Surviving the Endless Winter with a Stradivari Approach
Having rehearsals nearly every day for the last several months combined with a seemingly endless Austrian winter has really taken it’s toll. So it’s the perfect time to talk about some local all-natural aids here in Europe to help sing through a cold.
After getting over a nasty cold recently, I couldn’t seem to shake off the congestion. It made it difficult for me to sing in my top range. If I took however the strong decongestants I brought with me from the States, my voice would suffer, something I did not have the downtime for. My Austrian voice teacher recommended Tavipec, which can be bought in any pharmacy for less than 4 euros for a box of 30 without prescription here. It looks like small fish oil capsules, but is instead filled with a type of spike lavender oil. When the spike lavender oil is ingested, it acts as an expectorant clearing out the mucus without drying you out. Oddly, I could only find spike lavender oil sold in the US as a topical oil to treat the skin. Suggested use is 3 capsules a day, but I personally take about 5.
Propolis tincture was recomended by an interpreter friend of mine. Very popular in the interpreting community to speak comfortably for hours with a sore throat, Propolis both soothes the throat while boosting the immune system. If you are wondering why it smells a little like wood floor cleaner… Propolis is created by bees as a hive sealant and contaminant sterilizer and may have been used by Stradivari in his wood resins.
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