building up strength after flu

hi,

me and my partner have both been left weak and tired after a flu-like illness last week. we are both used to having high-energy lifestyles and are feeling frustrated by being so exhausted! as my partner in particular finds it hard to just stop working while he gets better, so i'm a bit concerned that this could turn into post-viral fatigue.

so, as well as simply resting and looking after ourselves, are there any herbs that support building up our strength? especially things indigenous to UK.

thanks

Not indigenous to England , but my favorite recovery herb is Ginseng. Here also in the spring we use sassafras root and dandelion as a pick me up to help remove the sludges of winter.

stinging nettles is my spring tonic of choice. in the adaptogen column, I like eleuthero (Siberian ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus) and tulsi (holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum). none of the three are indigenous to the UK, but they'll all grow there. tulsi and nettles should be easy. eleuthero might be a bit more difficult.

thanks

we have no shortage of nettles and dandelions, so i'll get on that! and i'll look into whether the others will grow in future.

i knew about ginseng but was a bit worried that it was a 'booster' rather than a strength-builder. by this i mean i thought it could give a false sense of energy and lead you to overextend and thus end up impeding your own recovery in the long term. but i'd be happy if i was wrong about this as i like ginseng.

this belief was based on taking ginseng during an extremely busy and stressful time, it kept me going and i felt fine but after the busy time was over i came off it and pretty much crashed - it was like a withdrawal!

but maybe used more gently it is a more gentle herb!

Rosemary Gladstar has some very good recipes in her Medicinal Herbs beginner's guide. One is for adrenal toning using licorice root, rhodiola root, Siberian gingseng, cinnamon and making this into a tincture.

Remember that with nettles - the shoots are best when young and tender. as they get older they get very fiberous and not great for ingestion. goes for tea and soup!

nettle soup is lovely spring warmer, tastes like strong spinach

Ollie

Agree with Nettles and Dandelion! As for Ginseng, it can work for some people, but not others. The Siberian kind makes me feel like crap and the American kind doesn't even do anything. But I have the kind of constitution that is deficient and nervous, so relaxing herbs that are nourishing are much better.

Some people also have good luck with Echinacea, but me? Not so much. My favorite is Astragalus, and you can mix that with a little bit of Mullein too! Also, eating foods with raw garlic smashed in is good

I found that Ginkgo Biloba and Sea Kelp helped pretty well. I've tried Ginseng before, but it didn't work as well as the previous two. At least that's what worked for me anyway.