Ginger is awesome for colds. My local tea shop has this wonderful tea called immortal tea which uses a lot of Ginger. It's great for winter months. Do you mind if I ask why licorice root raises blood pressure? Or is that a terribly ~newbie question to ask?
It contains compounds which do just that: glycyrrhizinic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid. You might want to read up on the various compounds in licorice before using it frequently. I've also used it to soothe my gut after being glutened, but quinine in tonic water is a more effective anti-spasmodic for me.
The amount I've made will only produce about 8oz of the tincture, and I only plan to use it a drop at a time in foods but I'll definately leaf through some of my books. Wiki had some nice starter info, but I figured that you guys would be able to put it in a way I'm able to understand - which you did just that (thank you!).
Glycyrrhiza (licorice) doubles the half life of cortisol, meaning that it helps you stay alert and activated for longer while demanding less work from your adrenal glands. It stabilizes blood sugar by this mechanism, and is also thought to have antiviral action. Because of its sweetness it is used in a great many herbal tea recipes.
Though, the "doubling" of cortisol half life is not exactly what you want to achieve. Cortisol or hydrocortisone is produced by the adrenal gland. What this little babe does is it increases your blood sugar (energy) and "turns off" the immune system. Your body needs that energy that was going to fight off that cold, to run your backside off. Just remember, if you need to run off with your tail between your legs away from that sprinting tiger, you really don't want to be running through a field of people with the plague.
You want to get rid of the cortisol in your body as soon as you can. To live in "Fight or Flight" mode is to live in stress. We all know what stress does (mentally and physically). The only "sure" way of ridding yourself of cortisol is exercise (though, some may say that expert meditation can do this effectively).
All things in balance. 'Tis a complex question and you have a chunk of it.
Without cortisol, you can't get out of bed in the morning. Cortisol doesn't cause stress, it is our response to stress. We live in a world of stress and can milk our adrenals for so much cortisol that they become "fatigued" and can no longer motivate us to do the basic tasks in life. When a person is in a burnt-out or fatigued state, preserving any cortisol produced, at least in the morning, is beneficial. The daily peak of the immune system is at night, when we are sleeping, and our cortisol levels are low. This cycling is normal.
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I also sometimes use it with fresh lemon, honey, and fresh ginger when I'm not feeling overly well.
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The wiki article isn't too bad, but I'm sure you can ferret out more information elsewhere:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquorice#Use_in_medicine
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Cortisol or hydrocortisone is produced by the adrenal gland. What this little babe does is it increases your blood sugar (energy) and "turns off" the immune system. Your body needs that energy that was going to fight off that cold, to run your backside off. Just remember, if you need to run off with your tail between your legs away from that sprinting tiger, you really don't want to be running through a field of people with the plague.
You want to get rid of the cortisol in your body as soon as you can. To live in "Fight or Flight" mode is to live in stress. We all know what stress does (mentally and physically). The only "sure" way of ridding yourself of cortisol is exercise (though, some may say that expert meditation can do this effectively).
Reply
Without cortisol, you can't get out of bed in the morning. Cortisol doesn't cause stress, it is our response to stress. We live in a world of stress and can milk our adrenals for so much cortisol that they become "fatigued" and can no longer motivate us to do the basic tasks in life. When a person is in a burnt-out or fatigued state, preserving any cortisol produced, at least in the morning, is beneficial. The daily peak of the immune system is at night, when we are sleeping, and our cortisol levels are low. This cycling is normal.
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