Onset of winter may be a reason for many to sit back at home and relax with a cup of hot tea or coffee. But for many it brings problem associated with irritating and uncomfortable cold. People spent huge sum of money every year to get rid of cold and flu.
Since there is no permanent cure for common cold, the body has to build a strong immune system to protect it from the villainous virus causing cold and flu. A resilient immune system is the best weapon against common cold. So building a natural defense before cold takes hold of your body is the best cure.
Wondering how to keep your immune system boosted!! Don’t worry; here are few herbal ways to keep common cold at bay. Since ages herbs are considered as heavenly medicines for several diseases. There are many herbs that were used in earlier days to prevent common cold. Let’s have a glance of various herbs and there use in preventing common cold.
Top 7 Herbal Remedies For Common Cold
Garlic
Carrying the legacy of Ayurvedic medicines, garlic has been traditionally used to cure many ailments. It is believed to boost the immune systems against cold and flu. According to researchers, intake of garlic on daily basic reduces the chance of catching cold. Being a powerful antioxidant with antimicrobial, antiviral and antibiotic properties, it provides a strong armor against cold and flu viral infection.
Including garlic in your daily meal is a good idea to keep the immune system in shape. More effective way to consume is munching a clove of raw and fresh garlic. And for sore throats, keep a slice of clove in the mouth and suck on it for 10-15 minutes. Sucking a clove release the juice of garlic which contains a powerful antibacterial chemical called Allicin which works as a charm for throat pain. If these methods seem odourful then just take garlic capsule a day available in markets and notice the difference.
Echinacea
Echinacea is a group of flowering plants widely found in eastern and central North America. Several research and studies have specified that taking Echinacea as herbal remedy halve the risk of catching common cold. It has been found that this herb reduces the chance of developing common cold by 58% and lessens the duration of cold by day-and-a-half. Apart from reducing the duration of the illness, it also minimizes the severity of cold related problems like cough, headache, and nasal congestion.
There are several products available in the market containing Echinacea that are made using its different parts such as flower, stem and root. Taking this herb at the early stage of cold is more beneficial. It is recommended not to take Echinacea for long period of time as it is considered as a powerful herb. And ingestion of powerful herbs for many days may cause harmful effects on the overall health. So it is advisable to it for not more than 10 days for common cold.
Turmeric
The Indian wonder herb ‘turmeric’ has recently gain popularity among researchers for its anticancer properties. This commonly used spice mysteriously carries many health benefits apart from imparting the authentic color and taste to the Indian gravies. One of them is its effectiveness to cure common cold.
Turmeric can be taken in different ways. The simple of all is drinking a glass of milk which is boiled with turmeric powder. Inhaling the steam of the milk while it is being boiled with turmeric powder is also beneficial for cold. Chewing raw and fresh turmeric with honey first thing in the morning also works as magic for cold and flu.
Ginger
When talking about cold, one cannot ignore the efficiency of ginger in beating cold. Scientists have isolated several antiviral compounds from ginger that are effective against the most common virus ‘ rhinoviruses’ causing common cold.
Along with having anti-rhinovirus effects, it also contains compounds that relief the symptoms associated with cold. As ginger is available in various consumable forms and can be easily included in to daily food including teas and soups.
Honey
Honey is well known around the world for its health benefits. With heavenly taste, it carries many nutrients that provide divine cure for many ailments. Let’s focus here its role for curing cold and flu.
Taking a teaspoon of honey with cinnamon for cold is very effective to ward off cold viruses. As both honey and cinnamon has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties, it provide a strong shield against the virus.
Elderberry
From the family of the blueberry, Elderberry is widely found in Australia and South America. They are used as a treatment for flu since ancient roman times. Consuming Elderberries improves the condition of common cold within three days.
Having antiviral properties, they are able to inhibit the enzyme used by the cold virus to conquer the whole body. And due to high level of Vitamin C and flavonoids content, they have been found to boost the immune system. Elderberry is also known to have anti-inflammatory behavior which sooths the symptoms of pain, aches, and fever. It has been proved effective against bronchitis, coughs, sore throats, fevers, influenza, hay fever and other cold related disorders.
Elderberry can be consumed in the form of tea (3 times a day), liquid extract (2 times a day) or tincture. Tea can be prepared by taking 4 to 5 grams of dried flowers boiled in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes. Liquid Elderberry can be taken as 5 ml dosages for children and 10 ml for adults. Tinctures are recommended to consume as 20 to 60 drops for two to three times a day. But avoid taking the leaves and stems of Elderberry in raw form as they are toxic in this form.
Quercetin
Sipping a cup of hot tea during cold and sore throat often relieves the symptoms associated with common cold. It is believed that hot beverages are commonly known to act on common cold instantly. But very few people know the reason behind this. Actually beverages like tea contains a particular compound called Quercetin that inhibits the growth and multiplication of flu virus.
So if you want a defense against flu viruses than start including apple, broccoli, red grapes, sun-dried raisins, cherries, cranberries, green tea, grapefruit seed, leafy vegetables and beans in daily diet. As these fruits and vegetables are also (apart from tea) the rich sources of Quercetin.
Caution: Please use Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.
