Fever Remedies you may not have known
Fall is for mums! When I start to see them in the front sales area of the grocery store, I know we are in for cooler, fall temperatures.
My children’s school sells mums for their main fundraiser. (I love that they’re not selling chocolate or popcorn!) Of course, everyone in the neighborhood is selling them. So in order for us to get the kids to the level of prize that allows them to take part in a school-wide party our house is now overdecorated for the season! I really don’t mind, I was going to buy a few anyway as I love to spruce up my barren flowerbeds with some color until frost. Unfortunately, the type of mums we get at the local store are not cold hardy, so unless you bring them inside or heavily mulch them, they won’t last the winter.
Mums That Last
Did you know there were mums that are frost hardy? Last year I was researching the world of plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine when I discovered Chrysanthemum morifolium, a very important herb in Chinese healing practice.
C. morifolium is hardy in zones 6-9, unfortunately not quite tough enough for my area of Ohio without a bit of help. If you were willing to plant this mum in a protected area and mulch or cover it entirely you might be able to get it to live through the winter. We are thinking about adding one or two hoop houses to our farm, and I have decided that C. morifolium will be one of the first things I plant.
Using Mums as Fever Remedy and More
The first time I experienced chrysanthemum as anything other than a cut flower, I was in San Francisco’s China Town. It was so enchanting to watch the dried flower “re-bloom” in a pot of tea. I came home and quickly bought a larger amount of them and have played with them in formulations ever since.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, mums are used fresh and dried for eye ailments, fever remedies, colds, and to support the liver. They are called Ju Hua.
In China, the flower is not only a popular beverage and medicinal, but they also love to toss it into their chicken broth! I can imagine how sunny and cheery that must be!
I thought I’d share a great tea recipe that shows them off and would be a great addition to the cupboard for cold and flu season.
Fever Remedies: Chrysanthemum Fever Tea
Ingredients
(Note: Use fresh OR dried ingredients.)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint (find organic dried peppermint leaf here)
- 1 teaspoon catnip (find organic dried catnip here)
- 1 teaspoon chrysanthemum flowers (find organic dried chrysanthemum flowers here)
Instructions
- Add all three herbs to a half pint jar.
- Pour 1 cup hot water over herbs.
- Place a lid on the jar.
- Allow to steep for ONLY 10 minutes (to preserve the essential oil in the chrysanthemum flowers).
- Strain.
- Add honey to taste and drink while warm.
Important Notes for Using Chrysanthemum Tea
- This tea is only intended for prolonged fevers of several days, or fevers higher than 102°. Do not break a fever otherwise.
- This tea is also beneficial for reducing digestive upsets or pain associated with a cold.
- Use dried herbs to mix up a larger batch of tea. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard. Use 1 part each peppermint, catnip, and chrysanthemum for your mixture.
Have you ever created something with chrysanthemum? If so, share in the comments section below!
*******
Charlette Smith says
My husband is from Mexico and while we were down there I developed a very high 104 fever that had kept me in bed for 2 days. He went to the woods and brought back a small limb from a native tree. He made little chips out of some of this limb and boiled it to make a very strong, bad tasting tea. I drank the tea while thinking it was going to kill me, but at that point I really didn’t care.
With in 20 minutes, my fever was gone. I felt great. And the fever didn’t return.
A couple of years later, I had a high fever again. I told him to get some “tree” Luckily we lived near the California/Mexico boarder and he was able to purchase some “tree” at a pharmacy (they carry botanical treatments )in Mexico.
Once again the tea took away my fever in less than 30 minutes.
I have a couple of jars of this bark that I keep on had in case of.
I also have different plants, barks etc. that they use for different ailments down there. They work. Some even grow here, some do not