Antibiotics Are NOT Cure-Alls

Antibiotics don't do a thing for colds.

A cold is a virus, see, so that takes an antiviral. But there are no antivirals that work for all viruses, due to what viruses are and how they work. I could explain, but as fascinating as I find cellular biology and genetics, I suspect most of you would be bored or grossed out. So I won't go into detail about how and why bacteria differ from viruses, fungi, and parasites.

I'll just focus on the basics of what's wrong with thinking of antibiotics as cure-alls, and how that should affect your use of herbs as medicine.

Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites are all different things.

Antibiotics only work on bacteria.

Some doctors give them for other things anyway, either because they want to give the patient something (and there is no medicine that can "cure" a virus) or because they want to keep the patient from getting a bacterial infection while their immune system's down.

There are a few problems with that.

#1. In any gene pool, some will be more naturally resistant to things than others. Maybe a receptor's missing, or maybe it's in a different place. (Spontaneous addition of genetic information has never been observed, even in short-lived bacteria.) The prevalence of antibiotics means all the bacteria affected by them are getting killed off, leaving the naturally resistant ones to breed and be what infect people…

This is where the so-called "superbugs" are coming from.

#2. Many people think of antibiotics as cure-alls and assume that they'll be non-contagious after taking a day or two of antibiotics even though what they have is a viral infection—which isn't the case and results in further spread of the virus.

#3. Antibiotics are against all bacteria, even the bacteria that is supposed to be in your system. If you have an appendix, that's where the good bacteria hide when under seige—but even then, they can still get wiped out.

Your body needs certain bacteria in your digestive tract in order to be healthy. It's required for proper digestion. It's required to keep the yeast in your body in balance. It even influences your energy and sleep.

A body is a system, and conventional medicine isn't trained to connect the dots to match symptoms with indirect causes. I recently discovered that digestion issues were the source of migraines—which I'd been suffering from for years, often enough that I could've qualified for SS disability.

What does all this mean for your use of herbs as medicine?

Don't overuse antibiotics.

I personally also prefer varying up which antibiotics I use, when I have a bacterial infection—and if I try an antibiotic and it doesn't work a bit, I test something else to see if it helps. I then primarily use the item that helps the most, but I also vary it up to avoid causing a superbug.

Example: I've had a virus for over a week. (I'm on the tail end now.) At first, I suspected a lung infection. (I'm prone to walking pneumonia.) I tried my usual tea…to no effect, other than reduced coughing. Knowing from experience that elderberry syrup works fantastic for me, for reducing flu symptoms, I tried a pinch of elderberry, which helped far more. Between that and the way my knees ached, I suspected I had a virus.

Unfortunately, I'm all out of elderberry syrup, and when the only one in the house who can make remedies is the one sick…

I dunno about you, but I have a pretty hard time remembering what I should take while I'm in the middle of feeling ill.

I finally figured out that neem oil helped (though I'm having to be careful with that, because I'm currently starting to develop an allergy to it, which shouldn't be an issue as some other health issues are treated). I already know that I can't stand the taste, so I've actually been putting it in my ears.

But even with that, I'm finding ways to take some elderberry, too. (Dark hot chocolate can hide a lot of flavors.) When the coughing gets bad, I add some licorice root.

But no basil. Because basil's antibiotic, and I don't need that, right now.

Take probiotics.

You do not want to experience what happens if you accidentally kill off your good bacteria. Candida issues are only the start. My brother ended up with ulcers, and he still can't eat certain foods.

Also avoid making assumptions.

Don't assume an ear infection is necessarily bacteria. My mother has a viral one, right now, and I've heard tell of someone who had bread mold growing in their ears. Some natural medicines are multi-purpose—neem and pau d'arco are two very good multi-purpose ones—but what works best for you will also depend on you.

Example: I respond very well to mints. A small dose is sufficient for me to feel palpable effects. My mother? She's more resistent, so I have to give her 3–4x the amount I'd give myself for her to feel any effect.

I know clove works for candida overgrowth on my tongue because I went to the doctor, had it diagnosed, and took the anti-fungal medication. I then tested a clove on another spot on my tongue, and it felt the same on the fungus as the medication had. I switched to clove, and it worked to get rid of the problem. I'll suggest it to others, but I know better to assume it'll work for anyone.

Be responsible and use some basic logic while playing kitchen medic.

And keeping records of what works for you, and what you used it for? Great idea.

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Do you have a story of unexpected herb effect? An opinion on my experiences or recipe? A question on herbs as medicine? Something you want to hear about making? Ask! I'm not the only person I know who does this kitchen remedy stuff, so if I don't know or make that item, someone else I knows probably does.

—M

Storing Your Herbs and Homemade Spoilables

You know how you sometimes go, "Oh, I can finish up that yummy food today!", only to find it spoiled or with fuzz growing on it?

(Ew.)

But that's an obvious sign of food gone bad. What many people don't realize is herbs, spices, and oils all go bad, too. Sometimes, it's obvious—like when a ground spice loses its smell—but other times, it's not—like oil, which can spoil without any visible sign.

How do you keep your things fresh for as long as possible?

There are six major factors involved in freshness: temperature, humidity, air exposure, sunlight exposure, age, and item type.

Pretty much everything does best when stored in air-tight containers, away from sunlight, in low humidity, at a cool temperature (like a root cellar). (If something's prone to bugs, like paprika, it can do better in the fridge, but that's not necessarily necessary—it depends on your climate and storage methods.)

Glass is better than plastic. Metal is best avoided unless you know it won't affect what you're working with.

Speaking of bugs, you know how to check for them, right? Put out a plain white napkin or paper towel. Put a little pile of the herb or spice you want to check on the paper, then leave it for several hours. When you check on it again, 8+ hours later, the pile should be the same. If it's spread out—especially with a little ring around the outside—you have bugs. Ditch it.

That leads us to the age and item type factor.

Let's start with the dried items, like herbs and spices. Dried items start losing their benefits immediately upon grinding, making age a major factor. If you don't know an item's age, try smelling it—as its benefit decreases, the scent will lessen, if it has much of a scent to begin with.

That's why I prefer buying in pieces, to grind myself as needed. (I have a spice grinder with a detachable bowl for easy cleaning.) The dried pieces last longer than either pre-ground or fresh versions of the item.

But if you must or prefer to buy pre-ground items, it's best to limit yourself to buying what you'll use within a year. If you can't—like you'll only use 2 ounces of ginger, but the smallest bag you can get is 4 ounces, or you didn't expect 4 ounces of peppermint to be quite that big a bag—seek someone to share it with. I know others who do this natural remedy stuff, and there are so many forms of it that we pretty much do all different things. We frequently swap ingredient baggies or baby jars of various remedies.

If you think there can't be that much difference between pre-ground ginger that's three years old and fresh-ground ginger from dried ginger pieces, you've obviously never experienced them.

Assuming there are no bugs, nothing's clumping, and you've been using an airtight container, age is a good indicator for a dried item's freshness.

Liquids (oil, alcohol, vinegar, etc.) and butters (cocoa butter, shea butter, etc.) are similar, but have a few quirks. Liquids and butters have definite shelf lives. These can vary from months to years, assuming they don't get overheated and turn rancid, and is dependent on what the item is and how it was produced.

That's a danger in playing with liquids or butters: They can go bad without seeming to be bad. Many liquids will smell or taste off, if they go bad, and some of them will look off—things that you can only identify if you know what they're supposed to look/smell/taste like.

And then there are things like garlic-infused olive oil, which can go bad without perceptible sign, because the garlic hides the signs you would get.

Liquids and butters are best stored in cool, dry, areas, out of sunlight, in tinted or opaque jars. If you're putting them in your own jars, make sure your jars are sterilized and completely dry before you start putting your liquid or butter in it.

Can some things function fine with a bit of water in there? Yeah. All-purpose cleaner and alcohol-base extracts, for example. But as the rule of thumb, use a sanitized, completely dry container. (Dishwashers can be quite nice for easily sanitizing glass jars.)

Assuming nothing reeks, nothing's separated, and you've been using an airtight sanitized-and-dried container out of direct sunlight, age is a good indicator for if a liquid or butter is still useable.

That brings us to items you make yourself. Items you blend yourself should stay fresh for as long as the ingredient with the shortest lifespan—and quite possibly longer. That's because the added ingredients can work to counteract the limited shelf life of the starting ingredients, either from direct action or from chemical changes.

But there isn't an easy way to calculate what blend will last how long. Too many factors are involved. You just have to pay attention and watch it for signs of going bad.

Assuming you use sanitized-and-dried containers and proper storage methods, your shelf life for your homemade items will depend on things like your climate. You'll have to watch your homemade blends or items for signs of them going bad, but they should last at least as long as the ingredient with the shortest lifespan.

Hopefully, this gives you some starting point rules of thumb for figuring out what's good in your cabinet and what needs replacing.

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Do you have a story of unexpected herb effect? An opinion on my experiences or recipe? A question on herbs as medicine? Something you want to hear about making? Ask! I'm not the only person I know who does this kitchen remedy stuff, so if I don't know or make that item, someone else I knows probably does.

—M