Wildfires, Smoke, and Our Lungs
Scene overlooking the front of Sondra’s home in Virginia during the Canadian wildfires.
“Wildfires burning in Canada continue to create poor air quality conditions in the U.S. as the smoke makes its way south.” ABC NEWS June 7, 2023
My long-time friend Mary White picked me up the day after the above ABC news report, for our weekly Thursday outing. This is something we started doing more than a dozen years ago after we both retired. (We had worked together in the same two ministries since the late 1980s!)
We've prioritized this weekly adventure, braving bitter cold, sizzling heat, snow, thunderstorms, and one time, an unexpected hail storm! We even managed to do it through COVID, driving separately, eating a bagged lunch in our own cars parked side by side near the Shenandoah River or in a layby on a mountain road. In short, not much had canceled our Thursday get-together. But Canada's wildfires threatened to!
Mary's daughter, a nurse who sometimes joins us, was concerned. She sent me a text before they came out asking about the "aqi" (air quality index) in my area. I looked out my window and saw the sun hovering over Skyline Drive, trying to pierce the dense, smoky haze. It reminded me of how it can look when the mountain is on fire.
Since the air quality in my area was “acceptable,” we kept our date. But I have to say that low-lying areas were pretty smoky.
Most of the US has been affected by these recent Canadian wildfires. And that means many people, are suffering, especially those with lung conditions. A quick look at social media told me people are worried. But though this has brought attention to our air quality, most of us know that the air we breathe, inside and out, can be full of toxins.
And though this Canadian issue is unusual, wildfires happen frequently in many parts of the country. The times of year when wildfires are more likely are spring (February to April) and fall (October to November.) Therefore there aren’t many days when our lungs aren’t exposed to some pretty toxic stuff.
This serves as a great reminder that we not only breathe in toxins daily, but we absorb quite a lot through our skin. So is there anything we can do to protect ourselves?
There certainly is!
As you know, my type of herbalism is simple: use the plants. Drink them as a tea and/or use them as skin products, because when we inhale toxins, they get into our bloodstream and that also can affect our skin.
To not only protect, but heal, from wildfire, or any other types of toxins, perhaps the best “instant” remedy is to make tea! Tea is a versatile healer. It can be tasty to drink, as well as soothing to the skin (yes, the same tea you drink can be used as a skin wash). My personal favorite lung-healing, protecting, herbs are horehound and hyssop. They helped my hay-allergic husband, Larry, nearly 50 years ago when I first began my herbal quest and I’ve believed in them ever since. But through the years, I’ve learned about so many other herbs and their uses.
If you’re being affected by the recent Canadian wildfire issue, try these herbs alone or combined: horehound, hyssop, lemon balm, lemon verbena, marshmallow, mullein, and plantain. Combinations to use as an expectorant and lung-soother: a half cup each of dried, crumbled horehound and hyssop leaves, and a quarter cup each lemon balm and lemon verbena leaves. Combinations to use for respiratory challenges such as dry cough, laryngitis, and bronchitis, and to relieve swelling and irritation: ½ cup dried, crumbled lemon verbena, 1 TBS marshmallow root, ½ cup dried, crumbled mullein, ¼ cup dried, crumbled plantain. To make the tea, place the herbs in a pre-heated quart jar. Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the herbs. Stir well, and then cover with a saucer (not with a screw-band lid). Let steep for 30 minutes. Strain (squeeze the herbs well), press, and drink. (If using mullein, use a coffee filter to be sure you strain out all the fine hairs.) Drink the entire quart over a period of a day.
To further protect yourself from toxins and heal damaged skin, bathe with soaps that contain the following herbs: Aloe vera, Calendula, Chamomile, Comfrey, Lavender, Rosemary, Tea Tree, and Green tea. You will recognize those as plants in many of Nature’s Common Scents products. For more than twenty years, our focus has been on healing and protecting the skin.
To help keep your skin from absorbing the toxins, especially when you are under smoky conditions as we are currently experiencing: Skin Revival (use all over the body daily after washing with a skin-protecting herbal soap) and Sinus Aid (apply to the inside of the nose whenever you are going to be outdoors).
If you have questions about making and using herbal teas or where you can find the plants in your area, please contact me. Or come to the shop. Let’s make tea together!
