Back to School: Stay Healthy with Herbal Medicine (Part 1)

It's that time of the year again. The holiday is over, and the kids are back in school. But we still have a couple more weeks left of gorgeous summer weather, cookouts, baseball games, and pool parties. It's not always easy getting back into the swing of things, and for some, this can mean staying up far too late and having to rise very early for school in the morning. Not getting that essential rest leaves children (and adults) vulnerable to illnesses as the seasons change and the weather turns cooler. The additional stress of schoolwork or getting your child ready for school (to say nothing of football practice, piano lessons, and German club) only compounds the situation.

As a former student and teacher, I know that when one kid is sick, soon 5 kids will be sick, and all those cute little petri dishes are trying their darndest to get their teachers and parents sick. So what can you do to protect your child and yourself? Besides regular acupuncture treatments, there are a couple of amazing classical herbal formulas that can help keep you healthy this cold and flu season. 

Today I'll discuss a formula designed to protect against catching a cold - something you can comfortably take before you get sick. 

Jade Windscreen Powder

Traditionally taken as a powder mixed with warm water, this formula is elegant in its simplicity, yet fantastically effective. It contains 3 herbs: Huang Qi (Astragalis Root), Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizome), and Fang Feng (Saposhnikovia Root)

In Chinese medicine terms, Huang Qi enters the Lungs to tonify the qi, and it enters the exterior to firm up the protective qi. This is how Chinese medicine conceptualizes strengthening the immune system. 

Bai Zhu boosts the qi and strengthens the Spleen, the organ in Chinese medicine responsible for taking the food we eat and turning it into usable substances and energies, i.e. blood and qi.  By strengthening the production center of our body's qi, we are able to boost the amount and quality of our protective qi.

Fang Feng is said to circulate in the exterior of the body where it expels wind, the major pathogenic influence we are exposed to. In other words, this herb patrols the body surface and kicks out any cold and flu bugs trying to get in.

This is an incredibly safe and effective formula for both children and adults to take to prevent catching something this season. It's preventative medicine, something Chinese holistic healing excels at.

What do you do when you're already starting to come down with something? Stay tuned for Part 2!