Little Known Natural Remedies for a Cold or Flu Virus

So, you’re coming down with a cold or the flu and just don’t have the time to waste laying around at home feeling poorly, huh? I bet all your friends are giving you advice like:

• “Take Vitamin C”
• “Drink lots of fluids”
• “Take Airborne”
• “Wash your hands after touching doorknobs and shaking hands”

Now, don’t get us wrong, those are good suggestions but you can take it much further
than that. Here are some other things you can do to help you through or even
arrest the arrival of a cold:

Neti Pot

Use daily to wash out bacteria from your sinuses. Your sinuses are your first line of
defense from airborne bacteria, and cleaning them our daily reduces your chances of
catching a cold. Make sure you follow the directions that come with them.

Zinc lozenges

Zinc is an essential mineral that is found in almost every cell, it has antioxidant
effects and is vital to the body’s resistance to infection. It may also decrease the ability of cold viruses to grow on or bind to the lining of the nose , and zinc is important for tissue repair.

Studies go both ways in their result as to whether it really helps with a cold, but
we have found it to be helpful. Most people recommend that it not be used for
more than 5 days in a row, since it can irritate the mouth and stomach and if used
for more than 6 weeks it can cause copper deficiency. Also, zinc works best when
taken regularly (every two hours) at the first sign of a cold, and using 9-24
milligrams of elemental zinc per dose. Underdosing zinc makes it less likely to
help.

Propolis

As defined by Wikipedia is “a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from
tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for
unwanted open spaces in the hive.”

It’s also used in medicine for its antibacterial properties and Wiki gives the
following list of Medicinal uses:

• Propolis is marketed by health food stores as a traditional medicine, and for its claimed beneficial effect on human health.
• Natural medicine practitioners use propolis for the relief of various conditions, including inflammations, viral diseases, ulcers, superficial burns or scalds. Propolis is also believed to promote heart health, strengthen the immune system and reduce the chances of cataracts.
• Old beekeepers recommend a piece of propolis kept in the mouth as a remedy for a sore throat.
• Propolis lozenges and tinctures can be bought in many countries. Though claims have been made for its use in treating allergies, propolis may cause severe allergic reactions if the user is sensitive to bees or bee products.
• As an antimicrobial
• Depending upon its composition, propolis may show powerful local antibiotic and antifungal properties.
• As an emollient.
• Studies also indicate that it may be effective in treating skin burns.

Among other things listed. You can buy propolis at your local health food store, or at farmers markets from bee keepers. I take a small piece of it and put it in my mouth, but DO NOT chew it, it will stick to your teeth and you will spend the rest of the day digging it out with your nails! I spend time sucking on it, and slowly, with my front teeth break it into very small pieces and swallow it, but I suck on it for at least a half hour or you can buy it at the health food store in pill form and take it that way. If you want to read more about this remedy here is a good comprehensive site.

Please make sure you don’t have a sensitivity to bee products before you use
this product!!!!!!!!!

Castor Oil Compress

Castor oil is the yellowish extract from the tropical castor bean plant, and is highly regarded for its important medical uses together with industrial, cosmetics, naturopathy and food. Castor oil contains ricinoleic acid, which brings about anti-inflammatory effects.

I use this when I have a sore throat, and it was Tara that came up with the idea, since it’s used to draw toxins from places like your liver and intestines, why would it not work with a sore throat? So we tried it, we soaked a small rag in warm castor oil and wrapped it around my throat, covering the top with plastic wrap (to avoid getting oil on my shirt) and then with a scarf. I kept it there until it was cool and my throat felt better!

Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver(CS) is a liquid consisting of microscopic silver particles suspended in water.
It was widely used as an antiseptic and antibiotic until the development of synthetic medicines, but is coming back into favor in the alternative health care field.

Colloidal silver works by acting as a catalyst, reacting with bacteria and viruses inside the body. The silver disables the enzyme that these harmful organisms need and causes them to suffocate, without damaging the human cell walls. The negatively charged silver ions also bind with the positively charged pathogen ions, interrupting their reproductive cycle and stopping them from replicating throughout the body.

CS can be used either internally or externally. The solution can be taken internal either as a preventative measure or to treat an infection within the body. Consuming silver water may also be helpful for digestive problems and help to treat parasites. For skin problems, burns, eye infections and other external medical problems, the solution can be used topically by spraying on the affected area.

As with anything else, get more information before you use this product to make sure it will not have adverse reactions to medications you might take, etc.

NOTE: Too much silver will cause a condition called Argyria which causes the skin to turn a blueish-gray hue, but it takes a lot of silver for this to happen.

I use it in its spray form for sore throats and take it internally when I am not feeling well.

But none of these will help if you don’t hydrate enough, rest and take time to let your body heal!

Related articles

• Neti Pot 101: A Must-Have for Cold Season! (self.com)