How Herbs Can Help You During the Pandemic

By Sara Chana Silverstein for COLlive.com

I will not purport to have a cure for COVID-19. The research is just beginning. What I want to share is that herbalists around the world have been helping people stay healthy during viral outbreaks for generations.

Many of my clients, who I have worked with for over a decade, came down with COVID-19 and reached out to me for advice. I can say, that although my clients did experience headaches, body aches, sore throats, extreme and daunting exhaustion, a light cough, and some raised blood pressure, the herbs they took appeared to prevent the virus from descending into their lungs. It was obvious to my clients and me that if symptoms got worse, they would need to go to the hospital, I am not against Western medicine. I want to say upfront that Doctors, with their limited knowledge, did a fantastic job and need to be applauded and praised. This article is about potential prevention and using what Hashem has given us in the plant world.

What led me to study herbs? It first began when I was a student at Oxford University. It became solidified when I learned that it says in Tehillim 104, “That Hashem gave grass for the cattle and herbs for the service of man.” The word used is service (at least this is the way I was taught) and herbalists have found that ingesting plants, especially herbs daily can prevent many diseases and help support people’s immune system. I also learned that it says, “Hashem put the refuah in the world before the illness and during the days of creation Hashem created plants and trees before man.” Therefore, I believe, that the plants, trees, flowers, seeds, and roots are here to support us and help us heal. I am not against conventional medicine. Western medicine has saved many lives, it just is often lacking in preventative medicine. I am thrilled to know there are hospitals available for me, my family, and my clients if needed. I am grateful for the staff in the hospitals that worked tirelessly during this COVID19 outbreak. I just want people to begin to explore the wonders of the plants Hashem has graciously put into our lives, growing between the concrete slabs, in alleyways, and behind abandoned buildings.

What I want to share today is one of many herbs that began growing at a frantic rate, taking over people’s lawns and abandoned lots all over Brooklyn, New Jersey, Monsey, Monroe, and Lakewood and the surrounding areas that I found helpful. The herb is called CLEAVERS. Its Latin name is Galium Aparine and it is from the Rubiaceae family.

I remember at the start of COVID19 I was walking to the store and found this amazing patch of Cleavers growing in front of a neighbor’s house. In 33 years of living in Brooklyn, I had never seen this plant growing in such abundance in my neighbors’ front yard. Then as I proceeded up Albany there it was again growing in front of almost everyone’s homes. I honestly was shocked. Cleavers is known as an aid for our lymphatic systems. What does our lymphatic system do?

According to Life Science, Feb. 21, 2018, “The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins, waste and other unwanted materials. The primary function of the lymphatic system is to transport lymph, a fluid containing infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body.” The Mayo Clinic stresses the importance of a properly functioning lymphatic system teaching “Your body’s lymphatic system is part of your immune system, which protects you against infection and disease. The lymphatic system includes your spleen, thymus, lymph nodes and lymph channels, as well as your tonsils and adenoids.”

Cleavers is known throughout the world as a gentle lymphatic stimulant. This herb has been found to improve the health of the lymphatic system in a very gentle way. Its cooling properties decrease body temperature and give an overall cooling effect to the body. It is a blood cleanser. It can help lower blood pressure and helps eliminate toxins through the skin. Cleavers blood-thinning properties have beneficial effect on platelets. Now we know that COVID19 creates a fever, can raise the blood pressure and we are now finding out that in the later stages it can cause blood clots. Interesting that this herb grew and was available for FREE for anyone who wanted it. This herb can be used as a tea, a poultice, tincture form or in an oil to massage into throat and under your arms.

Has this herb been tested in labs? Of course, it has. There are so many clinical studies, I will quote only one at this time. According to a study reported by NCBI The National Center for Biotechnology which is a Government office in the United States, Phytochemical Profiles and In Vitro Immunomodulatory Activity of Ethanolic Extracts from Galium aparine L. Tetiana Ilina, Natalia Kashpur, Sebastian Granica, Agnieszka Bazylko, Igor Shinkovenko, Alla Kovalyova, Olga Goryacha, Oleh Koshovyi Plants (Basel) 2019 Dec; 8(12): 541—published online 2019 Nov 25. doi: 10.3390/plants8120541 they report that, “It was established that all samples used in the current study considerably stimulate the transformational activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Under the influence of the extracts used, 32.4–45.2% of mononuclear cells were involved in the proliferation process, which indicates the stimulating effect of the substances on T- and B-lymphocytes.”

Because we know viruses are always in the air, and other pandemics could be around the corner. It may be a good idea to include herbs and herbal combinations into our lives that can help us and our children have a well-functioning immune system to stay healthy during difficult times.

Sara Chana Silverstein, IBCLC, RH (AHG), is the only Frum Master Herbalist in the United States. She guest lectures at Medical Schools, Hospitals, Conferences, and does TV segments across the US. www.sarachana.com