Feed a cold and starve a fever.

Understanding fevers as protective mechanism

Shaka Vansya Ayurved teaches that there is a flow or cascade of tissue development. And that the most superficial tissues are the easiest to "cleanse" of toxins. When we nourish our bodies and minds the food we ingest is processed by the liver to make intelligent blood or plasma that then is carried to various parts of our physiology. The plasma or white blood cells have two component or layers. One stays as plasma and the other is converted to the next layer or depth of tissue which are the red blood cells. And so the cascade continues. The red blood cells then form muscle tissue which form fat tissue, then bone, bone marrow, reproductive tissue and finally Ojas the "liquid light" that gives us vitality and that healthy glow. Below you will see the cascade. Rasa ( white blood cells or plasma) Rakta (red blood cells - RBC) Mamsa ( muscle) Medha (fat) Asti (bone) Bone marrow Reproductive Tissue Ojas We might not understand this from the perspective of modern biology. However this cascade is used by Ayurved to make sense of the complexity of our physiological functioning. From this perspective the easiest tissues to heal would be the most superficial Rasu or plasma. The body used fevers to detox the white blood or plasma so that the toxins do not travel to deeper tissue where they would cause more serious problems. Therefore the saying: "Feed a cold and starve a fever". The best thing to do when we have a fever is to reduce our intake of food and drink only fruit juices or teas like Lemongrass and Holy Basil and Fennel - either separately or mix equal parts and use 1 teaspoonful in 1 cup boiled water - steep for 10 minutes. There are many herbal diaphoretics or herbs that reduce fever usually by making us sweat. I remember my mother wrapping me in wet sheets with a bit of vinegar as a child - that was the old remedy from the Ukraine. When we understand that a fever is a protective mechanism that is burning toxins from our blood we can see it differently. It is not always a sign of infection. However if there is infection present that is viral we can use Elderberry or Zinc which are both excellent antivirals. There is substantial research on Sambuca or Elderberry and its ability to inactivate viruses.