Best home remedies for cold and flu?

Question

I've heard all kinds - from boiling lemon slices and adding garlic and whole cloves to my grandmother's description of "cow chip tea" that her country born parents, my great-grandparents, used and which is exactly what you'd think it is - ewwww

What kinds of homemade concoctions have you created or experienced at the hands of relatives and friends or would-be doctors?

The best gets 10 points!!!!

Answer 1

I don't know how "homemade" this is, but it's natural and it works.

I use liquid extract of Echinacea root. At the first sign of a cold, I take 4 dropperfuls (about 1 teaspoon) in a little water. Repeat in an hour. Then take one dropper every hour the first day. In the morning start taking just one dropper every four hours. Often this stops me from catching anything.

If I think I've been exposed to flu virus, I add a dropperful of liquid extract of Elderberry fruit to each of the above doses.

If I go ahead and catch the disease and have signs of bacterial infection - colored sputum or nasal discharge or fever - I add liquid extract of Goldenseal root. Dose is one dropperful 3x daily for 10 to 14 days.

Lemon & garlic & cloves all have antibacterial properties. Lots of old timers used onion and lemon together and sweetened with honey. Garlic & onion have similar properties & both are somewhat sedative.

I can't imagine any advantage to cow chips. I suppose if the cow had been eating alfalfa and you boiled the chip to sterilize the mix there might be some benefit. I'll take my alfalfa undigested, thank you.

Answer 2

FASTING! Drink only lemon water, and eat nothing until the virus has passed. A virus eats all the toxic leftover junk in our bodies that accumulates from poor digestion and a polluted environment. When you go on a fast, your body naturally goes into 'cleanse' mode, which can feel very similar to having a virus. When your body cleanses, it is in the process of dumping all of that toxic matter back into the bloodstream so that it can be eliminated, cutting off the food supply for your virus.

Answer 3

A shot of dark rum
a slice of lemon
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
top up with hot water
Add a knob of "real" butter

Mix together and stir well. Sip it while it is hot. Then go to bed and sweat it out. This drink will help.

Its known in the uk as a Hot Toddy! :) works too!

Answer 4

The old chicken soup, bed rest and sleep are the best remedy for cold and flu. Most colds and flu are caused by viruses, that have to "burn" themselves out of your system. That is why antibiotics don't generally work.

BTW eve nthe AMA says chicken soup and bed rest is the best healer.

Answer 5

To relieve muscle aches try Muscle Calm from herbalhealer.com

Sambucol kills the virus-herbalhealer.com

Take elderberry extract (must be Sambucus Nigra origin)-this will even cure the Bird Flu

Answer 6

All the answers below will work just fine. If you use any of them, you will get rid of your cold in 14 days. Without them it will take 2 weeks.

Answer 7

hot toddys