, and cinnamon and ginger which raise our body temperature.” This may sound foreign, but so is the bright green licorice-flavored mystery syrup found at other pharmacies.
King also advised avoiding dairy when you are sick or recovering from an illness because “it is mucous-forming and can hinder healing.”
There’s no doubt that the flu has come to campus, and it never hurts to have resources for prevention, treatment, and recovery, especially when mom is out of state and the girlfriend has it, too. Eating right and resting are always advised, but now it is crucial.
For more information, visit www.apothecarytinctura.com
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