Reply To: Materia Medica
Hi Denna,
There’s so much to say here! For the oats, you can use both the straw and the seed. However, the seed takes much longer to infuse so if using it, you’d want to infuse it separately ahead of time, and then use the water from it as the base of your infusion for your other herbs. Below I created a sample tea formula for COPD. However, depending on the specifics of the person’s condition, modifications could be made. With COPD there is often an increased risk for infection, so anti-microbials are important. Further, this is an inflammatory condition. So, an anti-inflammatory such as turmeric could be given in capsules or food. Steam inhalation with aromatic herbs or essential oils (thyme, eucalyptus) can also be helpful for loosening mucus and opening up airways.
As I’m sure you’re aware, this is a serious condition and should probably be managed by a clinical herbalist.
Here is the sample tea recipe!
Verbascum thapsus (expectorant/lung tonic/demulcent) – 20 g
Thymus vulgaris (expectorant/antimicrobial) – 10 g
Avena sativa (demulcent/nervine) – 10 g
Plantago lanceolata or Sambucus flowers (anticattharal) – 10 g
Total: 50 g
Note: Verbascum can be quite fluffy, so approx 4 tsp per cup will be needed.