1. Every winter I suffer more than my fair share of colds and catarrh is there anything I can take?

Garlic is a well established prevenative and treatment. Use it regularly in cooking or if you are concerned about the odour look out for garlic capsules (known as perles) or tablets of garlic powder.

2. I suffer from a blocked nose which is preventing me sleeping at night.

Try using an extra pillow so that you are sleeping in a more upright position. It may also help to put blocks under the top legs of the bed to raise the head a little more. Before you go to bed place a few drops of Olbas Oil (always read the label) in a bowl of warm water, cover your head and breath in the vapour. Place a few drops on a tissue and tuck it inside the pillow case.

3. My elderly mother lives with me and recently suffered a severe bout of flu. Although she is recovering now she is still not interested in food and I am concerned that she will not get enough nourishment.

Many people find it difficult to face solid food after illness and often a nourishing milk drink is the ideal alternative for convalescents. however many people do find milk difficult to digest and for them slippery elm food is a delicious alternative. The bark of the slippery elm tree has long been used for its beneficial effect on the digestive system and combined with milk it makes a nourishing and easily digested drink. Slippery elm food is available from Health Food Stores in plain or malted varieties or you can add your own flavourings such as cinnamon.

4. Which herbs are effective for respiratory conditions?

Skunk Cabbage - used by the Winnebago and Dakota tribes to stimulate the removal of phlegm in asthma. The rootstock was official in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1882 when it was used in respiratory and nervous disorders and in rheumatism and dropsy.