Cold and flu fighters right from nature

“It is easy to get a thousand prescriptions but hard to get one single remedy”~ A Chinese proverb.

True! How many people revert to prescriptions compared to those who utilize nature to get the remedies? When we know we have cold or flu, we might even not think of visiting a doctor, because “it’s just common cold I have every year”, and pass by the pharmacy to get the “common medicine” that cures that “common cold”…ever held on a second of thinking if there would be any better alternative?

You would probably give it a lot of thought when you know that many of the prescribed drugs are any supplement that contains chemical or unnatural substances that gets involved with how our brain functions, it affects the brain chemistry, hormones and mentality. Some drugs might even fool our brains into thinking that everything is fine and that everything is opposite to what we’re actually experiencing. On the other hand, natural herbal remedies, are purely extracted from living plants. Usually these natural plants contain substances that promotes the body to function in certain ways to heal, without getting involved with how our brains work or how our hormones are regulated!

Nonetheless, sometimes natural remedies need to be “safety considered” as per what the experts say. As commented, the potentially toxic effects of natural cold and flu remedies are almost always related to long term use only. So, if it’s a matter of an average of 1 to 5 days, it’s ok.

Despite the great difference between prescriptions and natural remedies, sometimes chemical intervention is needed and a visit to the doctor is essential! When?

When any of the symptoms is persistent; specially, difficulty in breathing or chest pain, fever, vomiting or inability to keep fluids down, painful swallowing, coughing congestion and headache. Any of these symptoms presenting persistence, is a call for further and stringer action. Also, it is preferable to visit the doctor in the early stages of flu, since flu consequences can be quite life threatening.

However, it’s very common when we confuse cold with flu, think they’re the same, have the same symptoms and after all treat and try to cure them the same way!

Here’s some important differences between cold and flu that we should be well aware of to be able to provide ourselves with the kind of remedy that won’t let us wonder at the end why on earth am I not getting better?

It’s common cold if you experience irritation in the nose or a sore throat at first, followed within hours by sneezing and a watery nasal discharge. Afterwards, the nasal secretions commonly become thicker and may turn a greenish or yellowish color within 1 to 3 days. Colds tend to last about a week, with sometimes a few remaining symptoms for an additional week or so like coughing for example.

It’s flu if the above cold symptoms come more attacking, stronger and quicker in the frequency and intervals of time. You would probably experience high fever, hoarse cough accompanied by chest discomfort, sore throat, headache, fatigue and weakness and aching back, arms and legs
One other success factor for the natural cold and flue remedies to work is related to the “prevention before cure” idea. Always make sure you’re maintain a good diet, frequent work out, low drinking and smoking rates and that you always have germs-free hands (by regular hand wash or by using any hand sanitizing gel or wet wipes) or else try to avoid touching your eyes, ears or mouth because this is usually where the cold and flu viruses enter the body.

Here are 5 major remedies from nature for cold and flu:

1-      Raw Fresh Garlic

Hard to imagine taking it in this way, yet results are tremendous.

Garlic contains compounds, such as allicin—an oily substance, which is found to help prevent colds as well as shorten their duration.

How to take it? You can have it  in cooking, or by taking appropriate dosages of garlic supplements, as a dehydrated garlic powder, garlic oil, or aged garlic extract,. Moreover, you can take is as raw fresh garlic pieces. If you don’t want to have garlic breath for a long time, don’t chew it. Just get small cloves and swallow them whole or crush them a bit and swallow them with the help of water to ensure they’ll be well digested. It’s better to eat something before you get this garlic in your stomach.

2-      Ginger

Ginger eases pain and fever and has a slighttranquilizing effect that will encourage rest and relaxation. It is tasty and without any lingering odor effect!

Thatpowerful root can act as an antihistamine and decongestant, two cold-easing effects embraced by Chinese herbalists for ages.

How to take it?You can add some slices of ginger to boiled water and drink it, have it as strong ginger tea or may be add it in tiny pieces to your soup. You can always find available in super market as well tea bags of ginger and lemon together, which would work wonderfully as well. The only warning is not to overdo it, and not to take it when your throat is really red and infected.

3-      Honey

Our grandmothers won’t be surprised for that item!

It is basically very good for reducing and smoothing coughing and this happens as honey coats and soothes an irritated throat. That is its edge.

How to take it?The good things about honey is that you can have separate honey intakes using the spoon or you can add it to any drink or food you want to sweeten instead of sugar, you can add it to lemon and ginger to make a perfect cold and flu fighter mix.

4-      Vitamin C

We’re not talking about the popular fizzy vitamin C we frequently take, we’re just back to nature!

Vitamin C does not cure cold or flu as most of recent studies conclude and which is against many of our beliefs. Vitamin C helps in keeping the body strong and immune. So it works better in preventing your body from catching cold, more than curing or shortening you cold or flu period.

How to take it? Vitamin C is very rich in most of fruits and vegetables. You can find it specially in citrus fruits like orange, lemon, kiwi, etc, and in vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, strawberries and tomatoes.

5-      Vitamin D

      Even though it’s not the wonder remedy, yet many studies proved that people with high vitamin D levels are less prone to catch cold or flu. A lot of research done currently got doctors and patients surprised that Vitamin does not stop cold, yet meanwhile most of these studies proved that people with lower vitamin D levels catch common cold more often. It was tested on men, women and children.

      How to take it? Amazingly, you can take into your body some of vitamin D by being exposed to the sun but off course in a considerably measured duration. Another sources are salmon, tuna fish, eggs and sardines.

     

     Above all that always remember to take enough time to rest whenever you’re with cold or flu, keep yourself warm specially your head and feet and breath in only warm air.