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.
Hi, I cut off my last flue with pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (in Sudafed, Walact, Rhinopront, etc) and Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis, sniff and swallow), both taken well in advance of symptoms braking out, for about 2 days.
There is also Gelomyrtol (like Tavipec, different ingredients)
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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.
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