Now that summer break is over and kids are back to school – we need to start becoming more proactive with our children’s health, and our own.

Don’t get me wrong, we should be proactive year round, but during the summer we’re outside more getting fresh air, we’re getting loaded with Vitamin D, getting more sleep and getting more exercise. With school back in session, our children are sitting in air conditioned schools, windows closed, anti-bacterial soap flowing down the halls, little outside time, little exercise and lots of germs.

Germs.

That one word freaks a lot of people out. This is why anti-bacterial soap is a multi-million dollar business. Think about it, though…if it really worked, why are schools filled with scores of sick kids and teachers all the time? I’m not an advocate of this ‘miracle’ germ cure. Not only does it kill bad bacteria – but it kills good bacteria as well, making you and your children more susceptible to germs, viruses and infections. Good ole hand soap and water works just fine. In fact, when my kids were in public school, they would opt out of using anti-bacterial soap. We always let the teachers know before school started that we preffered them to use soap and water. They literally stand at the door as kids come in from recess and squirt that dangerous and hormone disrupting junk on the students hands. Not good. But our teachers were always awesome about it and never gave her a hard time, or me for that matter, for choosing to do things different.

It’s not bad hygiene that’s an issue (although it may contribute to some children’s constant sickness). It’s the internal health of the person. This is what will determine if sickness occurs or not.

Plain and simple: we need to boost our the immune systems of our children and ourselves as we get back into the school routine. We will all be surrounded by more germs, viruses and infections and our bodies will need the extra boost to keep the immune system strong and ready to fight any foreign invaders that enter the body!

There are many ways we can aid our immune system in remaining strong throughout the year, especially the school year and winter season that I will be going over. These include probiotics, vitamin D3 and cod liver oil, adequate water intake, exercise and more.

Today I am sharing with you a recipe I have been making for over 2 years now that helps boost our immune system. It is power packed with herbs that highly benefit the body and reinforce our immune defense. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be proactive, daily taking care of my body and my child’s body to keep sickness from taking root, than having to do all I can to bring health back where sickness came in and took over.

This recipe is easy, quick and yields approximately 8 full strength servings (adults) and 16 half strength/diluted servings (children). I am fortunate to be able to purchase all these herbs in bulk from a local apothecary here in Colorado. If you aren’t in to making teas yourself and don’t want to order bulk herbs – you can also order the Immune Boosting Herbal Tea Blend from my Etsy shop – Glowing Mama. Each bag contains 8 adult servings or 16 youth servings. Each adult serving is 1 tablespoon of the herbal tea blend for 8 ounces of water.

It’s a great addition to your daily routine to help keep the immune system strong and functioning at optimum levels! This blend can be served hot or iced. It is always best to get organically grown herbs when buying in bulk, but if it’s not possible, get what is available to you. The other option is to grow what you can as well! That’s always an added plus and you know exactly how it is grown from seed to completion.

Immune Booster Herbal Tea Blend

Here’s What You’ll Need:

3 tablespoons dried Elderberries

3 tablespoons dried Rosehips

3 tablespoons dried Peppermint (use in adult blends) or 3 tablespoons dried Catnip (for youth blends)

4 teaspoons dried Lavender

2 teaspoons dried Sage

2 teaspoons dried Hibiscus

1 teaspoon dried cut Ginger

1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme

Here’s What You’ll Do:

1. Thoroughly combine all herbs in a large jar or large bowl.

2.  Store in a sealed container (glass is best), but a sealed bag or other container will work.

3. Keep in a dark, cool place – such as the pantry.

4. To use, in a glass jar steep 1 tablespoon (for adults, 1/2 tbsp children) of herbal blend in 8 ounces of boiling, filtered water. For a tea, steep for anywhere from 3-8 minutes. For a stronger more potent beverage, you can make an infusion by steeping for around 20-30 minutes. You can place loose herbs in a muslin tea bag, tea ball or leave them loose in the jar.

5. When steeping is done, remove bag, ball or strain the herbs using a find mesh strainer.

6. Add RAW honey to sweeten and enjoy! ***

*** Adults can drink this directly after steeping. If making for children 12 and under, fill cup half way with tea/infusion, then add RAW honey, then add water to fill the rest of the cup.

Here’s to a healthy and happy season!