http://www.susunweed.com - nourishing paradigm herbalism. I know there’s some of Susun’s work on your site already, but her website is such a great resource of home based herbalism it bears repeating the link.

http://www.henriettesherbal.com/ - one of the most awesome herbsites on the net.

And these great blogs, based around nourishment herbalism:

http://bearmedicineherbals.com/blog/

http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/

http://desertmedicinewoman.blogspot.com/

Of course this year I got the flu when I was on holidays and didn’t have any of the above with me! Planes are notorious for spreading disease. I really missed my herbs out in the backyard. Nothing worked on my cough, had to resort to asthma meds (I could hardly breathe), but stopped as soon as I could.

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/November04/healingwise.htm (flu)

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/june03/herbalmedicine.htm (lungs)

http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Strengthen_Your_Immune_System.htm

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/June04/wisewoman.htm

I haven’t used lobelia (as it’s not common where I live either) but my understanding is that it is a very strong herb that needs to be used with care.

There are many herbs that will bring relief to a cough - mullein, thyme, mallows, licorice (low-medium dose, short term), horehound, elecampane… research well to find which is the best for the type of cough you have.

I second elderberry for flu healing. Also linden is specific to flu. And there is the old gypsy remedy of peppermint, elderflower, and yarrow.

This article is helpful for learning more about working with medicinal herbs:

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/Weed_letter_Nov-01.htm#article

I can’t seem to find anything on the site for coughing though - I’ve tried onion and honey, manuka, brewed linden tea flowers and ended up using ventolin!

I returned:

There’s an illegal herb called Lobelia, My husband used it when he had uncontrollable cough, smoked it. It worked. We were amazed. It seemed to immediately relax the muscles of the chest and lungs or something. You can get it from legal high shops like happy high herbals http://happyhighherbs.com/info-store-locations-contactus.htm.

Shen then wrote:

I’ve used linden tea flowers (I’ve been told sage helps too)and that’s helped me quite alot - also using the liquid from onion and honey has helped too. My vocal cords are a mess from the coughing! I’m somewhat better but I think its going to take time. I know this is a recurring thing for me, I had bronchitis *every* winter when I was a teenager, and yes I was on antibiotics the whole time.At the beginning of 2005 my coughing got so bad I almost ended up with pneumonia. I don’t know how else to build my immunity:/

What makes the herb illegal? Its a shame, when so many of them can be so good for serious illnesses:/ I’ll see if I can speak to someone in Newtown.

I don´t think that the common elderberry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_nigra
grow in Australia - but maybe you can get a ready made sirup ?

I know that Blood type diet sells proberry sirop/ and pills
and it is very good no matter how you feel about btd othervise.
http://www.4yourtype.com/InternationalCust.asp

I do make my own every september - I boil the black berries from elder with blueberries, raspberries - maybe a bit of cherries - add sweetner and boil it so it gets very concentarted - add a bit of lemonjuice.
It is not the vitamin C that does wonders - but the dark pigments and other stuff that works.

Rest, hot broths, sun and high vitamin cod liver oil does wonders as well.