Herbs Help to Beat Winter Ills

By KIRKLAND, Lynn

Herbalist Lynn Kirkland, of The Herb Farm, Ashhurst, has some tips for beating coughs and colds by using what nature has provided. ——————– T he top tip for those fighting off a cold is to use echinacea tincture.

Lynn Kirkland says what’s needed is six drops of echinacea at the first sign of a cold, a sore throat or sneezing. Always have echinacea close at hand – in a first-aid kit or handbag – as the sooner it is taken the better, she advises.

“It kick-starts the body’s own ability to overcome bugs.

“I believe the body knows best, and that, given help, it can overcome most infections,” Lynn says.

“Echinacea works really well if you get straight on to it.”

Another invaluable herb is what is commonly known as pizza thyme, which is easily grown at home.

It is ideal for cough or cold sufferers, but it is equally beneficial in overcoming exhaustion or in helping a person to get a good night’s sleep.

Place two handfuls of freshly picked leaves is a bowl and add boiling water. It is important to cover the bowl with a plate, so the herb’s essential properties are retained.

The leaves are left to infuse for 20 minutes. The liquid is then poured into a hot bath, in which the sufferer soaks for 15 minutes.

“After this bath, you will sleep really soundly and wake feeling really wonderful,” Lynn says.

The beauty of this lush-growing herb is that it is easy to grow and is available at most garden centres.

Sage, which has antiseptic properties, is another useful herb to ease sore throats.

Lynn advises using sage to make a strong tea, which can be either drunk or used as a gargle – as thyme can. Drinking a tea made with both sage and thyme can help to thin mucus.

But winter isn’t all about sniffles.

It can also be hard on skin, and make it dry and flaky.

Lynn’s calendula cream is one of the best remedies for the drying effects of winter. Rose-hip oil is another amazing product, she says. This contains essential fatty acids and is “really good for the skin”.

Rose-hip tea is also high in vitamin C, and at this time of year our bodies need more of this, Lynn says.

“The magic in herbs is amazing, and there are many simple things you can do to make yourself feel better.

Lynn has kept stringently to her rule that her products be 100 percent natural.

“The formulas are all mine, and are all based on the amazing capacity of herbs.

“We won’t compromise on that. It’s our point of difference. The other is that every product is made with deep care every step of the way.”

Lynn became interested in herbal remedies 24 years ago. At that time, her 5-year-old son suffered from repeated chest infections.

“I wanted to know how to boost his immune system and what alternatives to antibiotics there were,” she says.

From then on, it was a journey of learning. As part of her training to become a herbalist, Lynn had to create products that she trialled on friends and family.

She soon realised there was a real need for these types of remedies. Thus what started as a collection of products created in a hall cupboard grew to a business employing seven staff.

And what was the family home on Grove Road is now the heart of the business.

There is a suite of manufacturing rooms, a workshop room that can be hired out for seminars, and a cafe that is run independently from The Herb Farm. It is all set on 0.8ha of land that contains 14 individual, themed gardens.

Lynn says the gardens wrap around The Herb Farm.

“They enhance the experience of being here.”

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(c) 2008 Evening Standard; Palmerston North, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.