11 Sep 5 Nature-Made Therapies to Hydrate Your Skin and Lungs

The Summer dry heat that can parch your lawn and leave your flowers wilting may have similar effects on your body. When moisture is lacking in your environment, it’s also drying your skin, eyes, the mucus membranes along your respiratory tract, making you vulnerable to illness.

A windy, dry Fall can complicate all that and more. Dryness is more than just irritating; it makes your body’s surfaces more vulnerable to allergens, unfriendly bacteria, and viruses. The mucus in your body and moisture in your skin is there for a reason. It lubricates surfaces and provides a protective barrier for your immune system.

How do you re-hydrate your lungs, skin, and whole body, and avoid the hazard of a windy, dry Fall?

Drink. More. Water.

And what else? Try these:

• Slippery Elm lozenges are delicious and do a great job of lubricating a ticklish throat and irritated respiratory tract. Cherokee herbalist David Winston says slippery elm lozenges will stimulate the lungs to produce more healthy mucus.
• Herbalist Amanda McQuade Crawford, in her book Herbal Remedies for Women, suggests marshmallow root tea to lubricate your throat and stop coughs. It’s a tried and true remedy for burning digestion, too.
• Throat Coat tea from Traditional Medicinals is one of my favorite soothers for a scratchy throat and cough. If your cough hangs on for more than a couple weeks, consider a visit to your physician or herbalist.
• EAT MORE SWEET POTATOES! These delicious super tubers have a nourishing, moistening effect on the lungs.
• Other cool tips for Fall? Sit in a steamy sauna a couple times a week….apply sesame oil inside the opening of your dry, itchy nose….dig out your pretty scarves and wrap your neck nice ‘n snug before heading out to the hayrack ride.

Be Well!