Self medicating

The weather here has been unusually cool and wet. Folks who have been here a long time say it's the coolest July they can remember. I'm OK with that--hot and steamy are not my thing. The downside is that mold and pollen counts are crazy and my sinuses have been on overdrive. I've managed to keep it under control, mostly, with allergy meds but I've had a hard time with post nasal drip most of this month. It had the potential to be a serious issue this week. My throat was heading from scratchy to raw, and the Dudley's Rush Farewell (For A While) Gig is tonight.

Luckily I run across useful information when I'm studying. When I got home from work Wednesday, I went to the garden and picked a half-dozen sage leaves. They went into a teapot with boiling water, steeped for 20 minutes or so, and voila--sage tea. It's not something I would sip for pleasure with a good book. It's better hot but drinkable cool. Three pots of tea in two days seems to have done the trick. I still have the post nasal drip but the sage soothes the throat and inflamed tonsils, so I'll be able to sing tonight.

Disclaimer: As with everything, moderation is the key. I know, most of you reading this are American, and moderation is hard, but it is possible to over-due sage. Pregnant women should avoid the tea because large doses can cause contractions. If you have chronic conditions for which you take medication, run herbal stuff past your doctor to avoid interactions. "Herbal" and "natural" are not synonyms for "safe": Hemlock is an herb, and arsenic is natural.