It’s Not Just the Hibiscus…

 Last weekend, when I was trying to find the source of my cough, I came up with hibiscus as the culprit. It was a large part of the problem, but not the only one.

Back about 8 weeks ago, I started regularly using a lip-smacking delicious seasoning called Anchor Original Chicken Chippy Salt. The stuff is freaking addict-ta-licious. I was putting it on almost everything except cereal.

Since my cough mostly (but not completely) went away when I stopped drinking hibiscus flower tea, I started to look at other things. I eliminated another med for one day and that wasn't the problem. The newest part of my diet was the Chippy Salt. As much as I hated to, I gave that up - just for one single day. And that was when my cough - itchy throat and all - dissipated. 

I do have a slight head cold, with some sneezing and chest congestion, but the whole itchy-throat situation that I couldn't relieve with anything - not honey, cough drops, juice, etc. - that was gone. Almost immediately.

By the way, to let you know how tasty that Chippy salt is - especially on burgers or fries - I had to think for a moment about how to just live with an itchy throat and irritating cough. I feel this dude here:

The seasoning is amazing. But its effect is so powerful that I had to scour and re-season my cast iron skillet. Just the residue of the salt (from where I'd seasoned my ground beef) was enough to cause a reaction.

It's just as well. There are a lot of ingredients in the Chippy Salt I was using:

Salt (70%), Wheat Flour, Flavour Enhancers (621, 635, 327), Wheat Starch, Onion Powder, Sugar, Maltodextrin (from corn and tapioca), Food Acids (330), Anticaking Agent (341), Flavours, Spice, Beef Fat, Bell Pepper Powder, Herbs, Soy Sauce Powder, Seasoning, Caramel Colour (150c).

I have since gone back to using Celtic sea salt as my primary seasoning for meat and fish. Sometimes, I use a blend of that with some Old Bay, onion flakes, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, and a bit of Liquid Smoke. 

When I get my teeth, I will be able to eat from a more varied menu, and I'm sure I will really miss the Chippy Salt then...

But I listen to my body and, as much as my taste buds love the Chippy Salt, the rest of my body disagrees. So majority rules.

As far as finding tea to replace hibiscus, one of my brothers and I spent hours searching ones that I can drink. I have to take into account that I have CKD and sarc so it wasn't easy. What I ended up with is the Butterfly Pea tea (which I love), my good old chamomile, and Hydrangea. I wanted to try astralagus (or milkvetch), but information about its effects are conflicting. Some sources claim it's good for kidneys, while others claim the opposite. I have a tiny bag, so I will finish that off in very tiny servings over the next several months. It's said to be good at lowering blood pressure, but possibly overworking the kidneys. I do wish that doctors knew more about herbal remedies... In the meantime, I have to be really careful.

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMERS:

I am no medical, herbal or nutrition expertise at all. Do not use anything based on what I blog about. Talk to your own care team before you do or use anything you see online.

I am not/will not be compensated for anything linked to or mentioned in this post.