My Chemical-Free, All Natural Get-Well-Quick Kit

I don't get sick very often, about once every 3 or 4 years, but when I do, it's usually a bad respiratory infection. Eww!

When I do get sick my brain doesn't work very well. So, in writing this article, not only is it for you, Dear Reader, but I will also use this to refer back to when wildly unwell and in brain fog land!

Ok, so what you really want to do is grow your own of everything. However, I realise that not everyone has a green thumb. If that's you then just make sure when sourcing plants for medicine, that they are always organic. That's the main reason why I grow my own, so that I know it's organic and healthy.

This last time I was unwell, I had run out of oregano oil. Nooooo!!! I won't ever be making that mistake again. Always get a new bottle when it runs low because this is not a simple oil to make yourself.

Here's The Shopping List

- Oregano oil

- Eucalyptus oil

- Fresh mint

- Bag of lemons

- A few limes

- Big chunk of tumeric

- Garlic

Let's Break That Down

Oregano oil - Useful in so many ways, including when sick. Dilute a drop in a half glass of water and throw it down your throat. I use these drops directly under my tongue, but it's very strong and I wash it down with a hot drink, quick smart!

Eucalyptus oil - I throw a couple of cap-fulls on the shower wall then have a hot shower, slowly allowing the hot water to steam up the oil and clear out the congestion and mucus. Yup, it's gross, but gee it does the trick! You can also use a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil in a hot bowl of water and hang your head over it. Best done with a towel over your head to catch ALL the fumes. I also rub a few drops into my neck, throat, shoulder and upper back to aid in the elimination of congestion.

Fresh mint - Recently introduced to me by a friend (thanks mate!) to help stop coughing. Just chew the leaves! Yes, it's a bit of a funny feeling in the mouth, but I just wash down each leaf with a mouthful of water. It's very refreshing and really does help slow down a mean cough! I don't know if mint essential oil is readily available, but that would be a more powerful way to use mint and only use the oil on your skin.

Bag of lemons - Ahh...the wonder of lemons! Useful for so very many things, but when sick they are a gift from the gods! Use a squeezed half lemon in a cup of tea (do NOT add milk to tea with lemon, it will curdle! Yes, that's a mistake you only ever make once lol) and drink while still hot. Lemons are another anti-bacterial substance. You can add honey to this tea to make it super yummy. Lemons also give a great boost to the immune system.

A few limes - Wow, limes are another super food in my opinion. When you are sick, a lime tea is great for getting rid of congestion. Just add the juice from only half a lime to your tea (no milk!) and drink while hot. You'll be coughing up that rubbish in no time. Add lemon and lime juice to your tea for an extra powerful remedy for congestion.

Big chunk of turmeric - Get it in you, any way you can! Powdered, added to smoothies, or as I recently found out, it's not that bad to just cook and eat a chunk. Now look, the other day my friend cooked a curry and added small chunks of turmeric, about 1 x 2cm each piece. We discovered why it's not generally eaten this way; it's wild Man! lol...Chewing up a chunk of turmeric, you REALLY KNOW you have a mouthful of medicine! It's not a bad taste, it's just really earthy and medicine like. Very hard to describe. And hey, guess what? ...After the turmeric incident, I got well, fast. Admittedly, I was at the tail end of my chest infection, but the tumeric just stopped it in it's tracks.

Garlic - Another super food worth having in your arsenal of natural remedies. A little warning about garlic; it thins the blood. So if you already have thin blood then be very careful about having too much. This is a fantastic natural remedy to aid many ailments with it's anti-bacterial properties. I chop up garlic and put it in nearly everything I eat. Like most foods, the more you heat it, the less effective it is. So only mild heat if you must. I hear that some people put a small amount into their smoothies, raw, for that extra punch of goodness!

When I'm ill I don't care how I naturally get well again, I just care that it happens FAST! So, while I wouldn't recommend anyone else do the same, I personally GO HARD! As in, I go for the lot, all at once. One remedy after another, all day every day, until well. Going hard like this, usually, makes me well inside 2-4 days. I just cannot stand being unwell and will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid it and make it go away when it does appear. (no one else can stand me being unwell for long either; I'm a sick-whinger lol)

Sylvana is a natural living freak. She has to be, AND she's dragging everyone else along for the ride! Check out the Re-naturing Yourself Project here: www.renaturingyourself.com