Herbal Remedies

Adaptogens: which include Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng), Asian ginseng, Astragalus, and Schizandra, are thought to help keep various body systems-including the immune system-functioning optimally. Take Siberian ginseng in tincture, herbal granules or in capsules. Capsule doses of 500 mg three times a day. Another immune stimulant, Boneset, helps fight off minor viral infections, such as the common cold.

Echinacea: Patients primarily use echinacea to prevent and treat the common cold. The alkylamide, alkaloid, and polyacetylene fractions are thought responsible for stimulating leukocytes and increasing the release of TNF and interleukin 1. A double-blind, randomized studies for the treatment of the common cold suggest that, if initiated within 24 hours of onset, echinacea may shorten the duration of colds, but may not reduce the severity of symptoms. More research is needed. Fresh pressed juice of the flowers of Echinacea (E. purpurea) preserved with alcohol and tinctures of root of echinacea (E. pallida) have been shown to reduce symptoms of the common cold. Echinacea (E. angustifolia) root tinctures has been shown to reduce symptoms of the common cold. The minimum effective amount of Echinacea tincture or juice that is necessary to take is 3 ml three times per day. More (3-5 ml every two hours) is generally better and is safe, even for children. Encapsulated herbs may also be effective, generally 300-600 mg capsules three times per day are used. Recent studies indicate that regular use of Echinacea to prevent colds does not work. Therefore, it is currently recommended to limit use of echinacea to the onset of a cold and to use it for only 7 to 10 days consecutively.

Elderberry: is derived from the dark purple berry or from the white to light-yellow flowers of the black or common elder tree. Elderberry, a relative of the blueberry, has been found to have powerful anti-viral properties. Elderberry extract may be used to treat a cold or flu, or taken as a prophylactic which fortifies the immune system.

Horseradish has antibiotic properties, which may account for its easing of throat and upper respiratory tract infections.

Goldenseal: In traditional herbal medicine, Goldenseal root is often taken with Echinacea. The pharmacological action of goldenseal is attributed to both hydrastine and berberine. Berberine has been shown to have anti-microbial activity against certain pathogens such enterotoxigenic E. coli and V. cholera. However, due to small amounts in the root, it is unlikely that these effects would occur. Goldenseal soothes irritated mucous membranes in the throat, making it useful for those experiencing a sore throat with their cold. Goldenseal root extract, capsules, or tablets are typically taken in amounts of 4-6 grams three times per day. Using Goldenseal powder as a tea or tincture may soothe a sore throat. Caution: Goldenseal root should only be used for short periods of time, up to 7 consecutive days.

Garlic: The intact cells of garlic contain an odorless, sulfur-containing amino acid derivative known as alliin. When the cells are crushed, alliin comes into contact with the enzyme alliinase located in neighboring cells and is converted to allicin. Allicin is a potent antibiotic, but it is highly odoriferous and unstable. The ajoenes are apparently responsible for the antithrombotic properties of garlic. Allicin is described as possessing antiplatelet, antibiotic, and antihyperlipidemic activity.

Ginger: An anti-inflammatory. Ginger has been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory. Taking 6-50 grams of fresh or powdered ginger per day indicated that ginger might be helpful. Suggested Dosage: 0.5 to 1 mg of powdered ginger daily

Licorice Root is anti viral, anti-inflammatory, soothes gastric mucous membranes. The root cleanses the colon, increases fluidity of mucous in the lungs and bronchial tubes. Licorice is used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine for a variety of conditions and ailments. Almost all clinical studies on licorice have been performed in combination with other herbs. Alone, licorice is used primarily to manage gastric complaints. A number of active chemicals are thought to account for its biologic activity. Due to the adverse reaction profile of licorice, many studies have been performed using the deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) extract, which is free of glycyrrhizin and has had no significant reported adverse effects.

Mucilage herbs, such as Slippery Elm and Marshmallow, are often helpful for symptomatic relief of coughs and irritated throats. Mullein has expectorant and demulcent properties, which accounts for this herb’s historical use as a remedy for the respiratory tract, particularly in cases of irritating coughs with bronchial congestion.

Red Raspberry, Blackberry and Blueberry leaves contain astringent tannins that are helpful for soothing sore throats.

Sage tea can be gargled to soothe a sore throat.

Yarrow has been used for sore throats. All of these remedies are not supported by modern research at this time, but are traditionally used.

Wild Indigo also stimulates the immune system, which might account for its role against the common cold and flu.

Aromatherapy Remedies

 Essential oils can assist in boosting immunity, fighting infection and eliminating toxins. Helpful, are Essential oils such as lemon, ginger, pine, eucalyptus, bergamot, ginger, myrrh, orange, tea tree.

Camphor is a white transparent waxy crystalline solid with a strong penetrating pungent aromatic odor. As an antimicrobial substance, camphor is readily absorbed through the skin and produces a feeling of cooling similar to that of menthol and acts as slight local anesthetic. In larger quantities, it is poisonous when ingested and can cause seizures, confusion, irritability, and neuromuscular hyperactivity. Found in our Muscular/Pain Remedy Blend.

Eucalyptus this pungent woody and spicy oil helps to stimulate circulation. Eucalyptus oil is often used in a steam inhalation to help clear nasal and sinus congestion. It is said to function in a fashion similar to that of menthol by acting on receptors in the nasal mucosa, leading to a reduction in the symptoms of, for example, nasal congestion.

Ginger This incredible warming oil has a spicy scent and is very therapeutic.

Lavender This oil is an amazing therapeutic oil. Stimulates new cell growth, lifts depression, calms nerves, fights infection, reduces inflammation, and eases congestion. Relieves pain and muscle spasm. Lowers blood pressure.

Menthol is actually a compound obtained from peppermint oil or other mint oils or made synthetically. Menthol has local anesthetic and counter-irritant qualities. It is contained in nonprescription products for short-term relief of minor sore throat and minor mouth or throat irritation. Menthol is also contained in combination products used for relief of muscle aches, sprains, and similar conditions. Menthol is often used with other ingredients such as camphor and eucalyptus for pain relief. Menthol is considered an antidote for many homeopathic remedies and should be avoided by people taking them. Found in our Muscular/Pain Remedy Blend.

Myrrh resin has been shown to kill various microbes and to stimulate macrophages (a type of white blood cell). Usnea has a traditional reputation as an antiseptic and was sometimes used for people with common colds.

Peppermint relieves pain, muscle spasms, reduces inflammation, fights infection, clears congestion, helps in digestion, and promotes good nerve health.

Nutritional Advise

  Water is essential in any healing process. Distilled water is the best. 6-8 eight ounces glasses per day.

In addition to eight glasses of water, clear juice, tea, and other mostly clear liquids are advised. This will replace important fluids lost during a cold and help flush out impurities that may be preying on your system.

Sip chicken soup. A long-time folk remedy is now a proven fact. A cup of hot chicken soup can help unclog your nasal passages. Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach found that hot chicken soup, either because of its aroma or its taste, “appears to possess an additional substance for increasing the flow of nasal mucus.” These secretions, what comes out when you blow your nose or sneeze, serve a first line of defense in removing germs from your system, the researchers say.

Zinc lozenges can cut colds short, to an average of four days. Zinc can also dramatically reduce symptoms such as a dry, irritated throat.

At first onset, do a dropperful of Goldenseal and/or Echinacea directly in the mouth three to four times a day. **Do not take Goldenseal for more than seven days.***

The very fact that you have a cold in the first place may point to your eating “too congesting a diet” that puts a strain on your body’s metabolism. Counteract it by eating fewer fatty foods, meat and milk products, and more fresh fruit and vegetables.

What You Should Avoid:

Limit foods that have little or no fiber such as ice cream, cheese, meat, snacks like chips and pizza, and processed foods such as instant mashed potatoes or already-prepared frozen dinners. Too much white flour and refined sugar.

What you don’t eat may be even more important than what you do eat. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugar, because they tend to worsen the situation.

Reduce Processed and Refined Foods:

Avoid fried foods, white pasta, white rice, full fat dairy, white potatoes, white bread (baguettes, bagels, pita).

Processed food can rob your food of nutrients and vitamins that your body needs to fight off stress and promote good health. Try to buy whole foods, unprocessed foods and try and stay away from “instant” foods, preservatives, artificial flavors, saturated fats, refined foods, hydrogenated food and MSG.

Reduce Sugar Intake:

Too much sugar can rob our body of essential nutrients. Simple carbohydrates from baked goods, pastries, most crackers and cookies must be limited to a very small portion or completely removed from the diet.

Avoid Mucous Producing Foods

Dairy and wheat are the biggest mucous producing foods to avoid. Casein in dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese…), and gluten in wheat require strong stomach acids for digestion. Along with milk products, caffeine, sugar, salt, non-herbal teas, (especially black tea), all create excess mucus. Soy is one of the most mucus producing plant foods. Those who give up meats and dairy and switch to soy products, have a greater risk of creating an unhealthy mucus build up in the body. Bananas and potatoes are also big mucous producers.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the oldest, continually practiced, and professionally administered health care system in the world. It is a documented medical system spanning over 2,500 years based on comprehensive philosophies, rational theories, clinically tested and empirically verified by over 100 generations of highly educated practitioners.

Chinese Medicine is a total system of internal medicine, which is comprised of a diagnostic procedure based on signs, symptoms and treatment styles including acupuncture, herbal medicine, exercise, diet and meditation. It’s foundation is based on the principles of balance; the interdependent relationship of Yin and Yang. Through this balance, health is achieved and maintained.

In Chinese Medicine, a cold or the flu may be differentiated into Wind Cold or Wind Heat patterns.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be an effective complement to your treatment. Acupuncture redirects your Qi or vital energy into a more balanced flow. It provides support to the underlying energetic spheres affected by poor digestion and lack of movement. Acupuncture releases tension in the muscles. This allows increased flow of blood, lymph, and nerve impulses to affected areas, decreasing the stress experienced by you.

Diaphoretic (sweating) therapy is often recommended for this condition, since it warms the body and forces the pathogen out through the pores. The specific course of herbal treatment depends on the pattern and severity of your symptoms. Chinese astragalus root, recently spotlighted in clinical trials, stimulates every phase of immune function. It increases the number of stem cells (the parent cells of all bodily tissues) and helps them develop into active immune cells, significantly enhancing macrophage activity, and consequently reducing the number and duration of colds. At the beginning of a cold, consider miso soup with spring onion and fresh ginger.

Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pien or “Yin Chiao” is my favorite pick for cold and flu symptoms! A great natural alternative for temporary cold and flu symptoms such as minor aches and pains, headache, runny nose and sneezing. This ancient Chinese classic formula helps with acute sore throat from cold or flu. Helps with frontal headaches from a common cold and helps cough with yellow sputum. A wonderful remedy to always have in your herbal medicine cabinet.

Use for the first day or two of a wind-heat attack (cold, esp with a sore throat), exhibiting toxic heat symptoms (flu). The main discomforts are swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, aching body, fever with chills, headache, sore shoulders, stiff neck. Promotes sweating. Excellent when taken immediately. Also useful for skin itching due to wind-heat, and allergenic skin reactions (hives).

Visit Your TCM practitioner for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

DIY Acupressure Points for Helping with a Cold

There is no substitute for a professional acupuncturist who has studied medicine for 5 years in order to get a license.

Here are some great points that you can press deep and massage to help bring some relief from symptoms!

Ayurveda

The principle medical system of India is known as Ayurveda and is over 5,000 years old. This “Science of Life” is considered the art of living in harmony with nature. Developed from the ancient text of The Vedas, Ayurveda views the human body as a “homunculus” of our cosmic Universe, regulated by the balance between three primordial humours, call Dosha.

Your dosha are your Ayurveda mind and body type. There are three doshas in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We each have all three of the doshas in our physiology, just in different proportions, so your dosha is unique and personal; it is like your fingerprint.

From the Ayurvedic perspective, the heart is the seat of prana (life energy), which is maintained by a delicate balance of agni (the solar energy element) and soma (the lunar energy element). Excess mental and emotional stress wastes away soma in the heart. The heart, is also the seat of ojas, the substance within us that maintains life and promotes bliss and longevity.

 The Common cold is the most common dosha disorder affecting us. Everyone has suffered from the common cold at some point. In Ayurveda, this ailment is called as “Pratishyaya”.

Home Remedies

Mix some turmeric and black pepper together. Boil this in water. Sip this quickly when hot as you do with tea.

Squeeze the juice of two lemons in a glassful of water. Take at bedtime to help with relief from the nasal problems.

Take a pinch of salt. Put a few drops of mustard oil in it and blend it till the oil loses its fluidity. Dab this mixture on the nostrils, neck and chest. It will tingle a bit, but the relief will be fast.

Mixing black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom and using it as a snuff. Helps in opening severely congested nasal passages.

Before going to bed, apply eucalyptus oil on the forehead, chest and the nostrils in the night. Then wrap yourself in a warm blanket and go to sleep. You will sweat profusely in the night, but let that happen. In the morning, the cold will have decreased, and so will any fever if present.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) Cinnamon is boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper and honey. This reduces the sore throat problems and also prevents the cold from becoming chronic, or developing into something serious like pneumonia or influenza.

Cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum) Cumin seeds are antiseptic. So they have beneficial effects if the cold is accompanied with fever. It is also helpful in treating the throat irritations.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Ginger extract taken several times a day is an excellent remedy for treating coughs that accompany common colds. Ginger tea is also very effective in treating colds.

Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) Chewing a few leaves of tulsi (holy basil) will remedy sore throat problems. An extract of the leaves boiled in water can be used as a drink for the same benefits.

Onion (Allium cepa) Onion has the power to liquefy the phlegm. This makes the sticky mucus runny and it is discharged out of the nose.

Emotional Aspect:

There is an emotional aspect to every illness. Often times, it is the emotional thoughts or “excess emotions” that will lead to illness. The following therapies are utilized for calming the mind, help with stress relief and focuses on our mental powers over any situation. The ability to balance your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual self are exceptional tools on your healing journey.  Here are some suggestions:

Stress and a Cold

Doctors have long known that high levels of stress may make people more vulnerable to illness, but now researchers report how psychological stress can wreak havoc on your health.

Cortisol (a stress hormone) released when we feel anxious, plays a major role. Cortisol temporarily suppresses the immune system, reducing the body’s natural inflammatory response to viruses and bacteria. Chronic stress, however, throws the inflammatory response out of whack; the immune system becomes less sensitive to cortisol when stress becomes constant. So, rather than dampening inflammation, chronically high levels of cortisol have the opposite effect.

That’s why stressed people are more susceptible to the common cold, the researchers say. Cold symptoms like coughing and sneezing and are not caused directly by the cold virus, but as a byproduct of the body’s inflammatory response to the cold.

“Stressed people’s immune cells become less sensitive to cortisol,” lead author Dr. Sheldon Cohen, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, reported. “They’re unable to regulate the inflammatory response, and therefore, when they’re exposed to a virus, they’re more likely to develop a cold.”

Yoga Therapy

Yoga poses can be good alternatives to “traditional” health remedies because they relax the body and mind, improve circulation and respiration, reduce tension and help the body through it’s healing process.

Breath Work:

The Yogic breath exercise can be done without instruction, without danger, and with a good chance that your discomfort and stressful feelings will be reduced. Relaxation Breath is the most powerful tool for stress management.

Sit up, with your back straight in any position. Place your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth and keep it there throughout the exercise. Exhale completely through your mouth.

Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale completely through your mouth, to a count of eight. Repeat this cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. Try to do this breathing exercise at least twice a day. You can repeat the whole sequence as often as you wish, but don’t do it more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. This exercise is fairly intense and has a profound effect on the nervous system.

Deep Diaphragm Breath

Sit with your legs crossed in a comfortable position. Breathe slowly and evenly from your diaphragm, through your nose. Fill your lower abdomen, lungs, then chest with air. Hold for a four count then slowly exhale the air out from your chest, lungs, then lower abdomen. Repeat 3 or 4 times. That’s it! Just allow your shoulders to drop and your face relax as you breath, deep.

 A great overall muscle toner, Chakra balancer, mind wakening and cleansing exercise is the Sun Salutation exercise. Learn how to do it as a great part of your stress management therapy.

Yoga Therapy can be effective for a cold due to the fact that it brings energy to the respiratory area, helps clear the sinuses, opens the chest and increases circulation and releases stress and tension.

Consider these asanas, Standing Forward Bend, Legs Up the Wall Pose, Supported Bridge Pose, Supported Bound Angle Pose and Reclining Twist.