Top Natural Ways to Help Your Body Fight a Cold

While this year so far hasn’t been too cold, there’s little doubt that we are in the cold and flu time of the year.  Older people and those with health problems or vulnerabilities are all getting flu jabs and most of us are making sure there are cough medicines and other over the counter cures in the house, just in case.  But are there other, natural ways to help boost your body to assist in the fight against a cold?

Tasty and helpful

One of the best natural helpers is garlic.  Known for its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, it is ideal for killing off the germs that cause the cold as well as giving the immune system a boost.  How often do you get a cold then straight away get another bug?  This is because your immune system has been hit by the cold and left vulnerable to other bacteria.  Giving it a boost can help combat this.  If you can manage it, mix together a clove of garlic, two teaspoons of lemon juice, one teaspoons of honey and a touch of either cayenne pepper or chili powder.  Take the mixture each day.  Alternatively, boil four or five cloves in water and add a teaspoon of honey.  Just remember, don’t use your favourite mug that the kids got for your birthday – garlic has a habit of making things stay garlic-flavoured!

Mentioned honey leads us to our next helpful ingredient.  Honey is known for its ability to soothe sore throats, which is why it is used in many medicines.  It also has a high number of nutrients and enzymes that are great at bacteria killing.  Add one teaspoon of lemon juice and two of honey in water then drink or even just take a spoonful of raw honey to ease a sore throat.

Spicy relief

Spice tea is an Ayurvedic remedy that is used to get rid of the common cold.  To make your own, take a quarter cup of coriander seeds, half a tablespoon of cumin and fennel seeds and a quarter teaspoon of fenugreek seeds then dry roast them as you would coffee.  Boil a cup of water and add one and a half table spoons of the mixture as well as half a teaspoon of rock candy.  Leave it for three of four minutes then add two tablespoons of milk.  Boil then strain it and sip while hot.

Ginger is another spice that has benefits when suffering with a cold.  It has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties.  Ginger tea is a great option so get your teapot out.  Add a little lemon juice and honey to it for taste and extra benefits. 

Traditional ideas

Then there is good old chicken soup, still a great helper when you are feeling bad.  The reason the soup is so helpful is that it has lots of nutrients and vitamins that help fight the bacteria causing the cold as well as anti-oxidants to fight the symptoms.  So if all else fails, get yourself a bowl of this each day to help your body fight off that nasty bug.