DIY - Revive EcoVillage

Fall is here! And that means a lot of wonderful things that your acquaintances likely plastered all over social media.

Fall is wonderful, yes.

But it also means cold & flu season.

Since pledging ourselves to exclusively exploring natural wellness options, we’ve been researching and experimenting, taking classes, and asking questions.

There are an unbelievable amount of natural alternatives to traditional cold and flu medications, all varying in dosage and effectiveness.

I {Rebeccah} chose to explore Licorice Root – Glycyrrhizza glabra – as a final project in my Herbal Medicine Making Class at Bastyr, and learned that one (of many!) medicinal uses is for cold and flu, and here are a few reasons why. Licorice is an:

Expectorant – provides upper respiratory relief by freeing mucus/saliva
Antispasmodic – relieves muscle spasms/pains
Antioxidant – prevents cell damage by hindering production of free radicals
Antiviral – treats viral infections/viruses
Antibacterial – fights bacteria & prevents future bacterial growth

A few important notes about Licorice Root (and have you read our Terms and Conditions??), before getting started: Daily use for long periods of time has been linked to increased blood pressure. For that reason, it is not recommended to the following demographics:

Pregnant Women
Heart or Kidney Disease Sufferers
Those with High Blood Pressure

Now on to the fun stuff!

Ingredients:

1 oz Licorice Root – Dried
- This can be purchased at health food stores like Whole Foods, or online.
2 oz Wild Fennel Tops – Fresh (Domestic will work also)
2 Cups Water
1 ½ Cups Sugar
2 TBSP Cognac (Brandy) – Optional

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients but Brandy in a (covered) pot and bring to a boil.
Stir occasionally, but otherwise keep covered for 60 minutes, or until liquid has reduced by ½, to about 1 cup. Keep an eye on it as it may bubble up.
Strain with cheesecloth inside a mesh strainer. A ricer would work well also if you have one. Make sure you squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible. Compost your cheesecloth/leftovers.
Stir in Brandy and pour into a bottle or jar.
Keeps up to 6 months on the shelf, longer if refrigerated, although sugar crystallization may occur. If it does, reheat in a pot of water or microwave (without the metal lid) to create a smooth, syrupy texture.

Recommended Dosage:

Take 2-3 TBSP daily at the onset of cold/flu symptoms. Can be taken straight (it’s dangerously delicious!!), or added to a tea, smoothie, yogurt bowl, or other food/drink.
For best results, spread out doses, ex: 1 TBSP in the AM, 1 TBSP in the PM.
Note: this particular preparation is not recommended for use with children because of the alcohol. Brandy is also an antispasmodic, which adds to the cold & flu fighting properties of this recipe, but can easily be omitted to make it kid-friendly.
If adverse symptoms are experienced, discontinue use and immediately contact your health practitioner.
Do not take for more than 4 consecutive weeks. No cold/flu should last that long anyway!

This post contains Affiliate Links to Amazon, so you can shop easily for the necessary products. This post was also recycled with permission from a sister site: Everything Needs Cheese.

© Landerholmstead, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Landerholmstead!

We are excited to tell our story and share instructions for DIY projects as we experiment on the road to self sufficiency.

So first things first: Composting!

Hopefully you already know the value of compost, but if not, check out 5 Reasons Why Composting is the Greenest Thing You Can Do.

There are numerous ways you can compost, but today we’re focusing on vermicomposting: using red wiggler worms to break down organic matter into nutrient dense worm castings – yes, worm poop.

Planet Natural refers to worm castings as a “Plant Superfood”, and explains how vermicomposting “refines” your composted materials, reducing “nutrients, including minerals… to their most usable form.”

Although castings are incredibly nutrient dense, they cannot damage your plants with chemical burns (like many on-the-market fertilizers) because they are coated in a mucus that causes nutrients to slowly leach into the soil. This also means their effects will last much longer than chemical or other fertilizers!

Additionally, worms are being researched for their ability to detoxify soil, meaning you may not have to restrict what organic materials are added to your composter: your worms remove toxins and make it safe for garden use!

And one extra bonus – worm castings are odorless! So no matter how many stinky things you put into it, the final product won’t affect the smell of your landscaping.

Now, what do you need to get started??

Supplies:

- Plastic bin, any size. Size will only affect how much you can compost at once.
  - Great way to upcycle unused and space-consuming storage boxes!
- Drill + large drill bit
- Red Wiggler Worms
- Handful of soil
- Newspaper, shredded in strips
- Compostable materials (Produce scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, yard waste, lawn trimmings, etc.)
- Cardboard – optional
- Helper dog – also optional

Steps:

Drill alternating holes in the bottom of the bin. (These give the worms an escape-route in case of too much or too little heat, water, or food. Don’t worry, as long as you keep adding food to the top, the worms will keep coming back for food. This just ensures their survivability!)
- We started with 10 holes in our approximately 12″ x 18″ x 12″ bin. After later observing standing liquid in the bottom of the bin, we increased their size and added 4 more for a total of 14.
Add a handful or two of soil, just enough to cover the bottom of the bin.
- Any soil will do for this, no need to purchase a specific type. Grab a handful from your yard and you’re good to go!
Top the dirt with your Red Wigglers.
Carefully add your initial compostable materials
- Your worms will require semi-regular feeding. The more food you add, the more they will reproduce, and vice versa. For this reason, make it easy for yourself! If you know you’ll dump the day’s end food scraps in their every evening, great! Just be consistent and monitor the levels of food to worms, worms to food.
Finish with a layer of newspaper (and cardboard, if using).
- If you live in an area with seasonal fruit fly problems, load up on this top layer!

Shared with permission from Everything Needs Cheese.

Please comment below if you’ve tried this or other composting methods! 🙂

Tag: DIY

Homemade Cold & Flu Medicine: Sweet Licorice Fennel Syrup Elixir