Having your home remedy kit stocked for when you are feeling sick, have an accident or have a stressful day can make life so much easier. When are sick or foggy headed, the last thing you want to do is try to figure out what remedy you need.

When you want to feel better before you feel worse, reach for one of these remedies before (or along with) your OTC pain reliever or even a beer (and sometimes more coffee). Here’s a list of what I have on hand most of the year and some details on when or why to use them.

First Aid Remedies

• Fire Cider: Old World Remedy based in apple cider vinegar, lots of garlic, ginger, onion and chili pepper to flush illnesses as they are trying to settle in. Learn more about the history of Fire Cider.

• Elderberry syrup or tea: Highly anti-oxidant plant with anti-viral properties that can support your body in the early contact stage of an illness. Make or buy seasonally, as the shelf life should not be more than a year. In alcohol, elderberry could last 2-3 years. Pick up elderberry syrup at Calyx Wellness Studio.

• Catnip/Fennel tea or glycerite (stomach aches, fevers): Use as a tea. These ingredients are commonly found in “Gripe Water” products for infants as well. These herbs dispel gas and also in higher doses can help break and clear fever.

• Arnica gel (homeopathic) or Arnica oil. You can also combine with St. John’s Wort for topical applications. Arnica is magic for bruising, bumps and aches. It help reduce the swelling in tissues that have been recently injured as well as help achy joints from lingering inflammation. Combining this with other wound healing herbs can quickly heal many types of injuries.

• Calendula in a salve or cream for cuts scrapes and open wounds. Clean cuts or rashes and apply calendula to help the skin begin to heal. Great for diaper rashes, burns, minor cuts and inflammation.

• Herbal pain remedy: Skullcap, Wild Lettuce and Poppy, Black Haw. Any one of these herbs alone in a tincture or in combination to help address muscle aches, spasms and lingering pain from injury or headaches.

• Advil: for fevers or severe pain that you can sleep off. I mostly have this on hand for pain that prevents sleeping for more than one night. You need sleep to heal.

Prevention Remedies

Here’s the staples for anyone alive on the planet today. You may not need these every day, but any time you are overworked, stressed or recovering you want to have these in your rotation of support remedies.

• Fish oil: Omega-3’s feed your brain and hormones

• Probiotics: Use when you’ve eaten out too many times or had a stomach bug. Probiotics help your gut rebalance.

• B-complex supplement: B vitamins are depleted daily with stress, alcohol, caffeine and lack of protein and fresh veggies. They are vital for nerve function and energy metabolism.

• Magnesium powder: I recommend Natural Calm. This helps with muscle cramps, headaches, constipation, and any kind of twitches or spasms.

For all my sleep deprived friends

If you are experiencing insomnia or sleep disturbances, try this warm tea 30 minutes before bed. I like to brew an extra cup and leave it on the stove for that late night bathroom break that never lets me get back to sleep. You could also try my best selling, herbal sleep formula, Say Goodnight.

• 1 pt Chamomile
• 1 pt Passionflower
• ½ pt Lemon balm
• ¼ pt Cramp bark

This combination addresses mental, emotional and physical causes of sleeplessness.

Some other important SLEEP tips:

• Make sure you’ve consumed adequate calories to maintain your blood sugar throughout the night.

• Minimize stimulants like sugar and caffeine at least 4 hours before bed, if not all together.

• Check your bedroom for hidden stimulus- light on your clock, light from the TV or another room, distracting sounds or activities. Our hormones respond to sunlight and darkness to keep natural rhythms, if there is any light hitting your pineal gland your body still thinks its daylight!

• Gently use green juice and herbs to detox and support your liver, which does most of its works at night!