Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and nothing in this article should be taken as medical advice. Please talk to your doctor before using any of the herbs and/or remedies mentioned in this article.
Catching a cold or flu isn't exactly a good time. Doing what you can to ease your symptoms is a common part of homesteading and survival. While these home remedies are not a replacement for medical care, they can help ease the pain to get you through a cold or flu.
Check out how to make cold and flu remedies at home using these tips. If your cold or flu worsens or the pain becomes unbearable, seek medical attention immediately.
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Food and Drink Remedies
There are many options to help soothe cold and flu symptoms by eating or drinking specific foods.
Eat Your Vitamin C
Getting your daily dose of vitamin C through vitamins, orange juice, or natural food is a great way to stave off the symptoms of the cold or flu. Many of us take vitamin C tablets as an easy way to stay healthy, but there are other options to boost your vitamin C intake in your kitchen.
Consider snacking on guavas, kiwi, bell peppers, strawberries, and oranges to consume more vitamin C when you’re feeling sick.
Elderberry Cordial
Most of us have all heard of elderberry after the COVID-19 pandemic. This powerful natural berry is a great option to help relieve symptoms of the cold and flu at home. While you may have some elderberry gummies on your counter already, you can also make a warm elderberry cordial.
While fresh is always best, elderberries can be hard to source if you don’t have them on the homestead already. Instead, simmer two cups of dried elderberries into three cups of water and one cup of honey.
Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, and then let the mixture sit for one hour to cool. Strain the mixture and take a shot of the cordial for quick relief.
Stay Hydrated
This is the oldest trick in the book, but staying hydrated is important when you aren’t feeling well. Your body needs fluid to help combat the germs, and it can be hard to get your daily water intake while sick.
Consider getting your hydration other ways, like through chicken noodle soup or teas. Prevent dehydration while you are sick, which can cause more issues to your health.
Lemon, Ginger, & Honey Tea
There is a reason why many over-the-counter cold remedies include the power of lemon, ginger, and honey: they work! Create your own treatment by combining a sliced lemon, grated fresh ginger, and honey into a jar.
Mix up the ingredients and add about one tablespoon to hot water for a soothing tea that packs a punch.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Unfiltered apple cider vinegar is a great way to add good bacteria and probiotics to your body when you’re sick. The antioxidants in the apple cider vinegar help reduce inflammation and can help reset your digestive system.
While you could take a shot of it, many people need to mix the sour liquid with something else. Consider adding water or honey to the apple cider vinegar to create a better-tasting DIY remedy.
Turmeric Milk
This Indian home remedy is becoming more popular in western culture as the benefits of turmeric have been realized. Turmeric is a spice with plenty of positive health benefits, including fighting the aches and pains of the cold or flu.
Make your own turmeric milk by combining two cups of whole milk on the stove with one teaspoon of turmeric powder, two black peppercorns, two cracked cardamom pods, and a half-inch piece of ginger roughly chopped. Let the milk heat up for a few minutes. You can also add a sweetener like sugar or honey. Allow the mixture to cool and strain before serving.
Garlic Soup
While this may sound like a great way to repel any date from now on into the near future, garlic is a great natural food that can help reduce flu and cold symptoms. You can add garlic to soups and stews while you’re sick, or you can make this option that uses 44 cloves of garlic!
Echinacea Tea
Many homesteaders love using native plants on the farm, but you may not know that it is commonly sold under the name Purple Coneflower. This beautiful plant is a great natural resource to help battle cold and flu symptoms.
Harvest the echinacea leaves, flowers, and roots from your garden to create the tea. Place them all in a teacup and then pour one cup of boiling water over the plant. Let the tea steep for about 15 minutes, then strain the plant pieces to create a delicious and natural tea.
Rest and Relaxation Remedies
Sickness also is combated through the use of rest and relaxation techniques.
Stay in Bed
This isn’t exactly a DIY remedy, as it is just common sense. When you are sick, your body needs to spend its energy fighting the germs. So, give your body a boost by staying in bed and resting for most of the day.
Wear comfortable clothes and use a fuzzy blanket to decrease pain. Staying in bed and taking multiple naps is a great way to help your body feel better soon.
Make It Peaceful
Do what you can to help create a peaceful atmosphere in the home while you’re sick. Close the blinds to keep out light and turn on some soothing music or sleep sounds to help you relax.
Ask family members to stay quiet to help your brain relax while you’re sick. Wear a sweatshirt and cinch down the hoodie to block out more sound or consider wearing noise-cancelling headphones to drown out the noise.
Plug-In the Humidifier
It is important to create a humid atmosphere for cold or flu symptoms to help break out phlegm and congestion. Plug in the humidifier and keep it near the bed while you rest. Consider adding a few drops of lavender or your favorite essential oil to the water to help use aromatherapy and humidity to combat stuffiness.
Make a Salve
Boost your fighting power through the use of a homemade DIY salve to rub onto your skin. Making your own salve can help control the ingredients and ensure that you aren’t using items you don’t want on your skin. You’ll need a carrier oil, like olive oil, to help create the salve as well as carnauba or beeswax.
You can add cocoa or shea butter to the salve, but it isn’t required. Check your cupboards for the following essential oils that are great to use in the salve: chamomile, lavender, peppermint, sage, spruce, eucalyptus, and myrtle.
Rub the salve onto your temples, neck, and chest to help relieve symptoms. You can also add it to the bottom of your feet and then wear socks to help your body absorb the natural oils.
There are plenty of things that you can do at home to help battle cold and flu symptoms. While these techniques are meant to help you recover faster, they aren’t a cure for the virus or germs within the body. Remember to use these DIY remedies to help you feel more comfortable, but always seek medical attention if conditions worsen.
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Shouldn’t the elderberry tea cool down to 110 degrees F before adding honey so as not to lose the honey’s healthful properties?
You can do that, but I think honey has to stay hot for a couple hours before losing a lot of its nutritional value.