If you or a loved one gets sick, these natural remedies for cold and flu will bring relief that’s all-natural and safe!
I currently live in Northern Ohio, and it is wickedly cold. In fact, this week is record-breakingly cold in parts of the Midwest to the East Coast. As long as I can avoid being outside for lengths of time, I don’t hate the cold. The snow is stunning and it gives me an excuse to be somewhat of a hermit. The one thing I do dislike about winter weather is the sickness that often comes with it! In this post, I’m going to share 7 effective natural remedies for cold and flu season.
If you’ve spent any time around this blog, you’ve probably already heard me mention my love for propolis, an almost magically effective, all natural bee product. Propolis boosts your immune system and can help keep you from getting sick, or at the very least, help you get over your sickness quickly! Ryan and I loaded our family up on it over Christmas – it makes a great gift.
Propolis comes in spray form, and you can spray it in your mouth up to four times, any time you want an immune system boost. It tastes a lot like honey! And the bottle is a perfect size for throwing in your purse or taking along when you travel. Here’s what it looks like (you can click this link or the image below to view propolis on Amazon!):
If your preventative measures fail, however, and you or your loved one falls sick, this article will be an amazing resource for you. I’ve put together 7 top natural remedies for cold and flu season!
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I am not a health care professional. Please consult a professional health care provider before making changes to your lifestyle or if you have any concerns about your health. Also, this post contains Amazon and other affiliate links. That means if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. As always, all opinions are entirely our own. Thanks for supporting us!
1. Drink up!
This really is #1 of all natural remedies for cold and flu season. Staying hydrated is necessary all the time, but when your body is fighting off sicknesses it is absolutely essential that you drink as many fluids as you can.
Best Fluids for Sickness
Steer clear of caffeine and sugar as much as possible, but you have lots of other equally delicious options! Water is an obvious one, and sparkling water is a good choice too. Herbal teas are excellent for sickness, because they can have countless additional health benefits along with helping you hydrate. I put together a list of my favorite 9 herbal teas, where I include the health benefits of each. Throat Coat tea is my definite favorite when I’m sick.
I make a drink that I call my “elixir” when either Ryan or I is sick, using some of the most powerful ingredients for fighting sickness. I will post an actual recipe for it in the future, but it’s a combination of these ingredients:
- hot water
- 1-2 Tbl apple cider vinegar
- fresh lemon juice
- raw unpasteurized honey
- turmeric, ginger (fresh if possible), and cinnamon
There are a lot of soothing drink recipes out there using some combination of these ingredients. You can totally make it your own, and you really can’t go wrong. It’ll make a potent drink, but we’ve acquired a taste for it. And I mean it when I say it is powerful and effective!
If you’d like a recipe to reference, I found a great Soothing Elixir recipe from The Paleo Mama that you can check out!
2. Eat raw garlic.
It doesn’t get much more natural or raw than this! Many people swear by the effectiveness of this one. I haven’t tried it yet so if you do we want to hear how it goes!
According to The Chalkboard Mag, garlic “is a powerful antioxidant with antimicrobial, antiviral and antibiotic properties.” (Click through to their site to read more fun garlic facts.)
There are three recommended ways to eat the garlic:
- For the brave ones: pop a garlic clove in your mouth, chew it up, and eat it. Eat one clove every 3-4 hours until you’re feeling better.
- For the mildly brave ones: mince the garlic clove first, add honey and olive oil, and eat it with crackers.
- For the afraid or the child: boil 3-6 cloves of chopped garlic in a cup of water, then drink the liquid 2-3 times per day. (Thanks Happy Mothering for that one.)
3. Up your zinc intake.
Zinc is essential for healthy immunity. Some studies say that upping your zinc intake can help prevent sickness as well as help you get over sickness faster, and it’s more effective than vitamin C!
Here are some delicious foods that are great sources of zinc: pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, cashews, black beans, spinach, mushrooms, lamb, and beef.
4. Use a diffuser or humidifier.
Especially during the winter when the air is really dry here, running my diffuser makes a huge difference in helping me breathe easier and keeping the air less dry. When I’m sick I like to diffuse peppermint essential oil to open up my breathing, and lavender essential oil to help me sleep at night.
Ryan’s mom introduced me to my new favorite essential oils brand, Rocky Mountain Oils, and I’m in love with their products! Their oils are of the highest quality, providing GC/MS test results for all oils confirming their purity. Also, shipping is free on all items, and they offer free returns for any reason on any items (even if opened) up to 90 days after they were purchased!
I got Ryan an essential oils diffuser for his birthday and I love it so much that I wish I could trade mine in for one like his! It holds 500ml of water, which is more than most diffusers. With that big of capacity it can actually run through the whole night (whereas mine shuts off halfway through the night). You can buy it on Amazon! Here’s what it looks like – we love the wooden look of the base, and it’s not blue unless you turn on its LED light:
5. Rest and sleep as much as possible!
Drinking lots of water and getting lots of sleep are probably the two most effective things you can do to help your body get better when you’re sick. The rest of these tips are just extras.
If I can, my first response when I feel sickness coming on is going to bed early and sleeping in, or taking a nap. Honestly, if I can get that extra sleep, the sickness usually doesn’t come on full-force. Sleep is so underrated. Make it a priority, and your body will thank you!
6. Have some chicken soup.
Though research isn’t conclusive, several studies have shown actual scientific evidence for chicken soup helping you feel better when you’re sick! Whether or not it’s scientifically proven, in my opinion chicken soup remains one of the best comforts when I’m sick.
I have to insert this funny story… Fairly early on in Ryan and I’s relationship, I visited him in Indianapolis to help care for him while he was sick. I went to the store and bought ingredients for a Chicken Pesto Soup. I was SO excited to make it for him and show him how much I cared. When he started eating the soup, however, his throat started getting scratchy. Turns out, despite all my purest intentions, I gave Ryan an allergic reaction! The pesto had walnuts in it (I had no idea), and Ryan is allergic to walnuts. Thankfully, he caught it right away and the reaction wasn’t severe. But as you can imagine, I felt terrible.
Don’t do what I did. Here’s a wholesome soup recipe that should be safe for anyone, with immune-boosting ingredients!
Cold Busting Soup
From Happy Healthy Mama
7. Make homemade natural remedies.
Store bought products like cough drops and syrups can contain lots sugar and additional chemicals. I’ve found three natural remedies for cold and flu that you can make at home with all natural ingredients!
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
From Wellness Mama
Elderberries are extremely immune-boosting and can soothe symptoms of colds and flus. This elderberry syrup uses dried elderberries (which you can buy online), ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and raw honey.
Homemade Cough Drops
From Frugal Farm Wife
Made with peppermint and chamomile teas, cinnamon, ginger, and honey, these homemade cough drops are totally clean to eat and make a very effective natural remedy.
Homemade Cough Syrup
From Nourishing Joy
This cough syrup is made with raw honey, apple cider vinegar, ginger, cayenne pepper, and garlic.
2 comments
I love your suggestions! I have my essential oil diffuser running all winter and find it really helps (plus it smells so good!) I also make my own Elderberry syrup. My kids love it and it really fights the cold and flu!
Yes, I’ve been so amazed by the difference my diffuser makes, especially with the dry air! And the all-natural smells are wonderful too. Thanks for sharing and stopping by, Jen!