Flu can be stubborn, exhausting, and embarrassing. Imagine you’re on a date or meeting during a light moment. Then, as you laugh, your nose joins the celebration with balloons. Complete turn-off!!! Leave alone the nasal congestion, fever, and headache.
Flu can drive you bonkers. Although it has no cures, there are ways to manage and reduce its severity. You can seek over-the-counter prescriptions. But your body can handle it naturally. So, why pump more chemicals into it?
Several natural solutions can help your body manage the flu. In this article, you’ll learn natural flu remedies.
Natural Flu Remedies
Drink more water and fluids
Hydration helps with the cold flu. It keeps you moist, whether it’s your nose, mouth, or throat. It will remove built-up mucus to ease your nasal congestion.
You can notice your dehydration in two ways;
- Deep yellow urine or
- Amber urine
You can increase your hydration through;
- Fresh juice
- Fruits
- Water
- Soup
- Broth
A well-hydrated body has regular urination and pale yellow (or clear) urine.
Drink herbal tea with honey
Herbal tea soothes sinuses and the throat. It also has anti-bacterial and anti-viral elements that help fight influenza (flu) virus. Below are some of the herbal tea and their benefits.
| Type of Herbal Tea | Health Benefits against Flu |
| Lemon tea | Contains vitamin C that reduces phlegm & mucus improves body immunity and clears upper respiratory tract diseases. |
| Echinacea tea | Prevents flu by 50% and reduces its duration. Also, it contains flavonoids that are therapeutic, reduce inflammation & improve body immunity. |
| Garlic tea | Contains an antimicrobial element called allicin. It prevents and reduces the severity of the common cold (flu). |
| Ginger tea | Treats coughs and soothes sore throats. It also reduces nausea associated with flu. Hence, it reduces the severity of flu. |
Honey
You can add honey into herbal tea as an alternative to sweeteners like sugar. Honey contains anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties too. It is a cough suppressant and a sleep booster.
Also, it reduces the severity of the flu symptoms (partly linked to its sleeping properties).
However, you shouldn’t give to children that are less than 1-year-old. Although harmless to older children and adults, it has spores that affect an infant’s immune system.
Take Yogurt
Not just any type, but probiotic yogurt should also be on your bucket list. This yogurt clears your gut. It has probiotics (live bacteria) that are helpful in gut cleaning.
It also improves immunity and prevents upper respiratory tract diseases. Additionally, yogurt contains calcium and protein that help with immunity strengthening.
Increase your Zinc uptake
Apart from protein and calcium, your immunity system needs zinc. Zinc nutrients are critical in making white blood cells. The white blood cells are your body’s shield – they fight germs.
Hence, zinc helps fight the flu virus reducing its severity. You can adopt a balanced diet with high zinc content like;
- Red meat
- Nuts
- Lentils
- Eggs, etc.
Sip some chicken soup
Another nutritional addition you should consider is chicken soup. A mix containing vegetables helps concentrate neutrophils on specific areas. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that protect you from infection.
Research shows that chicken soup helps slow down neutrophils, targeting areas that need the highest healing. These areas can include sore throats and sinuses during flu.
Gargle Salt Water
Besides boosting your immunity through nutrition, you should also clear the mucus. You can gargle salt water a couple of times a day. It helps clear thick phlegm and mucus that accumulates at the back of your throat.
Such mucus accumulation always happens when you’re lying down. Clearance of mucus collection will reduce congestion and improve breathing.
Apply vapor rub
This one has an awful smell but incredible results. It is a product of traditional tropical ointment. If you don’t mind the scent, apply it just before bedtime.
It clears passages, thus reducing nasal congestion and coughing. Additionally, it improves sleep. Many physicians recommend it for two years old to avoid the adverse side effects of over-the-counter prescriptions.
Warm compress
If you have a headache from the flu, grab a warm towel and place it over your head. You can also tap gently on your nose to help open and clear it up.
A warm compress can also help relax sinus pain and sore throat. You can achieve more benefits if you wish to go full warm bath.
Take a warm bath
Whether you or a younger family member or loved one, a warm bath can ease flu fevers. For kids, a warm sponge bath can do the magic. However, warm baths can be tweaked to alleviate flu symptoms using natural additives for adults.
To achieve a soothing effect on the warm bath, you can add an essential oil like rosemary, lavender, thyme, eucalyptus, or tea tree.
Take a steam therapy
Having an extra thick mucus and phlegm can choke and cause breathing difficulty. You can solve this naturally with steam therapy.
Steam therapy involves keeping your face in the hot steam of water and inhaling the vapor. The warm, inhaled moist air will soothe your nasal passage, sinuses, and throat. It will also relax and help your lungs.
This therapy can also solve chest tightness and dry cough. However, you should be careful while preparing hot water for steam to avoid burning yourself.
Humidify your surrounding
You can also humidify your home to reduce the flu virus. The flu virus thrives in dry air that might be present in your home.
Air conditioning and heating can lead to indoor dry air. In winter, indoor dry air may intensify, making it hard for you to recover faster. Adding a little eucalyptus or other essential oil to the humidifier may further help to breathe.
Take Away
Most flu cases don’t necessarily need a doctor. Nor does it require over-the-counter prescriptions. You can use natural remedies for flu to help you gain normalcy.
Drink a lot of fluids, and a balanced diet, and ensure you’re in a warm, humid environment. If symptoms persist, you may need to seek your doctor.
