You washed your hands. You drank your juice. You took your vitamins. But the flu bug got you anyway. Don’t despair! There are natural ways to ease your misery and get back on your feet fast.
As soon as you feel the first hint of a scratchy throat, a sneeze or sniffle, grab these remedies for quick and safe relief.
Norwegian researchers found that flu sufferers who took immune-boosting elderberry extract had milder symptoms and recovered four days sooner than a control group taking a placebo. The study proved the tasty herb effective against the two most common flu viruses. And animal studies show elderberry extract reduced the number of days sick by more than two-thirds. A review of scientific evidence in favor of elderberry’s effectiveness shows it strengthens the immune system, slows the growth of the viral cells and reduces the inflammation that results in stuffy head, sore throats and joint pain.
Elderberry tastes great, and its flavor masks bad tastes, so you can mix echinacea and other extracts with it.
Your flu-busting dose: Take two teaspoons of liquid extract four times daily when symptoms appear. Half that amount can be safely used for children.
Reach for echinacea
Forget what you might have read. A University of Wisconsin review of research on this potent herb shows this Echinacea sped recovery and reduced symptoms in 8 of 9 studies. One study shows quick action in taking large doses of echinacea cut the length of illness in half and another showed fast relief of those misery-creating symptoms like stuffy head and aching joints.
Experts say up to 90% of flu sufferers can stop the flu entirely if they start taking echinacea immediately when they start to get symptoms.
Bust the flu with: One teaspoon of liquid extract every hour until you get relief. Look for a product with isobutylamides, the active ingredient study-proven as most effective. Better still: Mix your elderberry and Echinacea for a great-tasting double whammy cocktail!
Know when not to treat symptoms
The scratchy throat, body aches and other annoying symptoms are part of the healing process. For instance, a fever’s hot environment makes germ-killing proteins in your blood circulate more quickly and effectively, ushering the virus out of your body fast.
If you’ve got a moderate fever, consider it a bonus and enhance its healing power by grabbing a cup of hot ginger tea, sliding into a hot bath and then climbing into bed with loads of blankets on you. You’ll sweat like crazy and wake up in the morning feeling much, much better.
And if you’ve got a wet cough, leave it be—the cough is actually eliminating mucus and virus from your body. However, if you’ve got a dry cough, pick up some slippery elm lozenges for quick relief.
To rebuild your immunity
Once you’re on the mend, take a standardized extract of astragalus, a Chinese herb traditionally used to enhance the immune system, to avoid another bout with the flu, says Blumenthal. Your best dose: Take a 500 mg. capsule one to three times a day for two months.
