5 minute read
9 Natural Cures for Winter Lurgies
Rachel McGuinness and her favourite cures for winter illnesses
Have you managed to escape the flurry of winter lurgies around at the moment as well as trying to dodge the dreaded COVID? Colds are nasty at the best of times, but they are especially bad if you’ve not built-up immunity during last winter’s lockdowns. A wonderful way of reducing your risk of getting ill is to keep your immune system boosted. So, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep is key. Also key, is a good quality daily Vitamin C tablet (I’m afraid that you really do get what you pay for). If you do get ill, depending on your symptoms, paracetamol and ibuprofen help with fevers, aches and sore throats. As for over the counter ‘cold remedies’, do they work as better as natural remedies? I think natural remedies win hands down and have fewer side effects.
Echinacea Drops
If you feel like you’re going down with a cold or already have one, try Echinacea drops. Sometimes it can stop a cold in its tracks. Just 15 drops in a glass 3 times a day for a couple of days may just do the trick. The taste is a bit ‘grassy’, if you don’t like drops, you can get them in tablet form. It is recommended that you don’t take the drops for more than ten days at a time.
Garlic
Garlic is great for keeping your immune system boosted, so keep up your garlic intake during the winter months to reduce your chances of picking up infections. But if you do get ill add garlic to as much of your food as possible.
I used to have a client that drank a small glass of fresh apple juice with 3 cloves of raw sliced garlic. She used to let the garlic juice infuse for 10 minutes and then knock it back like a shot! She swore that it stopped a cold or lessen its effect. I’ve tried it in the past and it has worked. It also means you will smell very garlicky. However, people will give you a wide berth and therefore lessen your chance of infection!
Ginger, Lemon and Honey
These three ingredients are a great combination to soothe a sore throat. They have anti-viral, antiinflammatory, and immune boosting properties. Add slices or a wedge of lemon and fresh ginger with a teaspoonful or two of honey to a mug with boiling water. Keep repeating as often as needed.
Steam inhalations
If you have a bunged-up nose and are finding it difficult to breathe, then a wonderful way to open your nasal passages and give you some relief is steam. You could try running a bath or shower and inhaling the steam that way. But the most effective way is to stick your head over a bowl of boiled water with a towel covering the back of head to keep the steam in. Don’t get too close to the water as you don’t want to scald yourself. Try adding a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to ease the congestion even more. Repeat this up to three times a day. It will also loosen any phlegm on the chest - better out than in!
Chicken soup
As a child I always remember being given a steaming bowl of homemade chicken soup when I was poorly. It was comforting and almost felt it had magic restorative powers. In fact, I wasn’t far wrong, as soup made with proper chicken stock has a lot of great nutrients and healing properties. It can help reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract and help unblock congestion in your nose and throat. A superior quality store-bought one will do the trick too.
Saltwater Gargle
Gargling with salt water is an effective way of reducing inflammation in the throat. Even dentists prescribe it for mouth infections and ulcers. Just add a ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt to warm water. Stir to let the salt dissolve and get gargling. But do remember to spit and not swallow!
Keep hydrated
It’s important to keep your fluids up as dehydration is the enemy! Water is best, which may be warm with a few slices of lemon. Avoid alcohol (except the hot toddy, below), caffeine such as tea, coffee or fizzy drinks as they tend to make you thirstier.
Sleep with an extra pillow
The thing you most need and crave is sleep when you’re sick. You yearn for your bed, and when your head hits the pillow and you’re all snuggled up, you discover you can’t breathe or stop coughing! Sleeping slightly propped up is the answer as it prevents you getting that horrible tickly throat and irritating cough. Also, you might find it easier to breathe through your nose.
Hot toddy
I’m not usually an advocate of drinking alcohol when ill, but a tot of whisky, bourbon or rum is quite comforting.
Put a 25ml measure of your tipple of choice to a mug with a teaspoon of honey, quarter of a lemon and a cinnamon stick. Add boiling water and stir. Drink and enjoy!
You could try using hot milk instead of water and add pinch of ground cinnamon and ground ginger but without the lemon.
