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October 22, 2025

Happy Herbal Wednesday, Reader!

Well, it's happened. It doesn't happen very often, and I went five whole years prior to the pandemic without it happening. I attribute this to my herbs and essential oils.....

What is it?

It's the very, very beginning of a cold. Mr. V. has it coming on, too. We're going into action now! Neither of us can afford to be laid out, sick. It's time to take immediate measures!

If you're a student in my Herbal Medicine Making Basics course, then you have my Guide to the Phases of Cold and Flu. Be sure to look it up and print it out! Mr. V. and I are diving into Phase 2, which is what to do when you feel a bad cold or the flu just coming on.

This phase is very important because when implemented quickly enough and with consistency, you can either alleviate your cold/flu extremely quickly (like within a day or so), or shorten the duration and intensity of your cold and flu symptoms if you end up succumbing to the illness.

Cold and Flu: Why Prepare?

Each fall, hopefully before the sniffles begin, I go through my home medicine chest (apothecary) and make sure I've got what we need, easy to find and on hand.

Sure! It's easy to quickly make many of these remedies up right away, like delicious and effective Onion and Honey Cough Syrup, but when you're really feeling terrible, sometimes it's hard to think.

And rest is best right at this time....

I remember one bout with cold and flu a very long time ago when I wasn't prepared. I only had the strength to just lay there in misery, and I certainly wasn't in any condition to get up and make roller bottles, herbal tea, a steam for my lungs, etc. I learned well from that time. I could have significantly shortened the time I spent feeling awful, but I was just too sick.

So now?

I make sure we have our things on hand.

You probably know that I'm always talking about customizing your home medicine chest to meet the needs of your specific family members. That's because we're all different!

Well, you can customize your cold and flu preparedness kit too.

I make sure that we have things for Mr. V, who gets gunk stuck in his sinuses and gets a little sore throat, or sometimes a bad one. I tend to get the sinus stuff going on too, but I also end up with pain in my sinuses, ears or jaw, headache, and achy joints. In fact, sometimes my joints feel it first. Sometimes one or both of us might have a little fever.

So, I think of all these things. If you have children, you'll want to make sure you attend to their special needs, too!

That's the first step.

Next, it's time to take action and get the things made ahead of time so that when that feeling of illness comes on, even just the very start (especially the very start like where I'm at now) you can leap into action with your ready-made items! You'll feel relief more quickly, the faster you can get these items into your system.

Here are some easy to make preparations for you to have ready to go, and some of these you can start taking as a tonic every day, right now, to support your immune system.

1) Fire cider (daily tonic)

2) Elderberry syrup or tincture (small amounts daily OR start right when you feel the bug coming on)

3) Diaphoretic tea (for fever): Blend some elder flower, yarrow, peppermint, ginger, thyme, and chamomile or other helpful herbs that support your body's fever response in healthy ways

4) Respiratory herbal blend for tea or make a tincture

5) Echinacea tincture for a great upgrade for your immune system

6) Sleep time tincture or aromatic blend for rest

7) Roller bottles to open breathing passages and support lung health

8) An easy decongestant syrup that uses kitchen spices, apple cider vinegar and honey that REALLY works!

9) Herbal steaming using herbs, and if you want, a bit of essential oil (the link is to download my Guide to Herbal Steams---just use the same email address you're receiving this note to so you don't get doubles)

These are just ideas, but can you see how having these ready to go will save you some agony? And help you recover SO much faster, too....

And goodness! If you can avoid a trip to the drugstore, what a blessing to get extra rest while saving a gob of money.

(At the end of this letter, I've linked to a previous live chat on YouTube where we talked about cold and flu.)

NOTE: We've been getting so many questions about when the next group of our family herbalist course, Ditch the Drugstore, will open again... Unfortunately, with this book I've been busy writing for a publishing company, I haven't been able to get another group started in time. Luckily, I'm turning in the manuscript this week! So, we're not opening another group up until after the holidays...

**If you own Ditch the Drugstore of course, keep working on your apothecary and going through the course materials. AND... for my DTDS students, I have something special coming up for you, since a new group isn't starting soon.

AND I have a big surprise coming up for everyone in November. Stay tuned for more information!

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Inspiration and Encouragement

Recently, I got a notification from my credit card company that monitors my credit report...They informed me that my social security number as well as other information of mine is floating around on the Dark Web.

Then literally a couple days later...a new credit account showed up on my credit report. It is not mine.

I've heard that AI (artificial intelligence) is going to play a role in "verifying" humans in the coming global economy. I've also heard there is something now called "WorldCoin" created by a man named Sam Altman, as well as his "orb", which is able to scan the iris/retina in your eye to identify you.

You know the new TSA Security Fast Lane that you're pressured to sign up for as you go through security in an airport? That's to get your retina scan into a data base. I was tempted once, but the man telling me about it was just a "little too pushy," which made me very suspicious.

These and other things (I'm sure you can think of many) are all harbingers of the times to come, which we know about if we read the Bible. I believe it's time to get ready to be ready...to make decisions, to be prepared, to have a plan for food and medicine, and more....

However.....

Often, I don't feel ready to be ready. I admit it. It kind of makes me feel bad, but I don't want to live my life out of fear. Not that having food storage and supplies on hand is fearful.

I just want to be sure the motivation for anything I do is not fear-based because God tells us not to live this way.

Also, I like things the way they are.

And this makes me feel a tiny bit ashamed because I know that God's purpose will be served regardless, and I really do want to be part of this and do what I'm commanded to do.

To stay alert and sober. To glorify God in all things. To be peaceful, content, and calm even in times of struggles. To be brave and know that God has our back and that all things work together for the ultimate good of those who believe.

But still.

I will just say this.....

When times are scary or rough; when you're afraid; when you feel doubt; when you're just not sure what to do....

Pray. Pray for discernment and for the right decisions to come to you.

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

When we rely on Him, we can overcome our fears and be brave in all things.

And I love this verse when I'm worried about things. My sweet mama even made me a quilt with this verse on it because I tend to worry, even though I try not to.....

"Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?" ---Matthew 6:26

Everything will be ok, and we all know how it ends, right? That's the GREAT news!

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Thank you SO much for being in our community as an email newsletter reader! I appreciate you so very much.

If you have friends, family or community members, or groups who might enjoy my notes, I would absolutely love if you forwarded this note or shared in some way so others can join in, too.

Hugs, health, and herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Remember...if you've ever wanted to learn how to make your own handmade, natural soap with elements from the earth made by God, my Natural Soap Making Course is on sale until midnight tonight for $70 off with the coupon code: YAYCLEANSOAP

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Here's the Live chat on cold and flu:

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