Chamomile for Illness

I find myself feeling under the weather (though the actual weather is sunny and mild) today, and have consulted my good friend Google about the best ways to heal quickly. I have a slight fever, body aches and chills. And a bit of a stuffy nose. My goal is to prevent whatever-this-is from worsening, so I need to boost my immune system. I don't have much in the way of conventional medicines in the house, but I do have plenty of chamomile.

So I searched "chamomile tea for sickness" and found on the news-medical.net site that it indeed does possess chemicals that boost immune system functioning and fight infections. The two primaries are called hippurate and glycine, respectively. The former is a "breakdown product of certain plant-based compounds called phenolics" which has anti-bacterial properties. The latter is an amino acid which functions as a nerve relaxant that calms muscle spasms as well. 

According to Healthline, studies have shown that chamomile tea also improves sleep quality, which is essential to healing. I haven't yet been able to go back to sleep (hence why I'm still writing), but I've only just finished my first cup. I don't anticipate that I will sleep; the only time in my life I've been able to really nap is when I was pregnant, and I know for a fact that I'm not!

I am also re-steeping last night's tea, which is a blend of Himalayan white tea and holy basil. Holy basil, also known as tulsi, is an Indian herb said to be an adaptogen, which is any compound that helps the body adapt to stress. I will go so far as to say it helps the mind in this regard as well. Ashwagandha is also in this category, and I take it daily in capsule form. I added the white tea to the blend just for flavor and a little caffeine boost.

In any event, I will be drinking chamomile throughout the day. I am cold-steeping some hibiscus, which is said to contain loads of vitamin C, which we all know is good for the immune system.
Although I recently heard that vitamin C's cold-busting properties are a myth. I'll have to do some research about that. I for one still cling to the hope that it helps.

I don't know if the old adage is "feed a cold, starve a fever" or "feed a fever, starve a cold," but I think it's the first one. In any event, I don't have an appetite so I'll just keep up with the liquids. Good thing I made a pot of soup yesterday.

Fun fact: Louis Armstrong was born on this day in 1901. Thank you to KCSM Jazz 91.1, the Bay Area's jazz station, for that tidbit!