How to Naturally Heal Yourself from the Cold & Flu

Hello Flower Tribe,

I greet you from a very cold, winter advisory that has placated the Midwestern area. In the spirit of coldness, bundling and healing. I am here to offer you natural remedies that are sure to help you feel better during cold and flu season.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical practitioner and this information is merely documentation from myself and family and should not replace medical advice. 

1.Drink fresh lemon tea. This old time recipe has worked tremendously in my household and helped to loosen chest colds, head colds, sold throats and so on. Here's the recipe.

1. Clean a fresh lemon.

2. Cut it into pieces.

3. Fill a pot with water.

4. Add the pieces of lemon

5. Shred fresh ginger into the pot.

6. Add a dash of cayenne pepper.

7. Bring the pot to a boil.

8. Allow the boil to slightly cool and serve. 

Note: You can place one of the boiled lemons into the tea cup.

 

 

2. Hang fresh Eucalyptus in your shower. This is one of my personal favorites. It really adds to the shower time. As we know, heated showers already open up the pours and frees up some of that decongestant, but hanging eucalyptus in your shower head aids you in getting congestion out of your system. Fun fact- eucalyptus is the ingredient in Vicks which gives its smell.

3. Wear fresh sliced potatoes in your socks. This is a newer method for my household, but we have had good experiences with it. Sliced potatoes in socks are known to be a fever reducer and a detox. Simple cut a fresh white potato and place a piece in each sock. Sleep with it overnight and repeat for however many days necessary.

4. Take a shot of ginger. Ginger is great for providing relieve for colds and in my experience most notably for sore throats. Traditionally, we visit the health food store to purchase a fresh shot of ginger, but you can probably juice this on your own if you have a quality juicer at home. Note: Ginger is somewhat spicy so be prepared for that, but the results begin working almost instantly.

5. Use the oil pulling method.  Oil pulling has so many benefits. Seriously, if you've never read up on oil pulling then I suggest you take some time to learn the benefits of doing so. But for this particular blog, I would like to advocate for the power of oil pulling to get rid of your cold. This will help you rid your body of the access bacteria causing your illness. Our method is simple. Take a spoonful of oil (We like coconut oil.) Place it in your mouth. Begin moving the coconut oil back and forth in your mouth in a pulling method. Continue this motion for about two minutes then spit out the oil. I recommend repeating this daily until there are no longer signs of the flu/cold. 

6. Gargle salt water.  This a simple, ancient old method. Fill of a cup of warm  water and add salt to it. We personally like adding sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. Mix it into your water and begin to gargle it. Gargle until the entire cup is gone. Like the oil pulling, repeat daily until your symptoms are gone. 

7. Take elderberry. Elderberry is a great probiotic substance that really aids illness. Honestly this can be taken even when you're not sick and it's great for building your immune system. One of the things that we like best is that is taste really good. We've taken elderberry in tablet and liquid form. Both were equally powerful and tasty for us.

8. Increase your greens. I know what you're thinking. You're vegan and already love greens so this is a easy plan for you. You're right, I do love green leafy vegetable, but increasing my greens during this time is super important. I make sure that I included spinach, kale or collards into my diet ESPECIALLY on days I'm not feeling well. An extra helping of greens can be  a big help. Also, while we are on the subject of greens. Another shot, that I traditionally take during cold and flu season is wheat grass. It's not the most tasty shot, but it's filled with the nutrients and is really good for helping you get rid of and prevent illness. 

 

9.  Exercise. This can be hard because most people tend to want to rest while being ill. I understand rest is an important part of healing too, so we let me take the time to affirm and say that it's great to sleep and get extra rest to help your body recover. Exercise, however, can also be a catalyst during a cold because it allows your body to detox, opens your pores and sweat out whatever is making you not feel well. 

10. Stay hydrated. Drink water....water... and more water. I can't emphasize this enough. Drinking water will help you flush your body. Continue to hydrate your body throughout this entire experience and really always. 

If you have natural remedies that you use on yourself and family, feel free to share them with me.

Good luck with your wellness journey,

Courtney 

About the author: 
Courtney Brookins is a mother, poet, author and educator. She published her first book, Flowering Yourself, which is a collection of poems. She is also the co-founder of  OneSun3Flowers with her two daughters, which is an empowerment and leadership organization for women, girls, mothers and daughters centered around practicing self-care and building healthy relationships.
Website: www.onesunflowers.com
Book: bit.ly/flowering_yourself
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