20 Natural Cold and Flu Remedies
- Kelly McClintock, MA, LICDC-CS, MCAP
- Nov 21, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 1
The Dreaded Cold and Flu
We all know that feeling. It starts with a little tickle in your throat. Then, the next thing you know, you're wrapped in a blanket, breathing through your mouth, with a pile of tissues besides you.
Ugh! It's the dreaded cold.
The average adult has 2-3 colds each year and kids can have as many as 10 a year, with those yucky symptoms persisting for up to 10 days. While the common cold is no fun— the flu, an upper respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus, can be much more serious.
Over 200,000 people are hospitalized each year in the U.S.
due to seasonal influenza
20 Natural Ways to Prevent and Treat Colds/Flu
Preventing and treating the flu all comes down to your immune system!!!
Foods:
1. Eat light and Eat Plants. Keep it light by consuming lots of greens and colorful plants. This ensures that your body is getting quality nutrition and not having to focus its energy on digestion, so it can effectively fight the virus.
2. Hydrate. Water, teas, juice, lemon water, bone broths, etc. Try a soothing cup of hot lemon water or green tea with honey and ginger.
3. Juice it out! Green leafy veggies, sprouts (pea, sunflower, broccoli), wheatgrass, ginger, turmeric, elderberry, etc. Consume a green juice twice a day!
4. Elderberry. This dark purple berry is loaded with antioxidants to support the immune system. So go to the local juice bar and grab an elderberry shot.
5. Garlic. Eat one or two cloves of raw garlic at the first onset of symptoms. You can also chop the garlic fine, let it sit for 10 minutes to "activate", then mix it with food. You can also cut a clove into chunks and swallow them whole like pills.
6. No dairy/No gluten/No Sugar. Ditch inflammatory foods!
The Flu shot has a 1% chance of being effective
Supplements/Herbs (Immune Building):
7. Raw Vitamin C. 1000mg daily; up to 4000mg a day if you have symptoms.
8. Echinacea. Take this herb every other day during cold/flu season to boost immune function. Take 3x a day if you have symptoms.
9. Vitamin D. Low levels are related to increases in cold/flu illness, so keep your blood levels above 50. We take 5000-10,000 IU daily and year-round.
10. Mushrooms. (Reishi, Maitake, Shitake, Turkey Tail, Chaga, etc.). We consume organic mushroom extracts year-round on a rotating schedule for immune support.
11. Quercetin. Research suggests that this bioflavonoid prevents the common cold, fights viruses, soothes airways, and relieves allergy symptoms (prevents the release of histamine).
12. Astragalus. This herb will give your immune system a boost.
13. Probiotic. Take a multi-strain product to improve gut health/immune function.
14. Virasara. Take this herbal mixture at the onset of symptoms to reduce the duration.
Zycam. This homeopathic cold remedy shorten the duration of a cold and comes in a variety of products (nasal swabs, lozengers, gummies, etc.).
Essential Oils:
16. Luv Rub. Try an essential oil chest rub (“Luv Rub”) by diluting eucalyptus with coconut oil. Rub on chest, neck, and wrists.
17. Oil neck and feet. Rub peppermint and frankincense oil on the back of the neck and bottoms of feet.
18. Diffuse. Get the diffuser fired-up! Try some peppermint, eucalyptus, or “breathe” oil (DoTerra).
Other:
19. Neti Pot. The neti pot (Ayurveda) is a method of nasal irrigation that helps to prevent illness, as well as quell cold/flu symptoms. Use the neti pot first thing in the morning and at bedtime.
Use:
8 oz. warm distilled water
½ teaspoon pink sea salt
3-4 drops of Biotic Iodine
3-4 drops of Emulsified Vitamin A
Follow Neti pot directions, rinsing each nostril thoroughly.
20. Rest. When you're not feeling well, it's important to give your body a little TLC. After a soothing bath, apply a dab of luv rub, curl up with a cup of herbal tea, diffuse some oils, then drift off to sleep. Adults should get 7-8 hours of zzz's per night in order to allow the body to heal and repair.
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*Always check with your doctor before changing things like diet/exercise/supplement routines/or anything else that may impact your health.
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