8 Natural Remedies to Stock in Your Pantry for Back-to-School Cold and Flu Season
Getting ready to head back to school? From essential oils to the right spices, natural ingredients can brew some mighty homemade cold killers. Stock these 8 natural remedies in your pantry to prepare.
There are a multitude of home remedies in the world, but the basic ingredients of most of those remedies fall into these eight categories.
1. Essential Oils: We’re not ready for back-to-school, aka Germapalooza, until we have our essential oils ready. My two faves are oregano and the Thieves blend (a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary), both have properties that may boost your immune system and prevent the spread of illness.
- Make over your medicine cabinet with all natural cold and flu solutions.
- Use essential oils to make a sinus steam to relieve congestion.
- Make an immune-boosting foot rub.
- Craft a homemade vapo rub from coconut oil, camphor and some lemon-eucalyptus for those nasty chest colds.
2. Elderberry Syrup: Whether you make your own or buy ready-made elderberry syrup, taking this syrup daily during cold and flu season is a must at our house.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey: Apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, honey and ginger make up this cough kicker shot. We find it not only soothes sore throats, but also stops most coughing. And this sore throat remedy that uses honey and essential oils.
4. Lemonade: Yeah, you heard me right. Lemonade, to make you feel better. I’m pretty sure this one is an emotional boost as well. Mix in a little booze for the 21 and over crowd and you’ve got yourself a cold toddy. Or serve it hot for a lemonade hot toddy.
5. Chamomile: As an herbal remedy, chamomile is one of the most diverse. Among its numerous benefits is that it may help you get over a cold faster due to its antibacterial and immune boosting properties. It also helps promote perspiration, which can have a beneficial effect on fevers, colds and flu.
6. Fat and Gelatin: Say what? Yep, eating more fat and gelatin may help prevent a stomach virus! So, brew yourself up a batch of bone broth, eat natural probiotics, and create that iron digestive system.
7. Spices: From cayenne to ginger to cardamom, spices are a key component in many cold remedies used around the world.
8. Garlic: This pungent plant is a well-known immune booster, garlic also helps fight off infections. Non-odor extracts are available.
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