Planted By Grace

The cold and flu season is upon us again so I thought I would share a few natural remedies that I have found useful over the years. Some of the ideas have been obtained from naturopath, Barbara O’Neill: How to Immunize against Colds and Flus.

1. WATER – FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE

An old friend of mine,  who, at the time,  hadn’t had a cold for 20 years shared her secret with me. She was an ex-nurse and received this advice many years previously from a doctor and had followed it ever since. At the very first sign of a cold or sore throat she would drink one glass of water every 10 minutes for the first 2 hours and then regularly after that. I have followed the same advice and have found it very effective for nipping a cold in the bud on many occasions.

2.  FAST or EAT LIGHTLY

When a cold develops,  going on a water or juice fast for a day or eating lightly of fruit /vegetables can be very healing. Digestion utilises a huge amount of energy and giving the body a rest from this task enables the immune system to concentrate on fighting the infection. In particular it’s important to avoid dairy and grains as they are both mucous forming.

3. MAKE A FLU BOMB

When I was a child, my mum used to always make me a hot lemon and honey drink when I had a cold. The flu bomb is basically a revamped version of this well known remedy but packed with extra ingredients to give it more impact.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon (juiced)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic (crushed or diced finely)
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp honey
• boiling water to cover

Method

1.  Combine all ingredients in a glass bottle
2.  Cover with boiling water and allow to steep.
3. It can strained or if your brave enough you can swallow all the chunky bits!
4.  Take a several spoonfuls throughout the course of the first day and then as needed.
5. Store in the fridge with a lid on top.

4. HOT FOOT BATH

If you have a head cold,  a hot foot bath can be helpful in drawing the congestion away from the head. Immerse your feet in a tub or container filled with hot water ( as hot as you can comfortably stand) Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the water to increase the heat. Keep feet in the water for about 20 mins to 1/2 an hour. Keep a freshly boiled kettle close by, to heat up the water as it cools down!

5. CAYENNE PEPPER POULTICE FOR FEET

Before going to bed,take some paper towel and cut 2 pieces to match the size of your feet. Smear some olive oil over the paper towel and sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper.  Place each piece of paper under feet. Wrap in plastic cling wrap and then put a pair of socks on (preferably woollen) to keep everything in place. Leave on overnight . In the morning, remove poultice and thoroughly rinse feet. Admittedly its a bit messy but it works the same way as the hot foot bath by helping to equalise the circulation and draw congestion away from the upper body. (Don’t try this if you are a diabetic or have sensitive skin.)

6. NATURAL COUGH SYRUP

I haven’t personally tried this one but I certainly will  if I get a chesty cough…..Onions are anti-inflammatory and Honey is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal so the two combined  can help to reduce coughs and soothe sore throats.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• enough honey to cover the onion

Method

1. Roughly chop onion and place in a small bottle.
2. Cover with honey.
3. Place lid on bottle and  leave overnight. During this time the onion will secrete a juice which seeps into the honey creating an infection fighting natural cough syrup.
4. Strain and keep in the fridge.
5. Take 1-3 TB twice a day.

7.  A  FEW OTHER REMEDIES

• If I have a sore throat I also like to gargle  frequently with water in which a few drops of T- Tree oil have been added.
• Rubbing the area affected eg throat or chest with Eucalyptus oil can also be beneficial.
• It goes without saying that extra sleep is important to give the body time to heal and fight the infection.
• Dosing up with some good quality Vitamin C powder may also be helpful in reducing the symptoms of a cold.

Here’s to a HAPPY, COLD- FREE WINTER!!! 🙂