by Frederick Cheng, R.Ph., and Christine Cheng, R.Ph.
Boosting your immunity with integrative natural medicines can shorten the duration of a cough and cold, as well as minimize the severity of symptoms. Always remember that choosing the appropriate remedy requires that you first consult a physician or pharmacist to rule out more serious bacterial or viral infections.
While traditional products like oil of oregano, Sambucus and echinacea are popular and effective, there is a product called “Esberitox” which is arguably one step ahead. There are no head-to-head studies, but our experience with it since its introduction in 2011 puts Esberitox at the top of our go-to list in the pharmacy and at home. While the product box has gone from the familiar white and green with pink echinacea coneflower, to a box of earthtone browns and greens, the formula has not changed at all over the years. Each chewable tablet consists of wild indigo root (1.64mg), Echinacea pallida root (0.615mg), Echinacea purpurea root (0.615mg), and thuja tips (0.33mg). Note the extremely low concentrations of each herb in the Esberitox tablets; for example, typical echinacea formulations contain 500-600mg per capsule, and up to 16g (ie. 16,000mg) has been studied for daily use. Yet, the formulation is highly effective at these low concentrations because it takes advantage of the synergism of the herbs, where they are theorized to augment and enhance the action of (or “supercharging”) each other, allowing for maximal benefits at minimal dosing.
Esberitox comes in chewable tablets with a very pleasant, slightly sweet light herbal taste. Dosing starts as young as 4yo (1 tablet, 3 times daily), and goes up to an adult dosing of 3 tablets, 3 times daily. It can be used as a preventative (eg. If those around you are getting sick), or as a treatment. Typical duration of use is 3-5 days or until symptoms disappear, and it is generally not advisable to take it for more than 10 days in a row.
Esberitox can be safely combined with oil of oregano, and/or Sambucus to further alleviate your symptoms and lead to a speedy recovery; come chat with Fred Cheng, Christine Cheng, and their integrative pharmacist teams at Cloverdale Pharmasave or Pharmasave Steveston Village for details.
Christine and Fred Cheng are a passionate, charismatic sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique, family-operated Pharmasave stores in Cloverdale and Steveston, B.C. They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use. Find them on Instagram and Facebook! Everything mentioned in their article is available InStore.
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