‘Tis the season – winter is here and many people are getting sick with the common cold.
It’s always best to live an overall healthy lifestyle which in turn will build up your immune system and prevent most colds from occurring in the first place. That being said, even if you are following a top notch health protocol nobody is immune from catching the odd cold.
If you do find yourself sick with a cold here are three natural remedies you can try at home:
1. Garlic – Garlic has been shown to reduce your recovery time if you’re suffering from a cold. It has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties due to a compound called allicin which gives garlic its hot flavour.
Garlic can be added to recipes (such as soups), taken as a supplement or if you are brave it can be eaten raw. *Be warned bad breath and body odour are associated with its raw consumption.
Kyolic makes an aged garlic extract (supplement) that is high quality and doesn’t produce bad breath. I recommend keeping this supplement on hand for unexpected colds.
2. Oregano Oil – Oregano oil can be used to treat a variety of conditions including the common cold. This is another supplement that is great to have at home in your natural medicine cabinet.
Oregano oil is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic. It’s also a powerful anti-inflammatory.
When it comes to an oregano oil supplement the best company to go with is North American Herb And Spice – they charge a pretty penny but the quality is unparalleled.
3. Vitamin C – Studies show that vitamin C will slightly reduce the severity and length of the common cold. This vitamin is not made by the human body and needs to be obtained through the diet or supplementation.
If you decide to supplement make sure you are using one that is made from a whole food source. Foods such as cherries or rose hips are dried and ground down into a powder to make these high quality supplements.
Some great food sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, dark leafy green vegetables, broccoli and watermelon.
The best vitamin C supplement I’ve found is from Healthforce Nutritionals.
Next time you’re battling a cold give these natural remedies a try. Let me know how it goes!
Do you have a favourite natural remedy you use when you have a cold? Share it in the comments.
To your health!
Jesse
