10 Home Remedies for Cold and Flu for a Speedy Recovery
Getting the cold or flu can get in the way of life, but you don’t want to deal with the symptoms and be out of work longer than you have to. There are natural products and things you have at home that can help you fight off a cold or flu. So when you’re down with the sniffles, try these 10 home remedies for cold and flu to help you recover faster.
Table of Contents
Cold/Flu Natural Home Remedies
1. Water and Fluids
“Drink more water” may sound so trivial, but nothing beats water therapy in clearing away snot and mucus from your respiratory tract. But to add some fun to this monotonous remedy, you can alternate (but not substitute) water with other fluids like a sports drink, coconut water, and fresh juice.
Drinking water and consuming electrolytes are how you truly hydrate your cells and your whole body.
2. Salt Water
Another type of fluid, saltwater can help clear out snot and mucus, but not by drinking it. You use salt water to rinse out your nose and nasal passages using a bulb syringe or nasal spray. You can either make saltwater or buy a nasal saline spray from a pharmacy.
To make the right mix of saltwater at home, just follow this recipe:
In 4 ounces of warm water, mix in 1/8 teaspoon of table salt and 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda. If you don’t have baking soda, you can just mix ¼ teaspoon of table salt with the water instead. Mix the solution thoroughly until it looks clear and uniform. Then inject the solution into your nose with the bulb syringe.
3. Warm Broth
Good old chicken soup is still one of the best cold remedies that naturally help your body recover from cold and flu. It’s a good source of immune-building nutrients and readily absorbable protein, which is essential in immune cell regeneration.
If you don’t like chicken soup, you can try the beef bone soup, which is also rich in protein and other nutrients that support the immune system.
Bone broth is a great way to consume minerals to help hydrate you and help your body have the strength to fight off the cold or flu naturally.
4. Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral that helps strengthen the immune system. You can increase your intake of zinc by eating mineral-rich foods like red meat, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds, and eggs.
Zinc plays a gatekeeper role in the immune system, it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. It helps with “regulating intracellular signaling pathways in innate and adaptive immune cells”. (Wessels et. al., 2017)
5. Steam
Another way where water can help you get rid of cold and flu is by inhaling it in the form of steam. Just heat up a pot of clean water until it boils and produces enough steam. But you should remember to remove the water from heat and wait until it stops boiling before you inhale the steam.
Steam from the shower can help open up your breathing pathways to ensure better breathing.
6. Vitamin D3
Vitamin d3 is actually a hormone produced in our bodies by sun exposure or eating vitamin d rich foods.
Vitamin d works to fight off the cold and flu-like COVID-19 by improving intracellular barriers to stimulate innate immunity as well as modulating adaptive immunity. It is anti-inflammatory so it helps reduce built-up inflammation in the body that can suppress immunity.
- Vitamin D helps get calcium into your bone matrix—the lattice-like structure that gives your bones their strength and rigidity.
- Vitamin D is good for your brain too!
- Vitamin D3 plays a critical role in immune function
- Promotes endothelial health helps maintain already-healthy blood pressure.
7. Essential oil chest rub
This home remedy for cold and flu is not a remedy to get rid of the illness but it does help improve symptoms.
Using an essential oil chest rub on children or adults can help improve breathing which is typically an issue with illness.
You can purchase a chest rub with menthol from a natural online grocery store like Thrive Market or use some essential oils like peppermint and eucalyptus.
8. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is antibacterial so it can kill off bacterial infections.
Take a shot in the morning with some Manuka or raw local honey and some lemon juice.
This combination will minimize the strong ACV taste and add additional immune-boosting benefits by alkalizing, soothing a sore throat, minimizing cough, and fighting off viruses and bacteria.
9. Manuka Honey
As mentioned previously, Manuka honey and local honey both have immune-boosting properties.
Manuka honey comes from the Manuka plant however bees get honey from multiple plants, so it is best to compare Manuka honey by the quality of the process.
Look for raw, unprocessed honey in order to give you the most nutrient-dense Manuka honey.
Manuka honey is known for its antimicrobial benefits and different Manuka honeys have different strengths based on the Unique Manuka Factor rating scale.
- Our Manuka Honey is raw, never pasteurized,
- Non-GMO Project verified Manuka Honey, traceable from hive to home.
- Enjoy one 17.6 Oz BPA free, a non-leaching poly jar filled with delicious KFactor 16 honey
- One of nature’s true superfoods, with multiple uses. Have a spoonful daily health for well-being; immune boosting home remedies and DIY skincare.
10. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains anti-microbial agents called Monolaurin and Lauric Acid. These anti-microbial agents activate the anti-inflammatory immune response as well.
You can cook with coconut oil, add it to baths, add a little to a tea with your Manuka honey and use it to oil pull.
To oil pull put a scoop of oil in your mouth and swish it around for 5-10 mins, whatever feels comfortable. This kills off bad bacteria that occur in your oral microbiome.
References:
Wessels, I., Maywald, M., & Rink, L. (2017). Zinc as a Gatekeeper of Immune Function. Nutrients, 9(12), 1286. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9121286
Originally posted 2019-10-29 02:05:37.
Megan Santiago
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