First and foremost REST!  Rest, Rest, Rest. 

 Do yourself and your co-workers a favor and take a day off to take care of yourself.  So many people go into work even if they just have a little cold, but if more people stayed home and took care of themselves for even just a day there would be less sick days taken throughout the company overall.  People forget that the body has its own way of telling you things, and having a cold is one way for your body to tell you it’s time to slow down and take it easy, but how many people really listen?

 

            My first line of defense when a cold comes on is Vitamin C.  When I start feeling even the tiniest twinge of a cold coming on I take 2,000 mg right away, and then continue to take 1,000 mg about every 3 hours until I feel the symptoms subsiding.  Another option is Airborne; it’s full of Vitamins, Minerals and herbs.

 

            As an herbalist I have over 70 herbs in my closet to choose from, which makes it very easy to take care of things, but the idea of this column is to make it as easy as possible for people who don’t have an herb closet at their fingertips to take care of themselves naturally just as easy.

 

            I suggest all the herbs mentioned below be taken as a tea, as it will be easier to mix and match and play with the taste to find the right combination for yourself.  Peppermint is my old stand-by.  Most people like the taste and it’s so soothing and very easy to find.  Fix yourself a cup of peppermint tea, which helps with coughs and fevers, and throw some honey in to help coat the throat. This will also help with your coughing and sore throat.  You can also mix Peppermint and Sage into a bowl and pour boiling water over it, to inhale the steam cover your head with a towel and hold it over the bowl.  This should help open the nasal passages.

 

Believe it or not another great herb for colds is Catnip.  It isn’t just for happy cats.  It’s great for coughs, fevers, headaches and even safe enough to give to a colicky baby.  It doesn’t have a very strong taste as a tea so it’s great to mix with other herbs.

 

In my last article, Garlic 101, I mentioned that you can cut up a clove or two of garlic, take it with a glass of water at the beginning of a cold and its antibiotic action can help fight a cold as well.

 

Fresh lemon juice squeezed in some warm water along with honey is very soothing, and even pregnant women can take this remedy.

 

Open up your spice cabinet and pull out some Cinnamon sticks, about 6, throw them in a pint of heated water, strain, add a tiny bit of milk and once again honey and it’s a great drink for kids.  Don’t be alarmed by the sweating, it’s just the cinnamon working.

 

Here are a few mixtures for a congested cough to put onto your chest.  Cut up several onions and pour olive oil to cover completely and then roast in the oven for about 30 minutes.  Apply olive oil onto the chest and put the onions onto a flannel cloth and cover to keep the poultice warm, keep this on for 30 minutes.  Another mixture is a few teaspoons of Cayenne pepper, 4 tablespoons of Cinnamon and 6 tablespoons of ground Ginger mixed with olive oil to make a paste, apply it to a flannel cloth, cover the chest with olive oil then apply poultice.  Cover to keep warm and leave on overnight, this mixture will help sweat out the cold.

 

Here are a few other herbs that are also great for colds but aren’t necessarily super easy to get, you may be able to find them at your local health food store (which seem to be popping up more and more around the country), or a Vitamin shop. So here’s the list:  Hyssop, Elder Flower, Goldenseal and Yarrow will help with a stuffy, runny nose. Mullein Flower, Eucalyptus and Lungwort can help with a congested cough.  Slippery Elm and Licorice Root can help with a sore throat.

Have fun coming up with your own mixtures and stay healthy.