Now for something entirely different.

Whether this coronavirus epidemic (Covid19) is going to sweep the world and cause as much death as the 1918 flu pandemic is yet to be seen. Even whether or not it has been released deliberately as some claim, or released from a laboratory accidently as may be more likely, or is the plague of the Apocalypse (which is unlikely as it is not as fatal as I think that will be), or it could of course just be that this year is the year in which a new very virulent flu virus occurs. Which ever it is doesn't matter really, it is a new type of flue, it is spreading around the world and it is very contageous. Illnesses have happened ever since the Fall, and God often uses them for the eternal good of the individual, and sometimes for the calling back of peoples to following God.

As many of you know, I was a hospital doctor for over twenty years. When we were living in England the Lyme disease I caught in Scotland took hold. I decided to turn to herbal medicine as besides long courses of antibiotics conventual medicine has little to offer. Nine months of herbal treatment later I was almost back to normal, even though the Lyme bug is probably still inside me somewhere, it isn't active. This gave me an interest in herbalism so I took correspondence courses to qualify as a herbalist. This increased by love of wild flowers and my gratitude that God gave us, as the Bible states: "the leaves for your medicine".

The SARS was also a caronavirus, so that herbs that were found to be active against SARS are likely to also be active against coronavirus. The one that I am concentrating on is the common elderberry. This was scientifically tested against SARS and found to be very active, and is now what the authorities in Singapore are now advocating to their population..

In one respect we shouldn't be too concerned about our health. After all our real home is in heaven, and to get there we have to die. However, as I said above, God has provided us with healing plants, and therefore it is certainly OK if we use them.

Elderberry needs to be cooked or dried to get rid of the chemical in it that can couse vomiting. It does, actually, kill viruses, as do some other herbs, in particular liquorice and fresh ginger are also strongly active against SARS.

If you want to find out more about coronaviruses and viruses in general then the book "Herbal Antivirals" by Stephen Harrod Buhner will give you enough well researched scientific information to satisfy the most eager among you, and his recipe for a simple ginger juice drink that can be used instead of the elderberry recipe that I am going to give you should be as effective, especially if combined with the other measures he suggests. It was Stephen Harrod Buhner's book on Lyme disease that I followed in my struggle against Lyme, and that certainly worked. By the way, it must be fresh ginger, dried ginger doesn't work, and the liquorice must not be 'deglycyrrhized' as that removes the very chemicals that make it antiviral. Liquorice should also not be used in large quantities for long period of time due to its potential side effects, more details can be found in the above book.

This recipe for elderberry syrup comes from the book 'Alchemy of herbs' by Roselee de la Foret, one of the very respected American herbalists.

115g dried elderberries, 250ml apple juice, 500ml water, 7g liquorice root, a little freshly ground black pepper, put all into covered saucepan, bring to the boil, simmer 20 minutes.

Take off the heat, add 1tbs dried thyme and 2tbs dried rosemary, stir then cover again and leave 5 minutes.

Strain and bottle. Honey or sugar can be added as required and will help the syrup to last, as will alchohol.

Taking one spoonful a day may help prevent flu or colds, and on the onset of feeling unwell, take hourly for first day, then at least 4 times a day. It should reduce the illness, and can hopefully prevent it getting hold. By the way the smell when you make this does smell rather like wet socks, but that is normal!

Living on the Orkney I tend to buy herbs on the internet, there are many good herbal outlets. But I am not going to commercialize this site by naming them!

We all need to guard against becoming survivalists, as that tends towards selfishness and heartlessness against those we do not know. But you may know someone who is in an area of risk, so you may want to let them know how to protect their families and other people.

I hope the Pope doesn't have Covid19, but I also hope that having a cough at this time makes him think hard, and return to true faith in God and relinquish his heresies.

Sr. Colette