The season of sickness is upon us. When school comes back in session our families are usually exposed to illnesses much more frequently. The cooler weather, the school grind, and a general lack of physical activity also factors in. Let’s not forget that we are gearing up for the holidays too, when candy and treats are abundant in all their immune suppressing glory. Sad to say many of us moms will have to nurse sick kids and we may even get sick ourselves, the horror!!
This is when a great conundrum faces the natural mom. We know that the body is perfectly capable of fighting off illness and that in general most over the counter cold and flu medications just mask symptoms and create a greater crisis in the body than the original illness. They are often naught but chemical cocktails with many nasty ingredients. BUT we also know that sleep is vital during times of sickness. Our bodies heal when we are sleeping so never is it more important to sleep and sleep well than when we are sick. Cold symptoms such as cough are the enemy of good sleep. So that is the conundrum…drug our children or ourselves with the nasty over the counter cold medications so that sleep (and relief) can be achieved or suffer the symptoms and the lack of sleep so we can avoid the the unsavory ingredients.
Well, it doesn’t have to be either or. There are products on the market that can soothe cough symptoms and help us sleep without the chemical nasties. There is no need to reach for that conventional cough syrup anymore.
NyQuil Cold and Flu is one of the more popular conventional options and when you take a closer look at their ingredients you see things like alcohol, citric acid, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Green No. 3, high fructose corn syrup, saccharin sodium and various others. Mind you, those are inactive ingredients. Not only do they not need to be there (ie sugar and food dyes) they are immune suppressing rather than immune boosting. What sense does it make to take a medication that hides your symptoms whilst it suppresses your immune symptom and your body’s ability to heal. Huh???
Sambrosa Dreams on the other hand is the same type of product with some big differences. It is a European product that is now being introduced in the US. It is a nighttime cough syrup with a base of honey, herbs and doxylamine designed to help soothe your cough and help you get some all important sleep. The ingredients list is radically different. The ingredients are HEALING as well as designed to help soothe and comfort us during a time of stress and discomfort. It’s also GMO free!!
You need a 30 ml per dose of Nyquil, only 5 ml of Sambrosa. Nyquil uses High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sambrosa uses GMO free honey. NyQuil has food dyes, Sambrosa has five organic herbs. I know which one I would rather ingest when the goal is to get and stay healthy!
Honey – Relieves cough and is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants.
Aniseed Oil – antiseptic, digestive and sedative. It has tranquilizing effects while also being an expectorant; it loosens mucus or phlegm deposited in the lungs and respiratory tracts. So it soothes and also helps you heal.
California Poppy – Calming effect on the body
Eucalyptus – may also have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The vapor acts as a decongestant when it is inhaled and is used to treat bronchitis.
Hops – Hops is used for its aromaticum but is also believed to benefit conditions such as anxiety and insomnia.
Passionflower – sedative and pain reliever.
Thyme – Calms coughing and acts as a sedative.
Tragacanth – a plant. The sap-like material (resin) of the plant is a binding agent in medicine.
Doxylamine Succinate – an antihistamine used by itself as a sedative, and in combination with other drugs as a nighttime cold and allergy relief drug. Doxylamine helps to relieve common cold symptoms to get a good night’s rest. The dosage normally seen in medicines is usually around 25 mg. Sambrosa contains 9.75mg per dosage.
This product, just like the aforementioned conventional product is a nighttime remedy. It is meant to be used at night to help you get a good night’s sleep. Since it will make you drowsy it is not intended as a daytime remedy.
This product is widely popular in Europe where the standards for safety are radically different than those here in the US. That alone gives it a leg up in my opinion but the ingredients list speaks for itself. Sambrosa likes it natural so we minimize synthetic intake while maximizing a good night’s rest. Find it on Amazon!
This post was written in partnership with Sambrosa Dreams and I was compensated for sharing their great product. All opinions are 100% mine and I stand behind this product as a supporter or I wouldn’t blog about it!
