Blackberries for Viruses

A week after looking at herbs for viruses it seems that I have the chance to test my remedies, I have a sore throat, runny  stuffy nose and lots of aches and pains. I’ve got one dose of elderberry cordial left and I’m making my way through my elderberry elixir as elderberries are antiviral.

Elderberries

As we are approaching the solstice I joined a celebration of Alban Arthan and ended up sitting on a damp log in an open wooden yurt on Cannock Chase and although I was with lovely people I got cold and longed for my cosy bed.  My friends were lovely and suggested cures. I was given a ginger chew (available in Holland & Barrett) which was very warming and helped me to get my voice back. One gentleman recommended blackberries; he said to crush them, put them in the microwave to get the juices to come out and add vodka to the juice. He wasn’t sure how it worked but surmised that if you drank enough you’d forget about your cold anyway! Friendship and good company definately helps you feel better as well.

Blackberries

 Blackberries are one of my herbs to study but I haven’t done anything with berries yet and I decided to look up whether or not they would help a cold and it seems they would. First of all they contain vitamin C which is supposed to help prevent colds and aid us to get over them quicker. Susan Lark points out that blackberries contain bioflavonoids which are powerful antioxidants that help to protect cells against damage by free radicals. Bioflavonoids such as quercetin have antiviral properties that protect us from infections.

These little dears will make good blackberry pickers!

 It’s too late to collect blackberries this year but next year I will include them in my cold remedies. I have come across some free recipes and if anyone has any little helpers to take blackberry picking there are activity sheets to make it more exciting and a certificate to reward their efforts. They are here from the Woodland Trust.

Deer on Cannock Chase