I am never sick...not in years, but I've got it now. Stuffy nose, achey, low grade fever, sore throat. Raiding my "medicine" cabinet and drinking lots of lemon balm, self heal, hyssop as hot tea, using my netti pot, washing my hands, taking some zinc but probably late for that (and echinacea). My good guy is making me "knock your socks" off miso soup...lots of cayenne and fresh garlic and going to town for ginger later. If it was January I would just hole up here in the house and ride it out but we have holiday family events I really don't want to miss. Any fast "cures"?.
I use fresh squeezed lemon and whole or juiced parsley. A nice way to use both is in a juice drink. Beet, carrot, apple, parsley, lemon, ginger. Its also good to add a dark green veggie like kale, collars, etc. As you mentioned eat lots of raw garlic. Lets not leave out the cure all apple cider vinegar and recently I have been reading about the benefits of fresh rosemary.
Rick Romanelli wrote:I use fresh squeezed lemon and whole or juiced parsley. A nice way to use both is in a juice drink. Beet, carrot, apple, parsley, lemon, ginger. Its also good to add a dark green veggie like kale, collars, etc. As you mentioned eat lots of raw garlic. Lets not leave out the cure all apple cider vinegar and recently I have been reading about the benefits of fresh rosemary.
...just added lemons to the town list. I'll try a blender drink...sounds good even if I wasn't sick. We have a lot of fresh rosemary,too right outside the door. thanks a lot, Rick!
There is a species of plectranthus known as "vicks plant" that I tear leaves off and sniff when my nose stuffs up.... Or roll into little balls and put in my nostrils.
Other than treating the symptoms and eating a nutritious diet there isn't much you can do.
tel jetson wrote:for a sore throat, I gargle warm water with cayenne, honey, salt, and lemon juice. doesn't taste great.
right now I can't really taste or smell anything anyway so I think I'll give it a try. Thanks
@Bob, I have smelled a vicks plant and wish I had one now...that was always my mothers plan of attack...lots of Vicks Vapor Rub everywhere including a vaporizer. thanks .
tel jetson wrote:a cold is also a good excuse for me to fire up the sauna and spend a couple of hours sweating.
that's probably just what I need...we had a sweat lodge for years down by a little creek to jump into. We always thought we could do something here and just have buckets to rinse off wth, but it was another of those projects that never rose to the top. A hot shower is not the same.
I tried so many of those things in the past and all seem to have roughly the same result. They gave me something to do while the cold took the typical 5-7 days to work it's way through my system. Now, I just take a warm shower, keep well hydrated and nourished and get some rest. In 5-7days I'm all clear.
I think there is also some truth to letting nature do what it does. A fever is your body's way of making the environment less than ideal for the cold virus. All that snot is carrying virus and other grossness out of your body and preventing new illness from getting a foot hold in your system. It might be uncomfortable but in a very permie way, it's how it's supposed to work. anyone have a thought on this line of thinking?
Judith, find a steam room, stay in there as long as you possibly can. ( 1/2 hour minimum) I was told once by a naturopath that the hot steam kills the rhinitis virus.
I have used it several times, and found the relief i needed, whether its allergies or a cold!
I agree with most everything you said, Craig, and ordinarily thats what I would do, except I would still be drinking herb teas eatting ginger and cayenne and stuff....that's just part of my diet an I do think they have some effect. I don't take any commercial medication except ibuprofun. I am just impatient with having an actual schedule to be somewhere and not wanting to pass this on. I guess fever and mucus are doing their job here and I better get used to it for a few more days.
Do you have a cold preventative? I had been exposed to a lot of sick people (as in grand children) and didn't get anything for weeks until I got a chill......
@Jon...a steam room sounds wonderful. Maybe I'll try my head over a tea kettle.
stay fit, well rested, well hydrated and eat "real" foods. Keep your hands away from your mouth, nose and eyes unless you've recently washed them. Kids and animals seem to spread illness with reckless abandon. It's tough when they bring illness home, especially when they are young. They wipe Gross all over the place. I have a strict "no kisses" rule when family members are sick as well. Usually that keeps me well even if the kids are sick. In the event of really nasty illness, you could always get some face masks. They work for keeping allergens out of your face too if that's an issue. A box of masks is way cheaper than allergy medicine or the flu any day.
Ibuprofen will help minimize swelling in the sinus to allow fluid to drain out. This usually prevents a cold from becoming a sinus infection later on.
hope some of that helps.
A word about neti pots: Be sure to use either sterile saline or distilled water. Always clean the device very well with soap and warm water. Those devices, especially the cheap plastic ones can harbor bacteria that will make you sick. In some cases contaminated water has caused serious/fatal illnesses. Just keep in mind that just on the other side of your sinus membrane is your brain. Not a particularly good organ to be shooting contaminated water at.
I will send out some vicks plant if you want sometime after the new years (not in time for the sickness), I have a friend that propagated something on the order of 50,000 of them from one plant this year.
Hi, Bob, what a kind offer...that's a lot of plants! all from cuttings? I am pretty sure a couple of the local herb growers have it...at least thats where I must have seen it. I'll check them out this spring.
thank you and everyone else for the suggestions. I think they have been helpful.
I am on day six of my cold and am starting to feel lots better but now my husband is stuffy and coughing too. I've been trying a little of everyones ideas along with my own...lots of garlic and cayenne and ginger and lemon and herb teas. One of my favorites has been oregano, sage and hyssop tea. Steam is helping too and the really hot curry my husband made the other night cleared me right up but I could only eat so much.
Bob Dobbs - I'm glad to hear that you've used the Vicks Plant and that there wasn't any kind of toxic reaction, I had researched, but wasn't able to find much about it and hoped that it could be used as you are using.
I've been told that a teaspoon of honey (local - raw is best) and a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon will usually knock out a cold within a day or two? Take twice a day for 3 days for best results. Both honey and cinnamon are antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal. Also knocks bladder/kidney infections, reduces sugar levels, blood pressure, acts as a pain reliever for arthritis. And much more!
Growing up, my family cut up an onion and left it out to absorb different airborne pathologies, be sure to change out everyday. Never eat an onion that has been left out, even refrigerated for the same reason. Always use a fresh onion to start anything. We had always used Onion Syrup or Honey & Lemon as a cough syrup, you could also make some Honey & Ginger Cough Drops, fairly easy. Fire Cider is always a good standby to have around and on hand.
Fire Cider Recipe
The ingredients used in this recipe are:
Raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar - look up all about the benefits.
Garlic - natural antibiotic. Promotes sweating, which is important if you are experiencing flu like symptoms. Garlic also helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Ginger - a natural circulatory stimulant and helps ease nausea.
Onion - helps naturally detoxify your body.
Beets - super rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory benefits.
Parsley - it is very high in iron and vitamin C. It is also a blood purifier and helps kill bacteria in the body. Read a little more about it here.
What you need:
A large mason jar
Raw organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
3 tbs of grated horseradish root or pure horseradish
3 tbs of grated ginger root (find this at a health food/grocery store)
A small onion
One head of garlic
3 tbs of fresh parsley
1 cup of organic beets
Directions:
1. Chop up all the ingredients into tiny pieces (the horseradish and ginger will need to be grated).
2. Place everything in the bottom of the mason jar.
3. Pour the apple cider vinegar in over the herbs. Fill the mason jar with it until it reaches the very top. Make sure you see no air bubbles and secure the lid tightly.
4. Place this is the fridge.
5. Allow the herbs to steep for 2-4 weeks (the longer the better). Do NOT open the jar at all until you are ready to strain everything out.
6. At the end of the 2-4 weeks strain everything out of the jar.
7. You can use the leftover herbs to saute up fresh veggies if you want so nothing goes to waste. This is SO yummy.
Keep this tonic in the fridge and use daily (1-2 Tbs) or whenever you feel a cold or flu coming on.
To answer your questions ahead of time about whether or not you can substitute ingredients or leave something that, that is up to you. This is the only recipe that I have personally used and I have not yet experimented with other ingredients or leaving ingredients out.
Another recipe almost equally good, but more simple is Maggie's Home Remedy.
MAGGIE’S HOME REMEDY
¼ teaspoon Cayenne
¼ teaspoon Ginger
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar (an organic one, like Bragg’s, is preferred.)
2 Tablespoon Water
1 Tablespoon Honey (use a locally produced raw honey, if possible.)
(Optional: A little bit of Whiskey, for medicinal purposes, can be a good thing, too)
Dissolve cayenne and ginger in cider vinegar and water. Add honey and shake well.
Take 1 Tablespoon as needed for cough. Hoo-wee.
Note: this doesn’t dissolve perfectly. Always shake well before using.
If you make this in small batches as the recipe is written, there is no need to refrigerate. If you prefer, you may refrigerate this. It keeps as long as you need it. I like to make small batches (it is so easy to mix up.) and use it up in a just a few days.
Ollie, thanks for the recipes...they are an excellent addition to this thread. I do use Braggs organic raw vinegar and have most of the other ingredients and we usually have our own honey but not this year unfortunately.
Ooops! I apologize, I thought my Honey & Cinnamon info was intact, I didn't realize that some of it had become detached, please see the important note...
Special Cinnamon Note: The cinnamon spice that you may get in the super markets off the rack could likely be sawdust that has been colored and artificially flavored. It's better to get the sticks and grind them up yourself. Most spices are irradiated. This is done to eliminate bacteria, but spices are excellent bactericides in themselves, so unfortuanately this process is just a way of destroying the best natural properties of them. You can get great quality spices from most high-end health foods stores. Cinnamon can be confused for cassia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassia) It is also known as "bastard cinnamon". When it (cassia) is taken on a frequent basis/dosage it can become toxic, especially to children. True cinnamon is also known as "Ceylon" cinnamon. True cinnamon can be taken daily, without any problems of toxicity. There are other key words to look for too, such as Indonesian and Vietnamese. Avoid anything that is from these countries, as well.
Ollie, thanks. I am looking in my catalog and I have cert. organic Korintje cinnamon powder Cinnamomum burmannii from Indonesia.
I see that next time I will buy the organic Ceylon from sri Lanka cinnamomum verum
I buy a pound at a time through Frontier. The ceylon is three times the price per pound!
Yes, I know...you might look at other herb companies, maybe Starwest, Mountain Rose Herbs, etc... I have used Frontier before, too. Also, you might check into Bulk Foods.com and Nuts.com. You can buy at wholesale prices, if you can take larger quanities and sometimes get a break on shipping costs.
I like to use astragalus root for our family and the neti pot to clear out the gunk in the sinus system. This always works for our family and is easy and quick.
Lots of good information already posted. The cayenne and ginger are heating herbs and help combat a "cold" condition of the body, not just a cold.
If the left nostril is primarily clogged that is a sodium deficiency (not table salt, but green vegetables or celery as a source), and the right indicates a potassium deficiency (think apple cider vinegar, lemons or carrots). Sore throat is a sulfur deficiency (onions, garlic, kale or collards, or the supplement MSM). A cold is a deficiency of all three. Juicing carrots and celery and adding something as a sulfur component works pretty well. Once the cold has started though, and taken hold, the body has such an accumulation of mucus it needs to throw off, it may persist for a while until the process is complete. Quicken that process by keeping the bowels freely flowing (magnesium, more liquids, etc. )
I've taken 1/4 tsp. of MSM granules in juice for a sore throat and yes, it tastes horrible; but it stopped it in about one minute.
For some strange reason, if you smear Vick's Mentholatum on your feet, your sinuses will clear up. I haven't a clue why. Maybe some sort of ointment made from the Vick's plant would do the same thing?
We also like adding a little bit of Peppermint or Eucalyptus oil to steaming water and then sniffing that to clear up sinuses. Hmm, I wonder if the Peppermint oil on the feet would work the same as Vick's?
I freaking love Mullein for cold and flu symptoms. It kicks the crap out of mucus build up. I usually make a deeply steeped, strong tea of the leaves, mix with honey, lemon, and bourbon (if I'm really feelin' rough), and drink 3x a day.
Oh, and also, make sure you're getting plenty of good bacteria and vitamins. I ingest a lot of probiotics when I get sick, and of course garlic (swallow slices of raw cloves), and magnesium is crucial to a ton of metabolic processes - it'll get that illness through your system faster. I take it daily now.
And yes, you will smell fabulous. Like garlic bread
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