The cold weather is upon us and so are the cold and flu symptoms. Treating your cold and flu symptoms the natural way is more effective and can help you get over it quickly without having to expose your body to harmful chemical found in most prescription and over the counter cold medicines. Here are some important tips to help you get rid of those nasty symptoms:

  1. Rinse nasal passages and gargle using a homemade saline solution to get rid of viruses and bacteria. Mix ¼ salts to 8 ounces of water. Using a nasal bulb syringe spray the solution in each nostril 2 to 3 time and blow your nose. You can also gargle the saltwater solution to get rid of a sore throat.
  2. Drink ginseng tea: Cut a few pieces of ginseng and add it to 6 to 8 ounces of hot water and simmer for about 5 minutes on low heat. Strain the liquid into a tea cup to remove the ginseng pieces. Add one teaspoon of raw honey and juice of half a lime. Sip this tea to reduce the duration of your cold or flu.
  3. Eat chicken noodle soup: The old wives tale about chicken noodle soup helping fight a common cold was actually correct. Studies have shown that a bowl of chicken noodle soup with vegetables can help your body’s immune system fight better and help you get rid of the cold faster.
  4. Juice organic oranges to get vitamin C: Health experts suggest taking 500 mgs of vitamin C in your diet helps boost your immune system.
  5. Place a cool mist humidifier in your bedroom: Influenza thrives in a dry environment so placing humidifier in your bedroom can help create moisture in the air and keep your nasal passages and throat moist.
  6. Take a warm bath: Add one box of Epsom salt and one box of baking soda to the water and some essential oils like tea tree, juniper, rosemary, thyme, orange, lavender, and eucalyptus to help reduce body aches from flu.
  7. Take cinnamon: Cinnamon has many health benefits including stabilizing blood sugar, and it is also an effective antiviral and antibiotic. When sick, mix 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with 1 teaspoon of honey and stir with hot water to make a spicy and very effective tea that helps relieve cough and congestion and lowers fever.
  8. Hydrate and rest: Keep the body hydrated by drinking herbal teas with honey and lemon. While your body is fighting a cold or flu, it deploys a lot of your energy to your immune system to help it win the battle. This battle taxes the body, so it’s best to stay warm and rest when you first come down with a cold or the flu.
  9. Let nature take its course: the annoying symptoms you experience like fever and coughing are, believe it or not an important part of the natural healing process and evidence that your immune system is battling the illness. For instance, a fever is your body’s way of trying to kill viruses by creating a hotter-than-normal environment. Thus, if you endure a moderate fever for a day or two, you may actually get well faster. Coughing clears your breathing passages of thick mucus that can carry germs to your lungs and the rest of your body. Even that stuffy nose is best treated mildly or not at all. A decongestant, like Sudafed, restricts flow to the blood vessels in your nose and throat which is necessary for healing faster
  10. Eat Garlic: The best and most effective way to take garlic is to eat it raw but if you aren’t fond of the pungent taste and smell of raw garlic, try garlic sautéed with vegetables or pasta. Another method to use garlic during a cold is to breathe in some garlic steam. Slice up a few cloves of garlic and put them in a small pot along with a cup of water. Heat until steaming, and then carefully inhale the garlic steam at arm’s length.