Welcome to Clean. I'm happy you stopped by. This page has seen a lot of traffic recently. While you're here I invite you to explore a bit. I post weekly on peaceful parenting, homeschooling, kitchen adventures, and general craftiness.
Blessings,
Rachel
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Pertussis is one heck of a cough. It starts as a small, benign cough, maybe a little fever and then – wham. Long, powerful coughing spasms take over the rhythm of your day. Many people I know have it or have had it in recent years. Presently it is making its was through our town and early this month Sage, Lupine and I came down with it too. Good times. Quarantining ourselves, we haven't been out and about since early October (thus the scanty posts here) and we've focused most of our energy on resting and healing.
While this post is hopefully written for a select few of you, I trust it will be of service to some. Bookmark it, share it with your friends, and file it away in case whooping cough finds its way around your community any time soon. It's in our little town right now in a big way. As more people in my area (and elsewhere) have found themselves staring down pertussis I thought that a post collecting some good home remedies for whooping cough would be a blessings.
No whooping cough in your neighborhood? (Well, hooray for that!) Still, many of the remedies below are amazing for any cough, cold, flu, or bug that comes your way this season.
This is in now way a health consultation. Get on the phone to your doctor or health care provider if you suspect you have pertussis. If you test positive (the test is a simple nasal swab) you will likely be encouraged to take antibiotics and quarantine yourselves for five days. If you go antibiotic free you'll be in quarantine for most of a month (beginning after the last person starts coughing in your house). For us it has been a hassle but not a big deal. Pete is healthy and working. The kids and I are sick and staying home. It's a lot of coughing but I'd take this over the flu or pin-worms any day. (That being said, pertussis is especially dangerous for babies, the elderly, and anyone with a compromised immune system. We don't fit into those categories so it hasn't been horrific. Just icky.)
Here are some of the things we've done to ease our transition back to health.
Pine Needle Bergamot Syrup
When Lupine started coughing we had no idea it was whooping cough. Just a little cough during the day, nothing dramatic. She and I were on a hike with my sister at the cabin. She reached out and picked a handful of white pine needles and stuffed them into my pants pocket. "Mama, I want you to make me pine needle tea." We had never had pine needle tea before. We read once in a children's herbal book that you could drink pine needle tea, but I couldn't remember why. After we determined that it was pertussis I called and herbalist friend who's child had also contracted it around the same time. "The best remedy for whooping cough," she told me, "Is white pine needle tea."
What a shining lesson in trusting our intuition, spirit guides, or the voices of the plants. Pine needle tea and syrup has been my favorite remedy for whooping cough. We dilute the syrup in hot water and drink it throughout the day.
Begin by collecting some fresh white pine needles and/or bark. Take two large hand-fulls and add to a stainless cooking pot (approximately 1 C of needles if you could jam them into a measuring cup). Add 1/2 C of dried monarda (bee balm) flowers and leaves if you have any available. Cover with water, adding approximately 3- 4 C. Simmer until you have cooked the water down to a thick tea, about 2 cups. Strain and mix with equal parts honey. Store in the refrigerator and use as needed, by the teaspoon. Take as a cough syrup or dilute and use drink as tea.
Garlic Syrup
A local herbalist/mama shared this recipe in our local newspaper a couple of years ago. (There is one type-o, where the article reads "4 hours" should say "4 days". Thanks D. for bringing the article to my attention.) We have been taking this throughout our illness and it seems to be a wonder tonic. This is a good one if you are exposed to someone with WC as well as just general immunity boosting throughout the season. A quick google of "garlic syrup" yields dozens of formulas, so pick one and go for it.
We are using this:
1 pound garlic, peeled and chopped
apple cider vinegar
water
honey
Place chopped garlic in a quart jar and cover with 1/2 water and 1/2 apple cider vinegar to fill the jar. Infuse for four days (or more), shaking often.
Strain, pressing garlic to extract all the juices you can. Make a simple syrup of 1/2 water and 1/2 honey to total the volume of your garlic infusion. (If you have 2 C of garlic infusion, add a simple syrup made of 1 C water and 1 C honey. I pour 1 tsp of this in a small cup for the kids several times a day and take 1 tablespoon myself. This is a great remedy for cold and flu season and shouldn't be reserved just for whooping cough. Spread the garlic out on a cookie sheet in the freezer and use in your cooking.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C saturation is one fairly common method of shortening the duration of whooping cough. I found suggestions for this online and it always led me to take sodium ascorbiate. I couldn't find that version of C without food coloring added, so we went for Ester-C. Each of us takes 5000 IU per day. To determine correct dosage you can follow the instructions here. We didn't exactly follow this method but it was close to what we did. To make pure vitamin C palatable for the kids I powder the capsules in my food processor, then blend with a dab of honey to make a paste.
Herbal Cough Syrup
This is a wonderful remedy for nighttime coughing episodes. Use equal parts elecampane and wild cherry bark, 1/4 C of each and 2 C water. Bring to a simmer, turn off, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain promptly and mix in 1/4 C of honey to make a thin syrup. (You can leave out the honey but elecampane is bitter, especially if you simmer it too long.) Dilute syrup with water and sip as needed, or drink undiluted by the teaspoon (kids) or tablespoon (adults).
Elderberry Tincture
I shared with you how we make it here. We're also enjoying some elderberry syrup this year, made using a recipe from here I think. (I love this book. The recipes are so simple and accessible. Ask for a copy for Christmas or Solstice if you have been wanting to learn more about plant medicine.)
Immunity Building Tincture
The kids and I made this in the spring and we're loving having it on hand right now. We combined echinacea root and flower, usnea (an immunity-building lichen), rishi (the shelf fungus pictured above), cinnamon, and ginger and covered with apple cider vinegar (enough to cover). It sat for 4 months, we strained it and now add a few drops to our water or tea each day. So good to have on hand, but it requires some mindful work in advance. If you don't have anything similar lying about (unlikely for many I expect), pick up a good quality echinacea tincture. That will do the trick, too. If you want to make a tincture now, you can buy all the herbs your local food coop doesn't carry from Rose Mountain Herbs.
Humidifier with Essential Oils
Every night I refill our humidifier and add LuSa Organics Breathe Deep Essential Oil to the essential oil cup or the water. So lovely, if I do say so myself. We've also used a healthy dose of LuSa Organics Chest Rub this month. I can't imagine not having this on hand but if you don't, straight eucalyptus essential oil will help as well in the humidifier and you can add a couple of drops to a balm of your choice and apply to chest and back.
Homeopathy
There are a few remedies recommended for Whooping Cough. This site gives a good break-down of recommendations.
Rest, rest, rest.
Because you are healing. Your immune system is working. Your body is amazing. Give it time to rest. Nourishing food.
And when all else fails, brandy.
Okay. I'm kidding with that one. But do what you have to to get some sleep. Your nights will be disturbed by lots of coughing, so go to bed early and sleep as long as you can. (She writes through bleary sleepy eyes.)
Wellness blessings to all.
Love,
Rachel
Thanks for all the great information! I hope your family recovers quickly. I know Whooping cough is going around my mom’s home town too. Luckily I haven’t seen it here in Tucson yet.
My family does not have whooping cough, but this information is fantastic for general immune boosting, thank you and I hope you and your family recover quickly. Off to make some garlic syrup!
Thank you for all the resources.
Rachel, I know you aren’t a health professional, but i am interested in your personal opinion on the use of these remedies while pregnant, particularly the echinacea and elderberry tinctures. Basically, would you, or have you taken them while pregnant? Most of the information I’ve read is very conflicted on the use during pregnancy.
Hope everyone is better soon! Just made some of that garlic syrup, can’t wait to see how it turns out. I needed to use up some organic garlic anyways, ha 🙂
Thanks for the info! My daughter is in the early stages of the whoop right now, we are on the 5 day quarentine/antibiotic regimin as I write! I’ve been gathering lots of info and talking to lots of folks: your recipes are great!
Wish I had this list when my entire family contracted whooping cough 3 years ago. With a baby in the house, we went the antibiotic route, but supplemented with many herbal teas and tinctures, homeopathy, chinese herbs, etc. Our favorite was Garlic lemondade – yum!
This was a great post so I linked it up to my blog.:)
Hi KC,
Thanks for linking! One note for you – the pertussis vaccine is one of the least effective vaccines out there, to my understanding. So its worthwhile info for those vaccinated or not. (I am vaccinated and have it the worst of the three of us. For many you simply have sub-clinical symptoms and therefore dont treat or quarantine, not knowing that you have it.) Blessings, Rachel
Thanks, Rachel! This is fantastic information. I am very excited to make many of these with my three-year-old, should she prove to be interested.
With great gratitude,
Sarah
Blessings, Lauren! Were nearing the end of our long quarantine. Halloween will be our first day out. Cant wait.
Hi Robyn,
I have not heard of echin. being discouraged during pregnancy. Great info here on specific herbs, including which ones to avoid during pregnancy/nursing. http://www.sagemt.com/the-formulary/herbs-for-family-health.html
Blessings,
Rachel
Thanks Rachel!
Thanks for sharing all that amazing info with us, I did a similar post after my son had shingles as I wished I had known about some of the remedies we used right at the start and hoped they might help others with the same situation…I’m bookmarking this in case we ever experience the whoop here! I hope you all feel a whole lot better soon and that you enjoy your Halloween return to the world Em x
Would you please share the recipe for the Immunity Building Tincture. Thank you for all the others! I will get extra honey at the farm market tomarrow for the garlic syrup. I’m always trying to get the most possible garlic in my kids, alot of immune support and gut healing here. GAPS diet too.
Thanks so much for the ideas. I am definitely going to make some of the garlic syrup to add to our elderberry and echinacea tinctures. Hope you all feel better.
If I’m correct, your kiddos aren’t vaccinated. I was just going to ask what your opinion is about their health if they had been, but then I saw your comment to KC.
I’ve been foregoing the typical vaccine schedule for my youngest and always feel so much pressure, leaving the health of my children up to chance. If I don’t get them vaccinated, they could get sick; if I DO get them vaccinated, who knows what the effects could be.
It’s nice to know there are remedies to be found in nature, though I do get worried that I’ll mess up a concoction. And if you aren’t lucky enough to have the plants growing in your hard, I’ll bet buying all those herbs gets expensive.
Definitely bookmarking this for future reference – thanks for sharing! The first thing that comes to my mind for sore throats is honey and lemon, and I see that honey is a reoccuring theme.
We are just coming through this in our family, too. Halloween will be our first day out of quarantine as well 🙂 Glad to hear you are all on the mend.
We used many of these same remedies: elecampane, garlic and ginger, vitamin C (Community Pharmacy in Madison has pure sodium ascorbate powder, for future reference), and lots of rest, among others. I was not familiar with the pine needle tea, though. I’ll file that away for the future.
This is Amazing! Whooping cough is the least effective vaccine which is why they are now giving it to adults. I will be sitting in the sun getting Vitamin D while drinking some garlic soup to get me through a long Iowa winter. Thanks for the recipe and I hope you all get better soon!
Thank you, thank you for sharing this info Rachel. I’ve bookmarked it, hoping never to need it 🙂
I am writing to second nature’s best prevention and remedy- sunshine-vitamin D. Back it up with deep sleep and avoiding sugar. Thank you so much for the information! So good to have in all in one place.
Catherine
Thanks for the note. It’s really frustrating when vaccines don’t work. I’ve known so many people who have had their children vaccinated for chicken pox and their kids still get the chicken pox. Please keep posting home remedies that work. I really like to read about these things and how they actually work.
I find that a dropper full of echinacea in my water or tea or juice for my daughter is really great when we feel a cold coming on.
Rachel,
Thanks for the info. Blessings to you and your family. I love the pine needle, monarda syrup recipe! One clarification, I know you have to prepare mushrooms in a different way to tincture in alcohol, is that not the case with vinegar?
So glad to hear your family is well on the road to wellness. Feel better soon.
Megan,
That I do not know. I just added some bits of mushroom to the ACV tincture. Worth researching to be sure.
Thanks! Rachel
Fabulous! Thanks, Catherine.
So good to know about CP! Thanks for letting me know. Welcome out of quarantine to your family as well!
We used carrot juice and garlic and the kids did great. Good luck!
Thanks for the recipes Rachael. I linked to my blog.
Lovely!
Deft,
Is carrot juice part of the treatment or just for yumminess?
To the person who took down my last post- why did you do it? Can you put it back up? What about with the last paragraph removed?
I would like to think that different points of view should be considered if they are scientifically valid. I feel the censorship is not very fair of you. Is it my sense of humour? C’mon, please give me a chance- I’m not trying to stir anyone up- I just want to hear from someone around here who can get me to understand their perspective.
For anyone else who is interested, please inspect the following medical study:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/123/6/1446.full.pdf+html
It is a very sound application of statistics. It has a decent sample size and a strict p-value. It has very fair methodology. There are many more like it. Please note to conclusion, and let me know your opinion. I’m doing a little research for a University project on some perceptions of modern medicine, and have no interest in changing your mind about anything. Well… it would be nice but there’s just not enough time in the day 😛
Oh yes, by the way… *cough*
Thankyou so much Rachel for sharing your remedy. This whole website is a wonderful source of information. Nothing on this page screams of criminal negligence, but instead makes me feel wonderful about life and pine needles. 😛 (’tis just a joke. Kinda)
*cough*pleaseDontTakeMeDownAgain*cough*
Dan,
Ive never removed a comment before the one you sent last night (with the exception of spam). However I was shocked and insulted by your tone. And while I feel there is plenty of room for discussion, your last comment came across as extremely aggressive and that does not have a place on my blog. I will leave up this comment as it is written from a more peaceful place.
oops. Well I sure feel silly. I thought you took me down again! Being the child that I am I jumped strait to an insult (feel free to take THAT one down to spare me humiliation)(joking, of course)- Thanks for replying Rachel. Sometimes humour can be lost over text. I admit my first post could have been interpreted as argumentative. I also admit it is not just due to any misinterpretations. I’d been looking up materials for hours and was becoming quite horrified with some people’s thought processes out there.
Despite this, I’d like to hear the rationale for not immunising kids- I don’t intend to reply with anything other besides an extra pleasant “thankyou for your reply”. That would include you.
Please note that in pursuing my essay I’ve dealt with blatant con artists who have boasted about how easy it is to sell magnetic therapies to ‘suckers’- your reply distinguishes you from them by light years and I don’t think you’re anything like that.
In regards to my last post- error. I am a moron.
Thank you for quite a useful information. The whooping cough overtakes my frind’s house. I am pretty susceptible to any disease, including pertussis. All kinds of measures I will take it into account and will do the utmost to fight whooping cough!
Water – This is a vital cough home remedy. Water helps break down the mucus; thus, makes it easier to flush out the excess phlegm.
what a fantastic post! Thank you. Pertussis is making it’s way through our community so it’s great to have this information at the ready. xo.
Thank you for a wonderful post! We are dealing with pertussis, so I have done massive reading lately. I have been giving my children lots of vitamin C, D, various homeopathics, colloidal silver, and using a lot of essential oils that I’ve mixed together in the vaporizer that I run at night and apply to their bodies (in a carrier oil if over a large area.) It’s spring, and we keep all the windows open, which means they have the cool night air to breathe. I make them herbal teas to drink, and intend to brew white pine tea now! They run around and play all day, and have not had any of the horrendous, whooping coughs. I tried to get them to take garlic, ginger, and tumeric in honey with lemon, but they weren’t very interested! I wound up adding that concoction to herbal tea and drinking it myself. I’m not sick, but our three oldest boys and my husband are coughing, although my husband is convinced his is not pertussis. They started coughing between 1-3 weeks ago. Our 8 month old is fine, although any little cough or sneeze has me on high alert. I did give him some vitamin C last night, and 99% of his diet is breastmilk, so I’m know he is getting lots of germ killers there. Once we make it past this, I plan to write a blog post of what worked for us. I have been praying and confessing God’s Word over my family as well, which I believe is most important and beneficial.
We don’t vaccinate either, and for Dan above, I will very briefly give my rationale. I trust our God designed immune systems infinitely more than the cocktail of heavy metals, toxic preservatives, diseased animal tissues and aborted fetal cell lines being injected into my children. I’d take what we’re dealing with now any day over a vaccine injured child.
Thanks again! 🙂
Any of these okay for a 5 day old baby? I came home to 3 of my kids having what I thought and hope were allergy/asthma related issues which often has a cough with it and can quickly go into bronchitis. (My husband has this problem and a number of the kids have followed suit). Anyway, I had him take them in the next day, wanting to be sure we didn’t start bronchitis in house with a brand new and small baby(only 5lbs 4oz, with immature lungs). When they got there, they told him there was some cases of whooping cough in the area, and especially since they are not vaccinated they needed to be tested. Fine, the test wont be back for a few days, but the baby has been exposed already. They talk like there is not a lot they can do for it except wait it out. And if he gets it he will probably need to be on a ventilator, possibly for like 3 months. I need to do whatever I can to help him but dont know what that is with him being so little.
Oh, honey. My heart is with you. For a baby so young you would be wise to speak to a homeopath or naturopath rather than use these treatments. These are for older children and adults, not newborns. Blessings to you. Your breastmilk will help, so keep nursing while you seek professional support.
Peace,
Rachel
Hi, Rachel. Appreciate your work. I just heard on local news channel of Pertussis/Whooping Cough outbreaks in many States, so researched natural remedies. You mentioned pinworms. You might be helped by reading Hulda R. Clark’s “The Cure For All Diseases.”
P. S. Also, Rachel I’ve been helped by using “Swedish Bitters.” I learned about it in “Health through God’s Pharmacy” by Maria Treben.
Thank you so much for this recipes. I’m going to make it, I love naturals remedies.
I just saw the reference to this post on Soule Mama’s blog. Thank you so much for all the helpful info and recipes. I want to make the garlic syrup right away before we need it. Do you refrigerate the garlic during the four days of soaking? Thank you so much again.
Hi Laura,
I do not refrigerate it when I infuse, but I suppose you could! Thanks for stopping by.
Rachel
I just stopped by from Soulemama as well. We love garlic. Garlic syrup sounds wonderful. My husband always put crushed garlic and honey on a spoon to eat when he is sick.
Hi Rachel I made the garlic syrup! Yeah I was surprised that it turned such a lovely green color. I was wondering is it suppose to be so spicy? (I made your version) Or did I not add enough honey? Thanks so much for the information!
Jeanne is the pure sodium ascorbate powder better? I was reading all about C online and it kinda made my head spin. 😀
Garlic varies so much in its heat. Ive made a couple of spicy batches and a couple of mild ones. Youve got some spunky garlic on your hands!
Thank you so much for these recipes, Rachel! A couple questions about the garlic syrup before I make it: do you add the simple syrup to the entire batch of garlic all at once or just before each little dose you give? And how long does it keep if you just refrigerate it? Thank you for your help!
Just made Garlic infusion….the garlic turned turquoise/green…is this normal
Yes! Some garlic does turn turquoise. My first batch did not but my second and third did.
To the entire batch, Katie. I don’t know how long it will keep. We finished each batch long before it spoiled, so I can’t say.
Thank you for this post! I’m bookmarking as we speak. We also don’t vaccinate, and I’m beginning to fear we have pertussis. My husband came down with it a few weeks ago with a persistent sore throat, and flu like symptoms. I, of course, came down with it, and now both our girls (3 years and 7 months) have it. We ran a fever for like away, but now we all seem to have a persistent cough. Worse at night, and it takes our breath away. My youngest still eats 95% breast milk, But I plan o sticking some probiotics and vitamin c and d Iin as well. Hopefully we get over it soon and it’s not really pertussis. I ave to admit, out of all the diseases that vaccines supposedly “prevent”, this is the one tht scares me the most. Thank you again for your post!
Take care, Shaina! Do you have a supportive health care provider? With your baby still small Id connect with a naturopath or other supportive doctor if you can for some guidance. Blessings – heal soon.
Hi, I am not sure if my daughter (2 y/o) is in the early stages of whooping cough or not. She does not have the high pitched sound after the cough as she sucks in air…not sure what to call that…but her cough as a whole is a bit high pitched. She has almost 102 temp. We do not vax so I’m nervous about her having the whooping cough with regards to what the docs may say if we have to take her in. I have heard they will make the parent feel like the worst parent EVER if this occurs. We rarely see a doc, usually go to the chiro, but if she gets worse we may have to. She started coughing Thursday night with a dry nigh time cough…now it’s a bit wet, a little high pitched, but breathing fine between coughs. W/ whopping cough does the cough tend to get worse and worse or does it start out bad?
Elizabeth,
While I can not give you medical advice about your little one, I can tell you what my own experience was. My daughter started out with a minor cough that built and built to something more substantial. No fever. Same for my son. I started out feeling feverish and like I had a mild flu, then coughing began. I encourage you to get her looked at so that you know for sure and have some support. Even your chiropractor might help and may be able to suggest a supportive physician in your area.
Sending blessings.
Rachel
thanks! We are military…we are so “stuck” medically! ;-( She has a very wet cough today & can’t sleep b/c of it. Not helpful. her temp is low today, just a little over 99…so I’m hoping we are over the fevers. she has gagged b/c of the coughing only 1x and that was when she was trying to sleep. We have a chiro appt tomorrow so we’ll see what she has to say. Unfortunately, she can’t sleep much or well so she’s not getting the rest she needs to heal. ;-( Will be working on the tea & garlic mixture…THANK YOU!
We really love the book Herbal Healing for Children by Demetria Clark, it really gave us a lot of resources for the illness, and good recipes. It was a long haul for us, and it really helped. I really enjoyed your article.
Thanks, Bill. Ill look into the book.
Ok I know you just gave wonderful remidies above I wantro (darn ohone qont let me type) say one think… THANK YOU! This is the first website I have seen so far that is written telling you how to treat the darn thing instead of “oh why weren’t you vaccinated, prevention is the best medicine” well I’m sorry that I hate needles and am only 14 so you know I don’t like the doctors anyway :P. Now down to the questions…. Do you think euqcaluptis(i know spelled it qring) oil would work just as well in the humidifier because I know that helps boost your immune system and my family just moved into a new house is there anyway I can help stop it from spreading? (I have not been officially diagnosed but looking at the symptoms from my grandparents who I think I got it from its probably whooping cough) I have a four year old brother and I don’t want him to get sick.
Thank you, thank you for discussing this details Rachel. I’ve saved it, expecting never to need it 🙂
These recipes are great! While we don’t have whooping cough (thank goodness!!), my daughter has a terrible, deep cough and an occasional fever to boot. I started making the garlic syrup the other day, and it turned green. Is this okay? Why does this happen?
Thanks for all the recipes Rachel! Ever since I was a small child whenever I get sick, the end of my sickness is always the beginning of a long, knock-down, drag-out cough that wears my entire body out and keeps me from sleeping. None of the rest of my family ever get it. I have one right now and wonder if it might be whooping cough. It makes me scared on what to do if I had a child with it. Thankfully I live around alot of white pine 🙂
Hi Rachel. Thanks so much for your time and effort with the whooping cough. I fear that is what I am suffering with. Been to the medical dr three times and they just med me up and send me home. I am sending my husband out to gather pine needles as I sit here. I do not have the other ingredient that you mentioned are there any substitutes that I can add
Pertussis vaccines have been inked to brain damage since their intro. Kanner labelled as autism the odd behaviour in the kids who received this supposed “boon”. In the UK in the 50s the Min of Health was forced to investigate the link with the polio epidemics of the time and their statisticians found a direct connection with diphtheria and pertussis vaccines, particularly in the light of so many cases of paralysis in the injected arm. So the vaccines were modified and then came the new polio, ME,and “floppy paralysis”, with muscles weakened rather than paralysed. Th
In 05 a Canadian team investigated an anthrax vaccine, (as given with a cocktail of other vaccines, including the pertussis, to induce rapid action, to UK Gulf-War soldiersl. The D, the P and the DPT vaccines all contain aluminium, to “provoke” the immune system to react to the vaccine assault The results showed destruction in mice of 30% of the part of the brain that controls movement. Hence the team linked this findings to polio, Parkinson’s/cerebfral palsy?Alzheinmer’s, motor-neuron/Lou Geyrig disease. Aluminium crosses the blood brain barrier. Dan ???? should note that a vaccine for Alzheimer’s has been mooted. And guess what’s in it…
Thank you so much for all this helpful information. I just came across your blog while searching the web for natural cures for the WC. I and two of my children are sick with WC and we have been staying in as well, not to spread our sickness to others. I have been sick for 5 weeks and my children for 2. This is a pesky sickness to say the least. I am planning a trip to a nearby herb store tomorrow in hopes of finding many, if not all, of the herbs you mention in this blog post so we can get started on feeling better. Thanks again for sharing such valuable information. I am bookmarking your blog!
So, I’m making the garlic syrup and I think this is day four and it has a slight green tint to it — is that normal? I used fresh garlic, apple cider vinegar, water, and a little bit of ginger juice. Do you think the ginger juice has something to do with it?
Anyway, I will be making the simple syrup today and testing it out. Thanks for the recipe. I have a feeling I’m going to smell pretty funky for awhile taking this stuff – that’s a LOT of garlic! 🙂
Yes! It turns turquoise to green usually, though not always. Enjoy it!
Rachel Wolf
Owner and Founder, LuSa Organics
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rachel@lusaorganics.com
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my 2c worth, in regards to the garlic syrup what I did last winter is I would just crush one garlic clove into a cup of boiled water then add a dolop (maybe 2-3 tbsp to taste) of Apple cidar vinegar and drink it at least once (but usually 2-3 times) a day. The winter I did this I never got got acold at all. I noticed if I stopped taking it I would get sick. The winter before I started doing this I was sick all the time. So I dont think you have to worry too much about the exact recipe for ppl who are worried, as long as you have garlic and acv regularly it will work 🙂
Hi Rachel. My family officially has whooping cough. I got it first, two months ago, an occasional coughing fit, but nothing else. Really felt fine other than that. But then the kids started coming down with it one after the other. It wasn’t until my 4 yo got it that I heard the signature whooping sound. And as soon as I did I realized that is what it was. The dr has us all, all 11 of us! on antibiotics. Which I hate but it is beginning to go into a sinus infection and I do not want to deal with pneumonia. So we went ahead with the antibiotics, day one today. So my question is this, did you use these remedies as symptom care, or do you think they actually shortened the duration? Boy am I ever ready to be done with this!
I have been giving my kids a slough of herbal remedies, but nothing seems to be taking this away.
Hi Christi,
So sorry for you all. Whooping Cough is a long haul. Be prepared for that. Even with antibiotics it is still many weeks of coughing, though antibiotics dramatically shorten the 100 day cough reputation that WC has. I think anything you can do to strengthen your immune systems will serve you well. Elderberry, astragalus for those old enough, etc.
Feel well over there, mama!
While my children have never had this I was concerned when my youngest got the croup. I was worried that she had whooping cough and in doing research I found that back in the 40′s colloidal silver was a common treatment for whooping cough.
I have also wondered if the story in Anne of Green Gables was accurate when you see Anne giving her best friend’s younger sibling Ipecac to help them spit up the phelgm.
Will any pine needles work? Where do you get white pine needles? I am having trouble finding them online even.
Thanks for this article,
I’ve been referring people to this page all year (2012) and now I think I may need this info for my own kids.
This worked for my kids but not for me, Vicks vapor rub on the the bottom of their feet at night. Use baby vicks on kids 4 and under and people with senitive skin and bad allergies. vicks vaporizer in their rooms for steam shut the door cover the windows with blankets. The Docs meds and over the counter meds did nothing. Although my daughter with asthma has it the worst albuterol sulfate breathing treatments weaken the cough so she not coughing till she throws up. I know whooping cough when I hear it. Doctor told me 4 times it’s a virus not whooping cough.
I like your remedies posted unfortunly we have alot of allergies and I’m a little scared to try most of them. maybe the garlic 1 will work.
I have just started to make the garlic syrup and its gone blue – should that happen?
Strangely, yes. It often turns a turquoise color while it sits. Feel well!
Thanks so much for all this info! My 18 month old has a terrible cough, although I don’t think it’s WC, and I’m finding so much helpful info here. I saw you mentioned astragalus for children old enough, and wanted to ask when astragalus is safe to use for children. Thanks again.
Your little one is old enough for low doses. I just didnt want someone giving it to a newborn, thus my note. Feel well!
So far one of us has confirmed pertussis, waiting on test results for 6 other kids and hubby. we found the sodium qscorbate git c online and have been taking huge doses. it is almost miraculous how well it works. it cuts both the severity and frequency of coughing fits. I linked to your post on my blog…everyone needs to know this regardless of vaccine status!
Sodium ascorbate vitamin c… silly phone.
Thank you for sharing this information on a whooping cough remedy. Do you happen to know of any natural cough syrups for sore throats? I have a daughter who gets sore throats all the time. Thank you for your help!
I’m looking for natural cough syrup for sore throat… Anyone know of anything that actually works?
Lots of great advice! I really appreciate it! I should probably go get some sort of chronic cough treatment in Fredericksburg but I’m all about trying the natural way of doing something first.
I have found from research Colloidal silver is a whooping cough cure. Try coconut oil too xx
I really liked this post. To me, natural remedies are the best way to go. You can really only go so far with medicine. A lot of times, I feel like home remedies are best at making you feel better, which medicine can not always accomplish. These remedies were for whooping cough, do you have any ideas about a natural cough syrup for a sore throat http://www.jengimiel.com? Thanks again!
These were some really awesome ideas! I know that these go for whooping cough, but do you think that they could work for chronic cough treatment as well? It would be a heaven sent if they did, for sure.
Will any of thesr work for a 9 month old baby grandson has it poor little guy so sick, need to know about somthing natural for him.
Your article was so helpful. My 14 month old and 6 year old are really suffering through this, it’s been awful. Where do find your, “Ester C”? Do you have resources you can recommend to purchase from?
Thank you so much,
Michelle
Carrie,
It’s been so terrible, my 14 month old and 6 year old are really suffering through this! Where did you find your sodium ascorbate? Can you recommend a trusted source? I’m so concerned, it’s been a month for my baby. She was given an antibiotic and had a severe reaction…I need to try a natural approach immediately.
Thank you
Mine was purchased at a local pharmacy, over the counter. Be well!
My son was going to New York with his fathers family, who were all recently vaccinated in order to visit the newest member of their family. Yes, his aunt actually forced everyone get vaccinated in order to visit, lol. I told her my son had been vaccinated and was up to date according to the schedule because he had his school shots when he was four. Because of her ignorance, my two sons got whooping cough. We as his parents were not at all worried about it. They were 12 and 7 years old at the time. They got through it fine, nobody even knew they had it except me. They took colloidal silver and ate fruits and veggies. Both were better in less than a month. My friend has infant twins a 13 year old and a 4 year old who got through it just fine as well. They contracted it from the oldest son’s school.
Hi,
I have a 4 month old son who I fear might have whooping cough.
We are exclusively breastfeeding so how can I use these remedies for his benefit?
I understand he is to young to have tea and such but if I make and drink it myself will it help him at all?
Thanks for your help.
I also believe in the herbal solution for this kind of the nasal congestion and this site provide me lot’s of information related to the herbal solution of the nasal congestion so thanks for sharing this.
Hi, Tina. Im not sure how to best answer your question except to urge you to see a NHP or physician as soon as you can. I know that lots of substances cross into our milk, but truly Im not sure how to advise you. Sending blessings to you.
This is not a natural cure, but if you get desperate, I just wanted to let people know that I cured my son’s whooping cough (pertussis) with a nasal steroid (Nasonex). But I believe any nasal steroid would work. Nasal steroids are meant for the sinuses, but you need to try to get the steroid to the back nasal / bronchial area where the bacteria are lodged. I just had my son slowly breathe back through his nose ONLY as I was spraying it in so the medicine would travel past his sinuses and into the bronchial passage. He was 4 years old, and I gave him 2 sprays in each nostril 2 times a day; once in the morning and once in the evening. In the evening I had him lie flat on his back to try to get it to drip to the back of the bronchial area. The whooping cough was gone after 4 doses. I prayed and I believe God directed me to the Nasal steroid. My son only had the cough for about 4 days. Nasal steroids are pretty safe and I would have given it to my child even if he were an infant to save him from that whoop!!! I would probably have a baby lie flat after spraying it in to get it back as far as possible. I told my Doctor how it cured my son, but he just scoffed. I Guess because it’s not in the medical books, it really does not work!?! Well, this really worked for me; I hope it will help others.
how old are you children? we have whooping cough and now our 9 month old may be showing signs although we thought he had it first at the beginning of November…… looking to connect with other herbalists/moms who have treated it naturally
(we have been on an intensive herbal regime all of us for weeks)
Hi Liz, My kids are older. Both were over five when we were sick. Take care over there!
Rachel
My child has never been experiencing this whooping cough or technically name pertussis, thanks God. But He’s always been experiencing pneumonia. Being in a grass roots level in life, it’s truly hard for us to sustain his medicine for it’s too expensive for us. We need to be practical so we tried to use herbal medicine but it’s still no use.Is this Pine Needle Bergamot Syrup is also good for this disease?
ty dear rachel
i am loving these recipes thank you! -and youre daughter 😀 bookmarked and cant wait to make them up , tho please get do yourself some enamel or glass saucepans ? love light and joy to you and yours <3
daisy x
Hi Rachel,
I’m on day 3 of infusing the garlic in ACV and water. Is it supposed to turn blue? I haven’t made this before and want to make sure I don’t ruin it.
Thanks,
Holly
It does turn blue. Crazy but true. Be well!
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease. It is also known as whooping cough which is a very dangerous infectious disease that affects children. Studies have also shown that Pertussis is on the rise. This means that more and more cases of whooping cough are being found.Glad to found this information. I already worried about this for my child. I hope for the best that this will be a good remedy for it.
Thank you for all the helpful information. Whooping cough is not fun and I want to get rid of it as soon as possible hopefully all of these remedies will work for me and it will be gone soon.