Warm days, bright sunshine and summer vacations are a distant memory. December is here, with its short days, long nights, many worries and its lot of respiratory infections.

Overflowing hospitals remind us of the importance of being strong and powerful to combat the many viruses that will invite themselves to our holiday festivities. We are all hoping to eat, laugh, be merry, danse, stay up late and hug our family and friends, so… we have prepared a Holiday Trio for you, three herbs that will get you through December painlessly, in health and in joy: echinacea, milk thistle and St. John’s wort.

Echinacea – the immune builder

One explanation that is asserting itself to justify the current wave of flu is the gradual weakening of our immune system in the past three years. Sanitary measures have sheltered our immune system from the usual colds and flu, rendering it ill-equipped when faced with normally inoffensive viral attacks. Echinacea is an ideal herb to combat this immune lethargy, to stimulate the production of our natural defenses and to prevent sickness. The extract is used in small doses, every other day in prevention, or a few doses a day at the beginning of an infection. This will add troops to our battlefield.

Milk thistle – digestive tonic

It is necessary to have a healthy digestion in order to resist infections. Milk thistle protects the liver from abuse, toxic substances, and poisons. The active principle in milk thistle, silymarin, halts degeneration of the liver cells, has an anti-oxidating effect, and reduces inflammation. Il stimulates global digestive health and the health of the intestinal flora, thus improving our immunity. Milk thistle acts on the hepatic membrane and stops poisons from entering the liver, preventing and reversing damage to the liver. Legend has it that is taking milk thistle after an evening of festivities will make tomorrow smoother!

St- John’s wort – summer in a bottle

This is also an excellent time to take out the St. John’s wort and drink a little sunshine. St. John’s wort is an herb of the summer solstice. We harvest its flowers on hot, sunny summer days while it is in full bloom, at the peak of summer light. It has been used for millennia to fight nervous troubles and mild and seasonal depression, it calms agitation, worry and anguish, it reduces anxiety and stabilizes the mood. Many recent studies have established a direct link between morale and the health of the immune system. We can all use a little St. John’s wort in our lives.