When European Explorers found their way to the islands of the Caribbean, they discovered that the natives of these islands had a much higher resistance to colds (and a much lower incidence of scurvy) than did European sailors. Observation also revealed that these natives ate large quantities of grapefruits and pineapples. The natives of the Caribbean Islands were not the only ones to make this connection early on. The Seminole Indians of Florida traditionally gargled grapefruit juice to prevent colds to alleviate sore throats. The early explorers knew no more about vitamin C than did the natives. But the islanders, and the Europeans, did make the connection between citrus fruits and warding off colds.
Studies have shown that chicken soup is effective against a cold. A good recipe is to cook chicken with water, celery, onions, carrots, and a garlic clove or two, until the chicken falls off the bone. Strain broth, discarding any fat. Put thin pieces of lemon on top and serve the broth to the sufferer.
The pomegranate, a tree fruit that is common to regions in the Middle East, is a popular treatment for the common cold. Its bright red juice is equally effective against all the usual symptoms, including sore throat, cough, congestion, and fever. Pomegranates, which are loaded with vitamin C, can be found in most grocery stores.
Skiers on the European slopes eat blueberry soup as a cold remedy.
To treat a cold the Asian way, boil fresh gingerroot in milk and inhale the vapors. (You don't have to drink the milk afterward - but you could use the mixture to make cookies.) To prevent future colds, follow the Asian example agaon and chew a small piece of gingerroot
before meals.
If there is still any controversy surrounding the
effectiveness of vitamin C preventing colds, the Indians of Ecuador have no part of it. For centuries, they have prevented colds by eating acerola cherries, which are so rich in vitamin C that some of the annual crop is exported to the United States to provide a suppliment for baby foods.
Here's a preventive remedy for influenza, (also called the "grippe" or "flu"). Add 5 drops of true cinnamon oil to 1 tbsp water. Another recipe says to bruise the cinnamon bark and simmer in boiled water or in brandy. The cinnamon mixture was taken several times a day by those exposed to the flu virus. Cinnamon oik is antibacterial, and although viruses - not bacteria - cause the flu, the viruses must use bacteria in the body to produce more viral particles. Also, people weakened by the flu are more susceptible to bacterical infections.
In outer Mongolia, a popular cold remedy calls for grated garlic, ghee, and yak milk. The ghee, which is clarified yak butter, and the grated garlic are mixed into a cup of yak milk. Then the mixture is heated and served to the patient. The only problem you might have if you want to try this treatment yourself is finding a cooperative yak.
The Chinese treat a common cold with various food remedies for each symptom. A headache is relieved with a tea made by boiling equal weights of peppermint and crushed scallion heads in water, or with an egg mixed into a glass of rice wine, which is warmed over low heat until the egg is half cooked. This is sweetened with some sugar and eaten as a soup. (This egg recipe may also stop shivers and chills.) For coughs, mix 2 tsps garlic powder with some sugar and eat. A fresh raspberry juice and honey mixture is used for dry cough. To reduce a fever, try eating fresh star fruit (a good source of vitamin C) twice a day. Or boil crushed gingerroot in water, and use the hot liquid to wash the body. This will induce perspiration, which will cool a feverish body. Sneezing can be relieved by drinking a soup made from boiling fresh peppermint with bean curd and fresh ginger in water. Drink the soup and eat the bean curd.
When someone in Greece comes down with a cold, he or she promptly boils the seeds of the fenugreek plant into a tea. Despite its name, this medicinal plant was discovered by the Egyptians. Today, its theraputic powers are recognized in many parts of the world, including Greece and China. When taken as a tea, fenugreek eases congestion.
In Finland, lingonberries, which are like miniature cranberries, are considered an excellent cold remedy. Incidentlly, they taste a whole lot better than any cough drop.
The Egyptian Pharaohs ate garlic to fight infections. Because of its strong immune-enhancing properties, garlic can prevent and treat the common cold and the flu. Chewing about 3 raw cloves a day and adding garlic to your cooking will give you a strong immune system. But to keep your breath from knocking down a horse, you may wish to try odor free garlic capsules. They work almost as well as the fresh cloves and may be better for people who can't tolerate their spicy flavor.
Although superstition says that you can ward off vampires by wearing garlic on a string around your neck, people in India believe that you can ward off a cold by wearing onions around your neck. In this common Indian treatment, fresh onion bulbs are sliced and then made into a necklace. Rgis treatment does have some scientific merit. The vapors from the onion are effective in clearing up congested ariways, one of the most irritating symptoms of a bad cold. Breathing in the vapors from a pot of boiling onions is also effective.
Ingest raw garlic to stop a sneezing fit. Also, eat a few cloves of garlic to fight an infection, then chew parsley for the breath. Take fennel or ginger tea if the garlic upsets your stomach
Before bedtime, sip one or more glasses of hot water with lemon juice. The lemon contains vitamin C to fight a cold, and the juice helps to ease a sore throat. A hot drink will relax you, reduce congestion, and encourage perspiration that may break a fever.
George Washington's favorite cold remedy was to eat a hot roasted onion just before turning in.
An old Swiss flu remedy combines a handful of bruised licorice root, sage leaves, and speedwell in a pint of boiling water. Speedwell is a tonic and expectorant and also sooths sore throats. Drink this tea twice a day during flu season and use a spoonful every hour if you catch the flu.
Japanese shiitake mushrooms, which are often sold dried in health and gourmet food stores, contain a substance called lentinan. Japanese researchers say it works even better than a prescription antiviral drug to fight off influenza.
Mormon Tea is commonly used in Europe as a cold remedy. Early Mormon settlers in the United States used it as a substitute for coffee and black tea. It is made by steeping 1.5 ounces of dried branches of the ephedra plant in a pint of boiling water for no more than 20 minutes. The treatment works because ephedra plants contains the substance ephedrine, which is a decongestant.
Hot Buttered Rum
Put 1 tsp brown sugar in a mug, sprinkle in some ground cloves and a dab of butter, add a jigger of rum, and fill with boiling water. Stir with a cinnamon stick. Good for colds and chills.
Make a sandwich of wholewheat bread, raw yellow onion, a good half inch of horseradish, cheddar cheese, and brown mustard. A daily dose will prevent the common cold.
The Seminole, Mohawk, and Iroquois Indians all used sassafras roots to treat a number of ailments, including the common cold. Not only does sassafras tea shorten the length of illness, but those who drink the tea on a regular basis develop a much higher resistance to future colds. It has antiseptic properties, and an infusion of the roots can bring down fever.
Catnip tea is used for colds, flu, headaches, colic, menstrual cramps. Promotes sweating. Used as a sedative. Good for the digestion. A natural antibiotic.
For chest congestion apply a mustard plaster to the chest. Remove when the skin turns red. Then drink hot ginger tea and cover up until the sweat pours off.
For flu mix equal parts of yarrow, boneset, and peppermint and make into a tea using 1tsp of combined herbs to one cup boiling water. Take freely at the first signs of symtoms.
Inhale steam to thin secretions. For extra soothing, add a handful of sage or eucalyptus leaves to a bowl of hot water, and inhale with a towel draped over your head.
Add 1 cup of finely chopped garlic to 1 cup of boiling lard. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours. Remove from heat and strain the garlic fro the oil. Place in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
To Relieve a Cold
Mix together two parts each elder flowers, peppermint, Yarrow and Boneset with one part each Meadowsweet and Catnip and half part Ginger. Pour boiling water over one teaspoon of herbal mixture, steep for ten minutes, sweeten with honey and drink hot.
It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens.
~Cynthia E. Varnado
Catnip nourishes the stomach and nerves. It calms the nervous system and is used also for digestion. Catnip is also said to help ease symptoms of the flu such as nausea and diarrhea.
Blue vervain nourishes the digestive, nervous and respiratory systems. It helps the body maintain balance during the winter season, and fortifies it against the organisms which promote flu, coughs and colds. This herb acts as a diaphoretic, which means that it helps the body eliminate toxins through the pores by stimulating perspiration.
Bayberry is an excellent blood purifier and detoxifier. It is effective for helping to stop a cold from forming if taken when the first symptoms appear.
YARROW: High in potassium, this herb is used to treat the symptoms of flu and the common cold. It is said that yarrow is better than quinine for fevers.
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceous): Take two capsules of this antiviral herb twice a day to prevent or treat colds and flu. Look for
astragalus products standardized to 15-percent polysaccharides.
PENNY ROYAL: Useful in the relief of menstruation, colds, fever, colic, and spasms. This herb is a gentle reliever of gas and general stomach pain. It is recommended that this herb not be taken during
the first 7 1/2 months of pregnancy.
EUCALYPTUS - ( Eucalyptus globulus)
Used for rubbing on sore muscles, as an inhalant, and chest rub for colds. Decongestant, antibiotic, antiseptic and antiviral. Used as a topical antiseptic on sores and fungal infections such as ring worm..
Houndstongue.Astringet leaf and roof infusion formerly used for cough , colds,diarrhea, and dysentery. Leaf poultice useful for insect bites,burns, bruises and piles. Not recommended for prolonged internal usedue to potentially carcinogenic alkaloids.
For those summer colds or stuffy noses
try placing 1-2 drops of Eucalyptus on a cotton ball and tuck inside your pillowcase.
For children or the elderly use Eucalyptus Smithi as the other is too harsh.
Those of you who use essential oils all the time, as part of your daily bathing, skin care and household routines will find you have a higher level of resistance to illness, catching fewer colds, than average and recovering quickly if you do.
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea): Treat colds, flu, sore throat, and other common infections with this natural enhancer of immune system function. It's sold as tinctures and extracts, as well as capsules and tablets. When you feel something coming on, take two capsules of freeze-dried extract four times a day or a dropperful of tincture, in water, four times a day.
