Sick and Tired of Being Sick? Try Some of These Herbs to Beat Your Cold or Flu

You are powering through your day, feeling maybe a little bit more tired than usual, but totally able to function…and then after lunch it is as though someone pulled your proverbial electrical plug right out of the socket – you feel absolutely drained.  When you stop long enough to consider this change in your health, you start to feel other things that are happening, like a scratchy throat, a slight headache, kind of general achiness, and brain fog… oh, and you feel really cold all of a sudden and need to put your coat on to quiet the shivers you are experiencing in a 72°F room.  What the heck is going on?

You’ve probably got the flu.

Colds and flus run rampant during the winter months. I’m not sure that I know anyone who hasn’t recently been hit by the latest bug that we’ve all been passing around to each other. And for some people, it has been really hard to kick, sometimes with the illness reappearing for a “round 2” bout.

Because colds and flus are viral, there generally isn’t much that your physician can do to help you get over them. However, there are herbs that can be used to help support the immune and respiratory systems, which are usually the body systems most affected by colds and flus.

What is the difference Between a Cold and a Flu?
The common cold and influenza ("flu") are both considered acute viral infections that mostly affect the immune and respiratory systems, and they both make you feel terrible - but they have some unique qualities too.  

• While the common cold can come on at any time of the year, the flu happens more often during the winter months.
• Symptoms come on more slowly with a cold, usually starting with a sore throat. A flu comes on like a freight train - fast and hard.
• You'll probably feel significantly better more quickly with a flu though, usually beginning to recover in 3-5 days, where with a cold recovery time is typically 7-10 days.
• You could get a fever of 100-102 degrees with a flu, and plenty of body aches - generally not with a cold.
• And with a cold, many of the symptoms will appear in the upper respiratory tract (eyes, ears, nose, throat) where with a flu, you'll have symptoms there but in the lower respiratory tract (lungs) as well.  This is not a hard and fast rule though - those that are susceptible to lung issues will likely get hit in the lower tract with either a cold or flu. 

Most colds and flus are viral, not bacterial. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, not viruses. Therefore, antibiotics are of no use with viral colds and flus.  Taking antibiotics when you have a viral infection may do you more harm than good, because not only do they kill off any “bad” bacteria that you may have in your body, but they also kill the “good” bacteria that we need for a healthy digestive system.

Herbal Actions to Help Support the Body During a Cold of Flu
Plants can support our bodies to do what they are meant to do naturally – heal and be healthy. Therefore, they are great allies during a cold or flu. We typically look for herbs that have some of the following actions – actions being what effect they have on us, or how they act in the body: antiviral, immuno-stimulating, expectorant, moisturizing, drying, anti-cough/anti-catarrhal, anti-inflammatory, and diaphoretic.

Antiviral and Immuno-Stimulating Herbs
These are just a few of the herbs that have antiviral and immuno-stimulating properties. They can be used preventatively if you’ve been around sick people and you are trying to avoid getting sick yourself, or they can also be used at the onset of or during a cold or flu to help reduce the duration and severity.

• Echinacea – there are probably few people who have not heard of this herb before… it is definitely a go-to herb for its antiviral and immune-stimulating actions. I think this is best taken as a liquid extract (alcohol based or alcohol free), but it can also be taken as a tea, capsule, or lozenge. Note: the extract or tea should make the back of your tongue and throat tingle after you’ve swalleowed it – if this doesn’t happen, question the quality and therefore the effectiveness of the preparation. It could be old.
• Garlic – who knew that this warming and tasty bulb could be so good for us? Besides having an affinity for the cardiovascular system, it is also antiviral and immune-stimulating and can be used preventatively as well as during a cold or flu. If you can eat it raw (dice it up and top your meat or salad with it), you will reap all of its benefits!
• Elder – the different parts of this plant offer different health benefits. The berries are antiviral, while the flowers are anti-catarrhal, expectorant, and diaphoretic (will make you sweat). Taking elder flowers or elderberries in tea or liquid extract form work great. You may have seen elderberry syrup at the store - this is usually a tasty option. I make an elderberry extract in brandy and honey… and it is so delicious!
• Other noteworthy antiviral herbs are Calendula, Goldensesal, and Lavender.

Herbs to Support the Respiratory Tract
Below are just some of the herbs that support the respiratory tract and have expectorant, moisturizing, anti-catarrhal, or astringent (drying) properties. Many also are anti-inflammatory herbs as well, so they help decrease inflammation and swelling. You will see these in many commercially available herbal formulas. And while these herbs can be used to support either the upper or lower respiratory systems, I tend to group them into the area of the respiratory system where they have the best effect.

     Upper Respiratory Tract - eyes, ears, nose, throat

• Elder flower – as mentioned above, the flower of the Elder plant provides anti-catarrhal and expectorant support during a cold or flu.
• Goldenrod – due to its astringent (drying) and anti-inflammatory qualities, this herb can be used to help decongest the sinuses and stop runny noses.
• Horseradish – ever taken a big bite of horseradish or wasabi? What happens to your nose – doesn’t it start to run like crazy? This is another great plant that can be used to help decongest the sinuses.
• Sage – this is an awesome astringent (drying) and anti-inflammatory herb that can be used to soothe a sore throat and help dry runny noses. Make a tea with it (add a little slippery elm and honey for a sore throat) and drink it, or make a very strong tea and mix with salt to use as a gargle.
• Honey - not an herb, but a wonderful thing to add to your herbal teas. It will help soothe a raw, sore throat.

     
      Lower Respiratory Tract – lungs

• Mullein and licorice root – both are moistening to the mucus membranes, and are expectorant and anti-catarrhal too.
• Yerba Santa and Elecampane – both of these plants are great for a wet cough because of their drying, expectorant actions. Yerba Santa is also a great bronchodilator, helping to open the airways.
• Wild Cherry Bark – It is one of our go-to herbs to help quiet a cough. Coughing is one way that our body tries to rid itself of a foreign pathogen, so we don’t always want to stop that action all together. But it is also hard on the body and annoying when we can’t be coughing like crazy, so Wild Cherry Bark is appropriate and helpful during these situations.
• Osha root – I put this herb in my “it’s just magic” category. I feel like this herb has a normalizing effect on the lungs – it isn’t too drying or too moisturizing.  Like the others, it is an expectorant and anti-inflammatory. Where it really becomes magic though, is in its ability to quiet a cough almost immediately when you chew on a small piece of the root.  It doesn’t taste great, but it works fantastic.
• Eucalyptus or Rosemary essential oils – plants can be used as inhalants to get into the respiratory tract more quickly, so use these helpful plants as essential oils dropped in hot water and inhale the steam. You can also just boil the fresh or dried plant in water and inhale this steam as well.

Anti-inflammatory and Diaphoretic Herbs
Many of the herbs already mentioned also have anti-inflammatory actions in the body – Echinacea, Elder flower, and Goldenseal are just three. Taking these herbs for their other actions allows you to also reap their anti-inflammatory benefits as well. But there are a few more that are not only anti-inflammatory, but diaphoretic too and therefore are very useful when a fever is present (diaphoretic herbs make you sweat, which helps cool the body). Taking these in tea or extract form work best, I think.

• Ginger – A tea made of ginger is a sure-fire way to get you to sweat, reducing your body temperature and a fever if you have one. Buy some fresh ginger from the store, grate it, and boil it with water for about 10-15 minutes. Add a little lemon and honey for a tasty and useful cold and flu beverage.
• Catnip – This herb works more quietly with its diaphoretic action – it isn’t as overt as Ginger in its stimulating properties. But it works!
• Yarrow – I love Yarrow… it has so many herbal actions and can support so many of our bodily functions. It is another great anti-inflammatory that provides some diaphoretic action as well.

Commercial/Retail Products
I have some favorite commercially available/retail products for immune and respiratory support.

• WishGarden Herbs’ Kick Ass Sinus or Deep Lung formulas (the latter has been added to my "It's Just Magic" category). The Kick Ass Immune formula is also lovely.
• Herb Pharm’s Rapid Immune Boost and Herbal Respiratory Relief formulas
• Gaia Herbs' Echinacea Supreme extract (they have both alcohol based and alcohol free/glycerite extracts) 

Other Things You Can Do
Herbs are great to help you deal with a cold or flu, but they aren’t the only way to get back on a healthy tract. Here are some other self-care ideas for things to do when you’ve been hit by a bug.

• Rest – this is paramount! No one wants your coughing and sneezing at the office, and you won’t get better if you keep running around, dealing with daily stress. So stay home and rest!
• Drink plenty of fluids – drink water, herbal tea, or diluted juices to stay hydrated.
• Eat nourishing foods, such as those high in Vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals, and bone broth or chicken vegetable soup (nourishing and also helps clear nasal congestion).
• Use saline nose spray or a neti pot to help moisturize or clear congested sinus passages.
• Use a humidifier or create a steam tent to inhale herb infused steam. Hot showers can work wonders too.
• Stay away from others as much as you can to avoid spreading the virus.

Take care of yourself and get healthy!!