This herb provides the perfect remedy

© Photo by Zohre Nemati on Unsplash

In the United States, the influenza season lasts from October to May, but the vaccine is available one month in advance, starting in September, and it is offered until mid-November. This is useful for children and adults who are trying to boost their immunity. Children under the age of four, the elderly, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women must all be vaccinated before the flu season.

This does not mean that you can not take the vaccine later, because people can still be vaccinated by January. However, not everyone needs to follow the path of vaccination and can rely on some home remedies to protect against the flu, especially against fever.

A recent article, published by DrAxe.com, highlights the benefits of consuming a herb during the flu season. It is called skullcap, which was commonly called "crazy dog" in the nineteenth century because it was used to treat rabies in America. Today, there are more uses, especially its ability to cure the flu, among other health benefits.

Skullcap belongs to the family of mint plants. The medicinal plant produces two herbs: the American cap and the Chinese cap. Studies have shown that adding Skullcap to a herbal blend reduces fevers, one of the main symptoms of the flu.

The Chinese medicinal plant is known as the Baikal Cap and has a long history of more than 2,000 years in the treatment of various ailments, including fever. For this reason, the baikal cap has been used as an ingredient in pharmaceutical combinations dating back to the second century AD in northwestern China.

The dried roots of the plant in China, called Huang Qin, treat various conditions such as insomnia, blood pressure, hemorrhages, respiratory infections and inflammation. In Asia, herbal medicines like Xiao Chai Hu Tang or Sho-saiko-to (SST) have as ingredient Huang Qin. These medications are used to treat fever, gastrointestinal problems and liver disease.

Today, Huang Qin is commonly used to treat dysentery and diarrhea. Clinical trials have confirmed this medicinal benefit of the baikal cap.

A study by the Korean Food Research Institute on food allergies also included monitoring of body temperature. The result indicates that the group taking the drug with the herbal ingredient showed a reduction in temperature.

It can be consumed in the form of tea, raw root extract, tonics and capsules. The most convenient way is to place a teaspoon of dried American Indian cap in a cup of boiling water to make tea. It can also be purchased at in-store stores as a tonic because it is sold with a combination of herbal ingredients to treat insomnia.

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