Barebones Tours

THINGS WE CAN DO AT HOME IN BELIZE TO HELP OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER COVID 19

I have been asked to share some herbal and home care ideas for COVID 19. This information applies universally, but is intended for Belizeans at this time. Stay well everyone. One Love.

THINGS WE CAN DO AT HOME IN BELIZE TO HELP OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER

Follow all directions and recommendations from the government and the CDC. Stay home! Stay home!

Wash hands AND face as often as possible but at least six times daily. This can lead to dry, cracked skin which also harbors viral particles, so use a heavy lotion or hand cream after each wash.

Always wear a face mask when in contact with others outside your quarantine circle. Keep 6 feet distance even inside the household as much as possible. Maintain that distance at all times when shopping or on necessary errands. Wash all clothing daily if you can. Wash down all surfaces that people touch with a solution of water and bleach (4 tbs to 1 quart of water) or hot soapy water….or with Clorox wipes. Leave on the surface for at least 20 seconds. Repeat often during the day and last thing at night.

HAND SANITIZER: Use often. Make your own with aloe vera and add 70% ethyl alcohol…you can put this into a blender and whizz for 30 seconds. Red Top is an over-proof alcohol sold in many stores that would be perfect for the hand sanitizer.

FOOD: Have an outside place where you can wipe down all cardboard boxes, tins, bottles, etc that come in with soap and water or Clorox solution. Discard all boxes if possible. Wash all glass containers, tin cans and fresh fruits and vegetables in hot soapy water. Or soak in the sink in 4 tbs of bleach for 20 minutes. Dry in the hot sun.

Eat lots of alkaline foods like lemon, lime, avocado, garlic, mangoes and pineapples, papaya, oranges.

Keep fresh air circulating in your household as much as possible as a breeze or wind can force floating viral particles out. Keep ‘em moving!

Constantly remind yourself and your loved ones that MOST people recover and many people who test positive have no symptoms at all. Stay positive and re-focus your mind on something else when you find yourself worrying. If you are a person of faith, say a short prayer every time you notice worry creeping in. You can’t pray and worry at the same time. Our Father, Hail Mary, 23rd Psalm are all good.

HOUSEHOLD HERBAL REMEDIES

We need LOTS of herbal tea to strengthen the lungs and weaken the virus that lives in the throat for days before it gets into the rest of the body. Some ideas:

Peel of one orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit
1 tbs of any of these: Oregano, Spanish Thyme, Lemon Grass, Ginger, Turmeric, rosemary, basil, mint
Boil in 2 quarts of water for 5 mns. Turn off heat and add 1 tbs herbs. Let sit covered to steep for 10 mns. (If using fresh herbs – add what will fit in the palm of your cupped hand.) Strain and pour into thermos to sip on all day. You can also add garlic or onion skins. OK to add honey if you must. This has plenty of Vitamin C, too. Sip hot often during the day.

ANIT VIRAL BITTERS : Jackass Bitters (Tres Puntas), John Charles (Oja de la Matin) Estafiate, Silver Leaf (Artemisia ludoviciana)…see Rainforest Remedies book or look on line for images.

RAINFOREST REMEDIES: Flu Away, Jungle Bitters, Blood Tonic, Immune Boost, Female Tonic – take 30 drops of any one of these several times daily in a bit of water to wash it down.

NOURISHING TEAS FOR EVERYONE: Lemon Grass, Ginger, Turmeric, Life Everlasting, Gumbolimbo, callaloo and verdalaga (Purslane) (yes it makes tea).

DEEP BREATHING: Relax a few times a day in a chair and concentrate on taking ten deep breaths into the belly, hold for 3 seconds and slowly release through pursed lips as if blowing out a candle.

If you have chronic chest conditions like asthma, bronchitis or chronic cough avoid ALL dairy products as they increase the mucus load on your lungs. Be sure you have all your medications on hand.

FACE MASK – Wear one. If you don’t have go to Youtube to see how to make them even without sewing.

TURMERIC, GINGER, GARLIC PASTE: In a blender place 1 cup of olive or coconut oil, 3 tbs fresh grated ginger, 6 garlic cloves, I tsp salt, ½ black pepper. Whizz until smooth and gradually add fresh or powdered turmeric until it forms a paste. Eat this on bread, in salad dressing, over fish…get creative with it but eat it daily. Cook with lots of ginger, garlic and turmeric.

EAT CHAYA, CALLALOO, SPINACH, GREENS, FRUITS

IMAGERY: There is mounting evidence that our imagination cay play a great role to combat invading organism like COVID 19. Do some deep breathing and relaxation for 5 minutes. Imagine your Immune system as an active army of scouts who fire red arrows at every virus cell they encounter. Picture the virus exploding and then see your immune cells come in to clean up the mess of proteins. Imagine so many aggressively protective cells around your lungs that they look red, teeming with active destroyers armed to the teeth with arrows. Do this at least twice daily for about 5 minutes and while you fall asleep at night.
Say this every time you worry: “My Immune System is able to launch a perfectly metered defense response to any and all invading organisms. Every cell in my body is healthy and well.”

IF YOU GET SICK –
STAY HOME. WEAR A MASK. ISOLATE YOUR SELF. STAY CALM.
Stay in your own room – ask family to leave food and drinks outside. Wear a mask and gloves to avoid contaminating others.

The primary symptoms may be: diarrhea, weakness, nausea, sore throat, headache. Then chest pain, sore throat much worse at night, difficult breathing that gets worse at night, dry cough that is like a constant itching in the back of the throat, fever over 102 or 103. Blue lips, confusion and if you cannot respond to others are very serious signs. Time to get help.
Many have only one of these symptoms and some have none.

The virus stays in the throat for 3-4 days before it spreads to the system. SO right away start sipping on hot teas as above. Every 20 minutes take a sip and flush the virus into the stomach where it will be destroyed by digestive enzymes.

Take Tylenol for the headache.

COUGH MEDICINE can help loosen phlegm but HOT lemon and honey work well too.

Vicks Vaporub on the chest will help.

A humidifier if you have one aids breathing.

HOT SOUP with ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, turmeric, oregano, onion and whatever else you have.

HYDRATE all day. Add sugar to drinks to replace electrolytes. Hot lemon and sugar or honey are great.
Gargle with vinegar and water or salt and water 3 – 4 times daily. 1 tbs to 8 oz water. Avoid cold drinks.

CHEST COMPRESS: To keep the lungs open , apply hot compresses in early morning or evening when the heat of the day is less. Boil 1 cup of fresh grated ginger in 1 liter of water covered for 10 minutes. Soak cotton towels or cloths in the brew while still hot and apply to the chest area, (careful not to burn the person) cover with a dry towel and change when the heat cools. Do this for 20 minutes. Keep the body warm afterward.

A HOT SHOWER may help breathing. Take the steam in slowly and deeply. Some say this has made them feel worse, so if that happens do not take hot showers.

NASAL STEAM: Breathe in hot oregano or thyme tea.

ESSENTIAL OIL: If you have a special apparatus for burning oils over a candle flame use a few drops of thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil or if you have it, the famous Four Thieves. Four Thieves oil was used by thieves in the 14th Century to protect themselves from the plague. Do this 3-4 times daily for a half hour or keep it going all day if you have enough.
Alternatively, sprinkle one of these essential oils around the house a few times daily. You should be able to detect the aroma easily. You can also boil up a big pot of oregano or thyme and just let the v***r loose in the house.

SUN BATHS 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the later afternoon followed by dry brushing the whole body…always towards the liver.

WASH BED linens daily or put out in hot sun for at least one hour. Sanitize your room several times daily with antiseptic wipes, bleachy water or soapy water.

DO NOT LEAVE HOME UNTIL:
You have had no fever for 3 days without the help of medications.
Cough and breathing are improved.
It is 14 days since the onset of symptoms.
If possible - you have had 2 negative tests 24 hours apart.

We have spaces available for tomorrow, March 18th.

Email [email protected] or call 501-623-5761 / 501-677-9303 to book your Adventure now!

Learn more about Percy’s Jungle Adventures at

Home - Barebones Tours Monkey River, Belize. In Partnership with Percy Gordon AKA "King of the Howlers". Specializing in Custom, Private, and Group Jungle & Reef Adventures.