The Best Herbal Remedies for Cold & Flu + How to Use Them
Ahh Choo, yes it’s time for colds & flu. We all get them and we all want ways to remedy them, quickly. Even better would be if we could find a way to prevent them in the first place! Well, that is my goal for this here post.
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I despise being sick and for most of us, taking a sick day with a box of tissues, a comfy blanket and a never-ending line-up of your favorite shows just isn’t in the cards for us. For those of you that it is, I honor you. For the rest of us, keep reading.
First and foremost, we will deal with how to remedy the occasional and oh so common, common cold. Sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, then dry throat, then chest congestion and on to sleepless nights. Make it go away! Well, I can’t do that, but I can offer some remedies to make it go away, faster.
Let’s start with elderberries. Elderberry sure has gained traction over the last few years, and for good reason. It really does help to lessen the duration of sickness. Sometimes, it will even nip it in the bud altogether and you can manage to fight off that sickness with very little effort. Whoo hoo!
ELDERBERRY
Before I get into why & how elderberry does its magic, let me first tell you about a product that my elder aunt recommended to me a few years back and I make sure to always keep it on hand. Sambucol Cold & Flu relief has been so reliable at lessening the symptoms of both my colds and my occasional mild flu.
I cannot attest to this working for the severe flu, but if you take it as soon as you start to feel under the weather, it really seems to go to work. It’s even safe for children to take. I have given them to my son since he was 5 years old. They are dissolvable tablets so no need to worry about your kiddo swallowing any pills. I highly recommend this product because it just works and it’s natural. Best of both worlds!
I will usually just take them every 3 or so hours for the first 2 days. After that, I just let my sickness do what it will and then I focus on other natural remedies to treat my symptoms. These remedies you can make yourself and keep on hand when needed. We’ll get into that shortly.
Okay, so why is elderberry so tough on sickness? Elderflower and elderberry are both exceptional allies during colds, flu and respiratory infractions due to their diaphoretic and antiviral actions. Taken at the onset of sickness, elderberry can reduce the duration of cold/flu because it interferes with the virus replication, and strengthens cell walls to inhibit viral penetration (Hoffmann, 2003)
So, in other words, elderberry helps to stop the virus from making other virus friends and strengthens the immune system in the process so the cold/flu is less powerful. There are so many natural remedies to choose from these days, but honestly, it is pretty easy to just go ahead and make your own elderberry syrup.
This video is from Mountain Rose Herbs and they are a reputable and trusted source for everything herbal. All of the ingredients can be purchased online either from Mountain Rose Herbs or another company I have purchased from, Starwest Botanicals. Both of these companies have amazing reputations for providing extremely high-quality herbs and herbal products, which is important.
Moving on to some other herbs that have been shown to be effective and preventing and helping to alleviate symptoms of the common cold.
TURMERIC
Turmeric is really becoming well known for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial components.
Turmeric can help to alleviate headaches, sinus blockage and other common symptoms of the common cold quite effectively.
Turmeric can be consumed in capsule form, either by making your own or purchasing from a reputable source. I have personally taken the one I suggest in the above link and for some reason I find it to be much more effective at relieving symptoms of inflammation as opposed to others that I have tried.
I have not tried making my own capsules before, but I may in the future. If you do decide to go the DIY route, it may be worth investing in a capsule-filling tool to save yourself some time! You can purchase capsules and turmeric root powder from Mountain Rose or Starwest Botanicals.
You could also forgo the capsules altogether and just take a ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder mixed with some honey, multiple times per day to relieve symptoms of the common cold.
Finally, you could make some medicinal turmeric tea by combining 1 teaspoon of turmeric with some honey, lemon and a bit of black pepper ( black pepper helps the body to absorb the compounds in turmeric) so if you are looking to buy premade capsules, make sure it contains some type of black pepper.
Consume this mixture multiple times a day to help relieve your cold/flu symptoms.
The next cold & flu fighter up would be, of course,
GARLIC
Garlic has so many medicinal properties that honestly, you should try to consume it regularly to help avoid getting a cold altogether. However, if you find yourself in need of some home remedies to alleviate one that you have managed to catch, look no further than garlic.
Garlic can be taken in many different ways. Personally, I slice a clove into small slivers and swallow them like a pill multiple times a day when I am feeling under the weather. My sister, however, finds this method to be rather repulsive, but it works for me and may very well work for you too.
Another lovely home remedy to make at the start of cold & flu season is to ferment it in honey. Here is a short little video explaining how to make it.
There are so many different recipes and videos, but Creative Explained is one of my favorite plant gurus which is why I chose to share his 🙂 If you’re looking to grow some plants of your own, check out his social media pages for easy-to-implement tips/tricks to help you on that journey.
Planetayurveda.com also recommends heating some garlic cloves in some mustard oil (I am going to assume that olive oil would work too if you don’t have mustard oil) for a bit of time and then rubbing the oil onto the chest and nose area to help relieve symptoms like sore throat, headaches, respiratory congestion and body aches.
Cold & Flu fighter number four would be,
Tulsi or Holy Basil
Holy Basil is another herb that contains many medicinal properties. You can refer to a previous post offering a bit more information on exactly how many medicinal muscles this plant is credited to have.
Tulsi or Holy Basil helps to remedy one’s cold and flu, especially if a fever is present. You can add 4-6 leaves to boiling water and let it steep for a bit. This can be sipped throughout the day.
Tulsi or Holy Basil can also be found in capsule form, as well. Gaia Herbs is a well-known and reputable company that offers an abundance of different herbal supplements. I have made multiple purchases from them and I have been happy with each one.
Last on our list of herbal cold and flu fighters will be
GINGER
Ginger is just an amazing herb to consume, whether trying to remedy sickness or just trying to give your body some healing properties throughout the year. Ginger can relieve many different symptoms such as respiratory, nausea, and sinus congestion.
Ginger is also said to be a powerful anti-inflammatory, as well as, aiding the body in the detoxification processes.
Ginger root (sliced) can be added to boiling water and allow that mixture to sit for a bit. Remove the pieces of ginger, add some honey or lemon depending on your preference, and sip throughout the day.
Ginger can also be bought in capsule form to be taken throughout the year to strengthen the immune system or to help prevent sickness in the first place. Again, Gaia Herbs offers a ginger supplement that you could take, rather than make your own DIY remedy.
A cold & flu post would not be complete if I didn’t at least give an honorable mention to vitamin C. Vitamin C is so important for your overall health and immune system. I have read multiple studies on whether vitamin C actually does help to prevent or at least, lessen the duration of a cold.
Some studies suggest that it may not prevent one from becoming ill, but it will help lessen the duration. (NCBI.gov)
Personally, I do believe if you take significant amounts of a quality, food source of vitamin C, then you could potentially help to prevent sickness, but that could also be the placebo effect. Either way, the body does not store vitamin C, so you will flush out any excess that is not being used. Typically the worse side effect of too much vitamin C will be soft poos, or in fancier terms, diarrhea. It is not known to be toxic in large doses.
If you are trying to increase your intake of vitamin C naturally (vitamin c also helps in the absorption of iron), aim to include as many high-vitamin C plant foods as you can. Some of the best plants to consume would be broccoli, spinach, strawberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, citrus fruits, parsley, basil and even potatoes.
If you don’t feel like you consume enough vitamin C and you are considering supplementing with a vitamin or other nutritional supplement, you may want to look into food-based vitamins. Garden of Life and Naturelo both offer many different food-based supplements including vitamin C. I have taken both of those brands and I have not seen any significant difference between the two brands.
Regardless of the route you choose to take, experiment with the different herbs to see how your own body responds. Herbmentor.com and Rosemary Gladstar are both excellent resources if you are just starting out and want to learn more about herbs and how they will benefit you and your health.
Well, that about sums up my list of “go-to” herbs to help remedy your cold or flu. I hope you are only reading for preventive measures and not because you’re in need of relief. If you are in need of relief, I sincerely hope that some of these remedies help you with that.
I do wish you all an abundance of health during cold & flu season and every other season that follows.
Thanks for reading!
