Kicking a Cold Naturally
- cottageapothecary
- Dec 4, 2016
- 5 min read
This post was written back in August and somehow in all my uneducated Wix Blog glory, I lost a large portion of the text, linked items, and photos. I put it on the back burner because I was so annoyed at the entire event. I've finally been able to face this post to update and rewrite. It's not often that a cold, or any sickness for that matter, hits our home. We rely on a variety things to help build our immune system on a regular basis, so it's not often we come down with anything major. Prevention is key! Well, then, what in the world is a natural household to do when a cold does surface? Hit the natural living medicine chest, of course. We relied on several products and stayed on top of administering doses of these products. We did find that lots of rest was hugely beneficial. One of us happened to be off work for the two or three days of the nastiest part of his cold and he kicked the cold within those three days. I, on the hand, unfortunately had to continue going into work (don't worry, I was not contagious and I sit largely by myself for the work day). It took me a good 6-7 days to kick my cold completely, though the last 3-4 days were significantly better.
So, what did we do?
Below, these items were our saving grace (links below are either iHerb or Amazon affiliate links). Neither of us visited a doctor. We drank LOTS of water. and rested as much as possible, even going to bed earlier than normal. We stayed on top of dosages and were consistent with hitting the proper time frames for the "next dose".
I love the Boiron product line and we've used several of their products for various ailments. (note: Boiron does carry several products formulated for kids!) We relied heavily on the Coldcalm Quick-Dissolving Tablets. These tablets dissolve under your tongue, have little to no flavor, and truly the effects are felt very quickly. We followed the
directions on the box. The Chestal Cold and Cough Syrup was a saving grace, especially at night time. Once we were both in the throes of the cold, it seemed that a night time cough was a constant companion for a few nights. This syrup knocked that cough down so we could sleep well. Again, we followed directions on the box. The flavor and texture is reminiscent of just a simple syrup; it was a little sweet in my opinion, but at least it didn't taste like yucky medicine.
We love hot tea. Every night a pot of water is boiled and tea is made in our kitchen. My tea shelf rivals a retail store shelf and we chose our tea based on what we are feeling that night, from emotional to physical ailments.
This is actually only a portion of our teas... I'm constantly picking up new blends and we have a few more, and a few different ones, than what is shown in the photo above.
Here's the teas we sought out during our time battling the cold:
There is something to be said for just holding a cup of hot tea in your hands and breathing in the wonderful aroma steaming up from that cup. I believe a lot of the healing comes just from that. But, of course, getting that liquid in your body is essential, as well. And of course, we cannot forget the immense help we received from my stock of essential oils in my cabinet. I am a pretty faithful Plant Therapy customer and the majority of my oils are from them. I find their quality to be wonderful, the information provided from their site and their blog to be easy to understand for anyone's level of EO experience, and their customer service nothing short of exceptional. And free shipping. On any size order. Holla. (oh hey, bonus of rewriting this in December, Plant Therapy is right in the middle of their 25 Days of Christmas Deals -- there are some fantastic coupon codes available daily right now!)
above, one of my latest purchases from Plant Therapy included a set of three Holiday Blends. While these are more geared towards making your home smell like winter and Christmas, each synergy will have benefits because, well, oils will always have some type of emotional or health benefit when inhaled. My favorite from above is Snow Flurries with Merry Mistletoe in a very close second!
I used the synergies Immune-Aid and Germ Fighter and also added Lemon during this time through the diffuser. Immune-Aid helped strengthen our immune systems and Germ Destroyer helped kill off any cold germs we were possibly spreading around the house. Lemon was a bonus air cleansing and respiratory aid; plus it's uplifting during a time you just feel like you are dragging.
I reached for the Clear Again synergy in the last few days of my cold and actually brought it to work with me in a personal inhaler. This way I could inhale as needed to kick the last of the congestion from my head.
And finally, last but not least we were extra vigilant in taking Apple Cider Vinegar and raw honey. I keep this on hand all the time and we try to take to take two ounces daily. I mix up equal parts Bragg brand ACV (because it has the all important "mother") and raw local honey and keep it on counter for easy access. Top a shot glass off with water or juice and drink! Easy, peasy! When I became the lone wolf in the fight against the cold, I added one more remedy to my arsenal. I lightly sauteed onion and garlic in an organic chicken broth. I wanted the onion and garlic as raw as possible to get the most benefit from them, so I gently sauteed in a bit of broth for a few seconds then quickly added the rest of the chicken broth. I warmed it through and drank every last drop. It was delicious and... maybe it was just me, but... I could feel it immediately working in my body, nourishing and healing me. I would love to hear from you! Do you have an arsenal of go-to natural health products or routines you go through when you feel a cold coming? Please share in the comments! By the way -- if you followed through on any of the links above for iHerb, and it's your first time purchasing on iHerb, you will get 10% off your entire first order by also following through on this link!
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