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Colds & Coughs
By: Amber Kaiser, Certified Natural Health Practitioner

Cold symptoms are usually caused by viruses and usually last 5-10 days, though the mutation of bacteria and viruses has developed in to what many refer to as ?super bugs? which can have more, stronger, and/or longer lasting symptoms.  There are hundreds of viruses and bacteria than can cause cold symptoms, but colds are most commonly caused by rhinoviruses.  A cold will usually occur 18-24 hours after the bug enters the body.

Children and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to catching a cold.  Sometimes colds can lead to other problems such as bronchitis or pneumonia.  You should definitely see your health care provider if your cold accompanies a long lasting or high fever and if you have a condition that can make your cold worse such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis or other lung infections, diabetes, or immune disorders.  Also, green or yellow mucus accompanied by sever sinus or head aches is most likely indication of a sinus infection and you should see your doctor.

A cough that sounds of a horrible deep bark may indicate croup or other similar condition.  A cough that continues hacking until the lungs are out air, followed by a large gasp of air, and then more coughing to empty the lungs may indicate whooping cough or a similar condition.  For these you would definitely want to see your health care provider right away.

There are several things you can do on a regular basis to help prevent and heal from colds & coughs.  Since a cold usually will start in the sinus cavities and move its way downward toward the chest and lungs, the common cold usually trails with the cough.  In any case of illness, it is always important to get plenty of rest and sleep.  Fluids are also very important, so drink plenty of water, or tea may be more soothing.  AVOID sugars especially during illness.  Your body will benefit from the vitamins and nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables.  At my house, we make sure to dominate in fresh fruits while ill.  (Consider the whole food concentrate Juice Plus+ to gain extra benefits of fruits & vegetables on a regular and long term basis). 

Plenty of hand washing will also prevent getting and spreading illness.  I do not recommend anti-bacterial soap.  Studies have shown that they are no more effective than regular soap.  Plus, we do not know the long term effect of using antibiotic byproduct in soaps, and we already have enough ?super bugs? out there making our children sick.  Regular soap with warm water will do the job just fine.  It?s the friction in rubbing of the hands that important. 

And lastly, stay home not only for the rest, but also to try to help from spreading the bug.  In my experience, it usually saves days off to take the time to let your body get well at the onset of illness rather than try pushing and drag out your regular agenda only to stay sick and get sicker to the point where you?re forced to stay home because you are too ill to function.  Yeah, I know this is easier said than done sometimes in today?s busy world, but give it some thought- you might be surprised!

Here are some natural things to consider when asking your health care provider about fighting colds & coughs.  Never attempt home treatment without the supervision of a professional as herbs and other natural treatments can have side effects and/or interactions.  The following is for your information only... 

FOODS

Tangerines and other fruits high in Vitamin C
All Fruits
Pomegranate
Plenty of Water or Tea
Real Chicken Broth (homemade is best)
Garlic

HERBS

Red Clover Tea (safe for kids- stimulates immune system, decongestant & expectorant)  mild & good tasting
Tangerine Peel (TCM)
Licorice (do not use in pregnancy, high blood pressure, kidney, liver, or heart disease.  Do not mix with diuretics)
Hyssop
Elecampane
Balloonflower
Thyme
Echinacea (to boost immune system)
Honeysuckle
Horehound
Marshmallow
Mullein
Wild Cherry Bark
Cat?s Claw
Elderberry
Ask your herbalist or natural care practitioner about which herbal remedies and what types and amounts might be best for you.

ESSENTIAL OILS

Eucalyptus
Lavender
Lemon
Sage
Rosemary

(Use in a diffuser to help clear chest and ease breathing, or make soothing chest or body oils with them in a natural carrier oil.)

RECIPES

Super Immune Tincture

2 parts Echinacea (root, leaves, and flowers)
1 part usnea
2 parts licorice root
½ part garlic
½ part lomatuim root
½ part reishi mushroom

From Rosemary Gladstar?s Herbal Remedies for Children?s Health copyright 1999

Elderberry Syrup

1 cup fresh or ½ cup dried elderberries
3 cups water
1 cup honey

Simmer berries in water on low for 35-40 minutes.  Smash berries.  Strain all through a mesh strainer and add 1 cup honey, or adjust to taste.  Bottle and store in fridge.  Will last 2-3 month refrigerated.

From Rosemary Gladstar?s Herbal Remedies for Children?s Health copyright 1999

Tea & Tincture for Lung & Chest Congestion

2 parts licorice root
1 part Echinacea
1 part elecampane
1 part cinnamon
¼ part ginger

From Rosemary Gladstar?s Herbal Remedies for Children?s Health copyright 1999

Cough Be Gone & Sore Throat Syrup

2 parts slippery elm bark
2 parts valerian
2 parts wild cherry bark
2 parts licorice root
4 parts fennel seeds
1 part cinnamon bark
½ part ginger root
1/8 part orange peel

Make a decoction and then prepare syrup.

From Rosemary Gladstar?s Herbal Remedies for Children?s Health copyright 1999

Decoction for Colds & Flu

1 ounce dried leaves of white or culinary sage
3 cups water
Honey
Juice of 1 lemon
Cayenne

Lightly boil sage in water until water is reduced by one half.  Strain & press.  Reheat to barely hot and add honey (to taste), lemon, and cayenne.  Store in fridge.  Adults: 1 tablespoon to one cup as often as needed for upper throat or upper respiratory infections.

From Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Steam for Upper Respiratory Infections

2 ounces eucalyptus leaves, dried
1 ounce sage leaf, dried
1 ounce juniper leaf or berry, dried
1 gallon water

Bring to boil and place in a bowl.  Cover head with a towel over the bowl and breath in the steam. 

From Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

(with the kids, we make a ?fort? with blankets and sit around the ?smoking (steam) camp fire? together.

Combination Tincture for Colds & Flu

1/3 ounce Echinacea tincture
1/3 ounce red root tincture
1/3 ounce licorice root tincture

Combine and take 30 drops (adult) at least each hour for the onset of upper respiratory infections

From Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Nasal Spray Formula for Sinus Infections

5 drops eucalyptus tincture
5 drops usnea tincture
5 drops Echinacea tincture
5 drops sage tincture
5 drops juniper tincture
3 drops grapefruit seed extract.

Place tinctures in 1 ounce nasal spray bottle.  Add pure water to make 1 ounce, and replace cap.  Spray into nostrils as often as desired.

From Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Chest Rubs for Chest Colds

Basil & anise Chest Rub

½ cup basil
¼ cup anise or hyssop
2 cups oil

Mint and Thyme Chest Rub

½ cup mint
½ cup thyme
2 cups oil

Make hot infusion using herbs & oil.  Massage into chest area.  Do not use Basil & Anise Chest Rub during pregnancy. 

From Natural & Herbal Family Remedies by Cynthia Black

Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster for Chest Coughs

¼ cup dry mustard
¼ cup flour
3 tablespoons molasses
Softened lard or thick cream

Mix dry mustard with flour & then stir in molasses.  Add enough softened lard to make a workable ointment.  Cover the sick person?s throat with a piece of flannel that has been dipped in warm water and wrung out.  Apply the mustard plaster to chest & throat on top of the flannel cloth.  Leave on for 15 minutes or until the skin starts to redden.  Monitor carefully, this plaster can really heat up the skin.

From Natural & Herbal Family Remedies by Cynthia Black

Mom?s Favorite Remedy for Dad

1 dose Elderberry syrup
1 dose English ivy
1 dose colloidal silver

Mix together, give to grumpy sick husband, and send him to work.  Wait for him to call in a good mood during lunch time to let you know he?s feeling better.

Old Remedy Salt Steam

Boil a pot of water and add 1-3 tablespoons of hot water (and maybe a few sage leaves if you have them handy).  Use as a steam bath to breathe in the steam.

Other Elderberry Syrup Recipe

This is beneficial for colds and the flu and to boost the immune system.

Simmer 1 cup of fresh or ½ cup dried elderberries with 3 cups of spring water, ¼ teaspoon powdered cinnamon, and 1 inch of fresh chopped ginger root.

Mash the berries with the water and spices and simmer at a low boil for one half-hour.
Strain. Return the liquid to the pot and add 1 cup of raw honey. Melt the honey into the liquid, bottle and refrigerate.
It will keep for about 3 months.

For an adult take 1 Tablespoon when feeling the sniffles coming on, or when you want to build up your immune system.

From Dawn?s Enchanted Garden

This is the recipe I use for my family.

Rosemary & Peppermint Bath Salts

4 cups sea salt
30 drops Rosemary Essential Oil 
15 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Put all into a bowl and mix together until the oils has been absorbed and disbursed evenly into the salts.  Sprinkle into warm bath water.  This one is great during colds, and also is a nice one for back aches.

Common Cold treatment using Lady's Fingers
Lady's fingers are highly valuable in treating irritation of the throat and a persistent dry cough. This vegetable is rich in mucilage and acts as a drug to allay irritation, swelling, and pain. About 100 gm of lady's fingers should be cut into pieces, and boiled down in half a litre of water to make a decoction. The steam issuing from this decoction may also be inhaled once or twice a day to relieve throat irritation and a dry cough.
Common Cold treatment using Bitter Gourd Roots
The roots of the bitter gourd plant are used in folk medicine to cure a cold. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal quantity of honey or tulsi leaf juice, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for colds.
Common Cold treatment using Turmeric
Turmeric is an effective remedy for colds and throat irritations. Half a teaspoon of fresh turmeric powder mixed in 30 ml of warm milk, and taken once or twice daily, is a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in it and boiled over a slow fire. This mixture should then be drunk by the patient. In case of a running cold, smoke from the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the discharge from the nose and provide quick relief.

Common Cold treatment using Tamarind and Pepper
Tamarind-pepper rasam is also considered an effective home remedy for a cold in South India. Dilute 50 mg tamarind in 250 ml of water. Boil the diluted tamarind water for a few minutes with a teaspoon of hot ghee and half a teaspoon of black pepper powder. This steaming hot rasam has a flushing effect, and should be taken three times a day. As one takes it, the nose and eyes water and the nasal blockage is cleared.

Common Cold treatment using Vitamin C
Regular intake of vitamin C-75 mg for adults and 35 mg for children-will prevent the common cold. If, however, a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. He estimates that one to two grams (1000 mg to 2000 mg) per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin for this purpose. His advice is to swallow one or two 500mg tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of the first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking one to two 500 mg tablets daily.
Home Remedies for Stuffy Nose
Inhale turmeric fumes, for this tie some turmeric in a clean cloth and light it. Boil some water and allow it to cool, now add ¼ teaspoon table salt to it. Put 2 to 3 drops of this solution in your both the nostrils before meals and going to bed. Mix natural apple cider vinegar and water in equal parts. Boil this solution in a pan, when the fumes rises lean over the pan and inhale the fumes. Prepare a solution using 4 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and Pine Essential Oil, 3 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil and 7 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil. Inhale vapors of this solution by putting it on a cotton ball or an aromatherapy diffuser.

From:  http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Common-Cold.html

Sincerely,
Amber M. Kaiser, CNHP
Certified Natural Health Practitioner          
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