Herbal remedies for colds.

No matter what ails you, there is a leaf, root, or petal somewhere that can help make it better. After all, why take chalky white pills with who knows what in them when you could have a warm cup of tea instead?

As a before-hand note I would like to say that garlic cures almost everything on earth save for death itself. When in doubt, eat more garlic. Along with curing many diseases it helps the immune system and will prevent many common diseases. You can never go wrong with garlic. (Just don't eat too much of it before going on a hot date) ;)

-Headaches
A tea made of either peppermint or Rosemary will help cure and prevent headaches. Also rubbing the pure extract of peppermint on your temples will help ease the pain of a current headache. Be sure not to get the extract in your eyes though because it will sting.

-Cough
Drinking warm soups and tea will help soothe a cough at once but it is all the better if the drinks are infused with thyme, licorice, or Eucalyptus. (Licorice tea is very, very, yummy and naturally sweet. The Thyme would also be very good in a nice Veggie soup! :)

-Stuffy nose
Steam and hot baths or showers is very helpful to clean out the nasal passage. Make sure that you blow your nose often so you don't get a sinus infection like I have. A little peppermint or eucalyptus extract under the nose will help un-stuff a nose

-Sore Throat
Peppermint is what my family uses for sore throats and it helps a lot!!! Pure peppermint candy, such as 'Thin Mints' are great. Peppermint tea is also helpful as is any kind of peppermint oil rub on the chest and throat. A rosemary or lemon infusion is also helpful as is a lemon gargle. I personally also found that drinking apple juice works wonders, I really didn't expect it to but it fixed me right up.

-Fever
Sometimes it is best to let a fever burn so the disease will die but if the fever is high it is good to lower it. Infusions of any combination of Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, lemon, cloves, Cayenne, yarrow, elder flower, or worm wood, will help. (Use cloves and cayenne is very small amounts.)

-Nausea and Vomiting
A nice ginger tea or soup will help ease this in a jiffy. Lemon and Peppermint teas are also very helpful for recovery and the hydration from the tea will certainly help.


As a final tip I will say that if you are going to make a tea out of a strange combination of spices to help your illness, I advise adding a nice helping of peppermint to the tea and be liberal with the sweetener. I have found that the taste of peppermint will help cover up almost any other taste. Remember to try and keep the amount of spices you use to about a teaspoon, two at the very most. Best of luck!