Power up and stay well

I can’t credit one ‘super’ herb on my healing journey, as so many have brought me to this place of (mostly) body/mind/spirit synchronicity. I stumbled upon Echinacea in college after sharing with a friend that I was heading home to nurse a doozy of a sore throat. She quickly dove into her backpack and produced a rather grubby-looking tincture, which she passed to me with great enthusiasm, plus instructions to gargle every half hour until bedtime. The painful sore throat that sent me home that day quickly vanished, and I became a lifelong admirer (and eventual student) of Echinacea purpurea, purple coneflower.

Years later, when I started my herbal practice, Echinacea and strengthening immune function were front and center in my work and my garden. I had personally used the herb for decades to get me through my most vulnerable season: winter. 

The winter was always challenging for me – pneumonia, bronchitis, respiratory illnesses, sinus issues, and lingering coughs of such a frequent nature that I eventually developed adult asthma. At a certain point, out of total exhaustion and frustration, I began to ask myself: why did winter always mean serious lung issues for me? What was my body needing? Why could I not fight off a simple, seasonal cold like everyone else?

These questions set me down a path of advocating for myself, of challenging the norm, and questioning diagnosis and pharmaceuticals. An inhaler is essential when you're in the throes of an asthma attack, and thank goodness for emergency rooms and doctors – but why did I need an inhaler in the first place? And would I need one for the rest of my life? Wasn’t there anything I could do to help my body? 

With every specialist along the way, no one ever posed solutions – they just sent me home with more medication. And so, I chose to ask questions myself. And I began exploring different healing modalities, ultimately finding the one that healed me: Herbalism and the Study and Clinical Use of Medicinal Plants. 

Herbs help us change patterns, strengthen areas of weakness, and reclaim our energy. They don’t do this alone; they work in concert with other lifestyle changes. But the beauty of herbs is that they accelerate the healing process and offer hope and a pathway toward change. Learning how to proactively support myself in the winter, reduce my viral load, and strengthen my immunity stopped my cycle of illness and set me on the path to energized living.  

Now, more than any other time of the year, proactively be part of your own healing. As we enter this time of change, with cooling nights and shorter days, this is our loving reminder to take protective measures and reduce stress, surround yourself with people who nourish you, introduce more soups and cooked vegetables and healthy fats, go to bed early, stretch, curb alcohol intake, get boosters, and make sure that Our Defense is on the shelf and at the ready to heighten your immune function when you are most vulnerable. 

Echinacea + Vitamin C + Zinc = Wellness Bestseller!

In Our Defense, we pair our validated Echinacea with Chelated Zinc, the bioavailable form of this crucial nutrient essential for immune function and infection fighting T-Cells clinically shown to reduce the length and severity of colds and flu and Non-GMO Vitamin C, a critical micronutrient that the entire immune system depends on to offer protection in the early stages of infection by warding off microorganisms. Low levels of Vitamin C are shown to increase the risk of virus, flu, bacteria, and fungi infections. We use Non-GMO vitamin C because we believe in protecting the environment from glyphosate seeping into our soils and waterways, polluting our cells and wildlife habitats.

While Supplies Last: Every winter we run out of stock on Our Defense. This year, we're holding inventory for our subscribers, and for a limited time, you can add Our Defense to your cart for just $10. We want everyone faring their best this season and beyond!

Get to know Echinacea: Widely revered by Native peoples, with the first archaeological evidence dating from the 18th century, North American Echinacea accelerates the healing of wounds, burns, and insect bites, toothaches, throat infections, and is used internally for pain, stomach cramps, and snake bites. But, its most common usage, accounting for widespread global demand – is as a potent antiviral agent and for the prevention, symptom reduction, and treatment of the common cold. * Those with a known allergy to the Asteraceae (daisy) family should avoid Echinacea.

Read some of the current science on Echinacea

By Nicola Gordon-Seymour, NutraIngredients.com 

A standardized extract of Echinacea purpurea is an efficient and cost-effective antiviral counter measure to vaccination in the prevention of respiratory tract infections and for reducing concomitant viral loads, say scientists.

Findings add further credibility to the antiviral effects of Echinacea in preventing respiratory tract infection viruses, including SARS-CoV2, said the researchers. “Immune modulation instead of immune-stimulation can allow, if necessary, a prolonged preventive use of this extract, to exploit its potential ability to reduce viral loads.”

Furthermore, by substantially reducing virus loads in infected subjects, Echinacea offers “a supportive addition to existing mandated treatments like vaccinations”. Read More

Source: Frontiers of Pharmacology Published online April 26, 2022: doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.856410 ‘Echinacea Purpurea For the Long-Term Prevention of Viral Respiratory Tract Infections During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Randomized, Open, Controlled, Exploratory Clinical Study’ Authors: E. Kolev, et al.