Beat the Winter blues with Wilde als

Wilde als (Artemisia affra)/Umhlonyane (isi-Xhosa)

It’s winter time and while we give thanks for the precious rains we are receiving even the healthiest of us can’t seem to avoid catching a cold or the dreaded flu especially in such freezing cold temperatures. But did you know that there is a garden herb called “Wilde als” which is indigenous to South Africa and which if taken correctly can catch the common cold in its tracks within 2 hours?

Wilde als is one of the most widely used plants in South Africa by both black and white people. So for generations both Sangomas and the Afrikaner have been using Wilde als as a traditional medicine making it a truly South African herb. Whether your ancestors are Boer, Xhosa or Zulu if you had to sit your grandmother down to tea she would tell you that the ancient remedy for coughs, colds, chills, bronchitis, stomach-aches, menstrual problems, headaches, toothache, throat infections, whooping cough, croup, colic, intestinal worms, psoriasis, measles, high blood pressure and even mumps is still as effective today.

There’s only one problem with this medicine it is one of the harshest and bitterest taste in the world and even in the Bible in the book of Revelation you will read about “the bitter star of wormwood”. So it’s no joke that this is the reason why most people cannot tolerate this medicine. But in order to heal yourself from an incoming cold front in the shortest space of time you simply need to block your nose and swallow after following these easy steps.

Take some dried herb about a heaped table spoon worth and put it into a 1 litre container. Add some chopped ginger, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon and a dash of turmeric and cayenne pepper if you please.  If you have mint I would advise you to add some which will help to calm the bitterness. Once the water has boiled let it stand for about 5 minutes. Never pour just-boiled water on your herbs as they literally scorch the terpenes and other healing compounds found in most medicinal herbs. Let the brew stand for a few minutes strain and sip away.

Add honey to sweeten your brew and this will also add to the healing you will receive.  In terms of side effects the answer is simple there are none! Some people will try to convince you that taking this herb too often will result in liver damage or other tissue damage but this is not true and in fact the complete opposite is true. If you look at Traditional Chinese Medicine they align this herb with conditions of the liver and gall bladder.

For every illness there is a plant in creation to heal and all herbs by their holistic nature can offer upliftment to the spirit and this is why a lot of people use this herb for stress because it is also a natural anti-depressant and half the victory of beating the common cold is managing stress better which prevents your immune system from weakening and becoming susceptible to winter bugs.