Natural antivirals to the rescue!

Written By Amber Barone

It’s no secret Winter is definitely the time of year when cold and flu viruses thrive. Let’s stave off those sore throats and runny noses with a little preventative pantry stocking. If you haven’t already, check out the fire cider post from earlier this month for another immune power house, in an elixir form.

One of the BEST things we can do for our immune system and general wellness is to stay hydrated!

Easier said than done when it’s sub zero outside and suddenly thirst can’t be the reliable indicator (to drink) that it once was. Incorporating warm soups, teas, broths can help.

Being hydrated makes your mucous membranes and cells plump and happy. They’re better able to their job and rid those pesky pathogens from the body, before they have a chance to take hold.

*Here are a 3 whole food antivirals to eat, drink or both regularly as part of your immune boost protocol.

1) Star Anise

2) Ginger

3) Garlic


Recipes for Inspiration:

 Mulled Cider

5 ingredients · 30 minutes · 12 servings

 Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients into a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Drop the heat to low once the pot is simmering and continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Pour into glasses or mugs and enjoy!

Notes Leftovers

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Serving Size

One serving is one cup.

More Flavor

Add cranberry juice.

Serve at a Party

This is a fool-proof drink to serve at a party. You can keep this pot simmering on low for a few hours for the duration of your party.

Star Anise

One teaspoon is approximately one whole piece of star anise. Two tablespoons equal six whole pieces of star anise.

Ingredients

3 quarts Apple Cider

2 tbsps Star Anise (whole) 5 servings Cinnamon Stick 1/2 cup Frozen Cranberries 1/2 Navel Orange (sliced)

 Slow Cooker Poached Whole Chicken & Ginger Soup

10 ingredients · 4 hours 15 minutes · 6 servings

 Directions

1. Place 3/4 of both the green onions and cilantro at the bottom of a slow cooker. Gently

place the whole chicken on top, breast-side up.

2. Add the celery, mushrooms, ginger, star anise, peppercorns, and salt. Add the water, ensuring that the chicken is covered or almost covered. Add more water if needed.

3. Cook on high for four hours or on low for six hours. Once the chicken is cooked, carefully carve it into portions and distribute it evenly between bowls.

4. Add the mushrooms to the bowl and strain the broth to leave behind the cooked cilantro and green onions. Pour the strained broth over the chicken.

5. Chop the remaining cilantro and green onions and sprinkle over each bowl. Enjoy!

Notes

Leftovers

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four days.

Serving Size

One serving equals approximately 3/4 cup of cooked chicken and two cups of broth.

Serve it With

Cooked rice, noodles, or your favorite grain.

Additional Toppings

Sriracha or kimchi.

Ingredients

4 stalks Green Onion (divided) 1 cup Cilantro (divided)

4 lbs Whole Roasting Chicken 2 stalks Celery (chopped)

2 cups Shiitake Mushrooms 1/4 cup Ginger (sliced)

2 tbsps Star Anise (whole) 1 tsp Black Peppercorns

1 tbsp Sea Salt (coarse)

8 cups Water (plus more if needed)

Slow Cooker Vegan Miso Pho 

13 ingredients · 4 hours · 4 servings

 Directions

1. Add the vegetable broth, star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and tamari to your slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Strain the contents and pour the broth into a large pot.

2. Season the broth generously with salt and pepper. Add the miso paste, mushrooms and bok choy to the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Let simmer for about 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft.

3. Meanwhile, cook your pho noodles according to the instructions on the package.

4. Divide the pho noodles, mushrooms, bok choy and then the broth into bowls. Top with

bean sprouts, Thai basil and culantro. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

No Pho Noodles

Use brown rice spaghetti or soba noodles instead.

Leftovers

Best enjoyed immediately. But you can refrigerate the broth separately in an airtight container up to 4 days, or store in the freezer.

Culantro

Different than cilantro. Culantro has a stronger flavour and is also called "long-leafed coriander or "saw-toothed mint".

Ingredients

5 cups Vegetable Broth

3/4 tsp Star Anise

1 tbsp Whole Cloves

2 servings Cinnamon Stick (approx. 3 inches in length each)

1 1/2 tbsps Tamari

Sea Salt & Black Pepper (to taste) 3 tbsps Miso Paste

4 cups Mushrooms (whole)

4 cups Bok Choy (halved)

6 1/2 ozs Pho Noodles

2 cups Bean Sprouts

1 cup Thai Basil (stems removed) 1 cup Culantro (chopped)


References:

Patra JK, Das G, Bose S, Banerjee S, Vishnuprasad CN, Del Pilar Rodriguez-Torres M, Shin HS. Star anise (Illicium verum): Chemical compounds, antiviral properties, and clinical relevance. Phytother Res. 2020 Jun;34(6):1248-1267. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6614. Epub 2020 Jan 29. PMID: 31997473.

Ozkur M, Benlier N, Takan I, Vasileiou C, Georgakilas AG, Pavlopoulou A, Cetin Z, Saygili EI. Ginger for Healthy Ageing: A Systematic Review on Current Evidence of Its Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anticancer Properties. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022 May 9;2022:4748447. doi: 10.1155/2022/4748447. PMID: 35585878; PMCID: PMC9110206.

Rouf R, Uddin SJ, Sarker DK, Islam MT, Ali ES, Shilpi JA, Nahar L, Tiralongo E, Sarker SD. Antiviral potential of garlic (Allium sativum) and its organosulfur compounds: A systematic update of pre-clinical and clinical data. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2020 Oct;104:219-234. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.08.006. Epub 2020 Aug 19. PMID: 32836826; PMCID: PMC7434784.

Amber Barone

Amber is a Holistic RN and Functional Medicine Practitioner who supports whole body integrative health and uses primarily diet changes, whole foods, herbs along with lifestyle tools and supplements to help clients restore balance and align with their highest sense of well being.

Amber started her nursing career in the clinic setting where she built a solid understanding of disease progression and contributing factors along with pathophysiology, biochemistry, psychological and trauma aspects. From there she became a travel nurse, working in various settings including cardiac rehab, med surg, psych, long term care, ICU’s and ER’s. These ever changing environments satisfied her ferocious appetite to learn and grow through challenging and inspiring case loads in diverse settings. It was through all of this that she realized her true passion and where she could serve at her highest capacity was working with patients on how to prevent and reverse chronic disease.

As a functional medicine, holistic RN Amber strives to bring in the best evidence based tools and resources from both conventional and alternative schools of thought. She is dedicated to continuing her learning to stay up to speed with the latest research and trends and has built her practice around educating and empowering patients to be proactive with their health.

Most patients come to Amber through a referral network of practitioners in various medical and alternative settings including MD’s, FNP’s, Acupuncturists, Dentists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists and Yoga Teachers… who wish to support their patients in this way but don’t have the time, education or resources to do this effectively.

The functional medicine addition to client care seems to be the missing piece of a true wellness model. It becomes a collaborative movement too, working together to promote wellness in our respective communities. It expedites healing through deep understanding and promotes life long transformation. Win! Win!

Functional medicine is a deep dive into root cause correlations contributing to one’s current state, it views each patient as unique and in so doing, more fully supports patients on their road to wellness by nourishing unique pathways effecting body systems, organs and glands. Much like regenerative farming and soil health, our bodies are designed to be resilient they just need the right inputs and tools to mitigate cumulative stress, toxins and burdens of our time. Feeling empowered with your health starts here.

EDUCATION / TRAINING

BS Nursing Montana State University-Registered Nurse

BA Psychology and Sociology University of Montana

Equine Veterinarian Technician-Penn Foster

Clinicians Mastermind Circle a one-year Functional Medicine Intensive

Functional Nutrition Alliance 10-month Full Body Systems Immersion

Yoga Motion 240 hour RYS teacher training

http://www.bar1wellness.com
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