My friend Bryan Thomson—a supremely gifted hair colorist AND an herbalist extraordinaire—has inspired me to delve deeper into the world of natural medicine. I began using this book about 10 years ago during an extremely stressful time of my life when my skin was bad and my hair was falling out, and I soon found myself making yellow dock poultices and steaming my face with dried strawberry leaves. Did it work? The short answer is "Yes." But, more to the point, I discovered a new way to approach my own health; one that let me be more in charge and that led to a deeper understanding of how to treat stress and other physical ailments with herbs and nutrition. This is not to say that I won't take a pill. But I like to avoid that and will first try many a remedy of my own devising, based on the ancient wisdom derived from nature. This tonic is a great example.

It's both a preventative and a cure, and it's something you can make and keep on hand to ward off seasonal colds and flus. Bryan gave me the recipe and after I made it—using echinacea and lemon balm I grew in my garden—I was surprised to find it tastes quite a bit like bitters you might add to a cocktail! Like many old-time remedies, it is alcohol-based. Bryan recommends you swallow a tablespoon or two whenever you feel a cold coming on.