My Top 10 Natural Cold Remedies
I’ve crowned myself the QUEEN of getting over colds in 24-48 hours. No joke. I used to get sick and stay sick for weeks a few years back. But now the second I feel a tickle coming on I kick all of my natural cold remedies and tricks into gear and they work every single time.
I wanted to share these natural cold remedies with ya’ll so next time you feel that tickle you can kick it in the booty right away!
My own personal values definitely align more with holistic remedies when it comes to sickness and these tried and true remedies have helped me endlessly the last few years. Of course, there is a time and place for Western medicine and I am in no way shaming that, but why not try naturally helping and supporting your bodbody’s healing first?
1. “Magic Drink”: This drink is seriously my number one cure and any time a friend or family member gets sick I tell them to make this. I drink anywhere from 2 to 5 cups of this a day (if I have up to 5 I typically decrease the amount of honey because too sugar, even natural sugar, seems to hurt my stomach). Just combine the following:
8-10oz of hot water
½ of a lemon squeezed
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp raw honey
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
2. Liquids liquids liquids: I pretty much make drinking my full-time job when I start feeling sickness come on. Between the above “magic drink,” water, herbal tea and veggie juices, I have to pee about every 30 minutes. My favorite herbal teas to drink when I’m sick are ginger and peppermint because they help relieve any signs of a sore throat I have. Teas with achinacea also help boost the immune system.
3. Elderberry syrup or pills: Elderberry is shown to help boost immunity and cure colds and flus. I love the gaia herbs black elderberry syrup and also their elderberry pills. (not sponsored I just absolutely love them!).
4. Superfoods: I love adding in extra superfood goodies when I start getting sick. My favorite immune-boosting superfoods are:
Immunity superfood mixes I love: Immune mushroom mix from Ommushrooms and Immune Shrooms from WyldeOne
5. Smoothies: I pretty much have a smoothie every morning when I’m sick because I can pack so many goodies in. I typically include frozen berries (great antioxidants) and veggies, a bunch of kale, the superfoods I mentioned above, collagen for protein and healthy fats like avocado and nut butter to help keep my body fueled for healing. Healing is a full-time job so make sure your body is properly fueled!
6. Bone broth: Bone broth is a go-to when I’m sick and not only because it’s soothing on a sore throat or easy to digest when sickness makes my appetite disappear. Bone broth has been shown to help heal the gut, and as more and more studies emerge showing the link between a healthy gut and immunity, this in-turn can help when your immune system is rundown. Add in some ginger and garlic and you’re in for one heck of an immune-boosting soup.
ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that will help to relieve a sore throat quickly, and that also kill rhinoviruses, which cause colds. I suggest using fresh ginger root. You can also add this to the “magic drink.”
garlic, when crushed, cut or chewed produces a compound called allicin which is shown to boost immunity.
7. Vitamin C: This is a big DUH. When I feel sickness coming on I up the vitamin-C rich foods in my diet like berries, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, citrus fruits and cauliflower (yup – cauli is a good source of vitamin C! Cauliflower is also rich in choline and glutathione, both of which help us fight off germs and viruses and keep healthy bacteria in our gut). But, since too many raw fruits and veggies can hurt my stomach due to ulcerative colitis, I also take in extra vitamin C when I’m sick through organic Vitamin C supplement pills. I like the Garden of Life brand best.
8. Rest and don’t stress: When I used to get sick I would try to power through until I could no longer do so. I would still workout full force, work full force and just do life full force because if I wasn’t “that sick,” why would I slow down? These colds would then typically last for weeks and get progressively worse until I had to do nothing but rest. Now I take the first signs of a cold as my sign to slow down and rest like crazy. I make sure to get 8-10 hours of sleep each night, stop intensely working out and try to stress less. Whether through yoga, slow walks outside, meditation or simply cracking open a good book instead of doing work. When you’re sick your body is already under extra stress, so make sure you aren’t stressing it out even more.
9. All the greens: greens like kale, spinach or swiss chard have high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants. I like making or buying loaded green juices when I’m sick to get their extra goodness in without having to eat mounds of greens.
10. Aromatherapy: I’ve been obsessed with using eucalyptus essential oil in my diffuser to help with congestion. I also love using lavender essential oil to help me relax and sleep better at night, especially when I’m sick. The following essential oils are others I use when sick:
Clove: immune boosting and antibacterial
Cinnamon: antioxidant
Peppermint: breathe in for respiratory relief
I hope these natural cold remedies help you kick your next cold in the booty as quickly as I normally kick mine!
XO nat