Did a cold overtake your immunity? Why don’t you have a cup of tea? Thankfully, easy-to-find and affordable herbal teas offer a great natural way to help relieve the symptoms of a cold. Additionally, they can help prevent colds and flu and speed up recovery.
With strong antibacterial and antifungal properties, some herbs are known to be excellent natural remedies for colds and coughs. Many contain high concentrations of vitamin C, antioxidants and other beneficial natural compounds.
You can easily grow herbs at home or buy them at a spice shop or teahouse. Opting for the organic version is surely the best.
Try these five cold-beating herbal teas:
Echinacea
Pour boiling water over a teaspoon of dried echinacea roots or leaves, add a twig of fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary or mint, let it steep for 10 minutes, and drink it right away whenever any warning symptoms of cold or flu appear.
Ginger
Steep a few small pieces of fresh ginger or a teaspoon of organic dried ginger in a cup of boiling hot water for a minimum of ten minutes or brew it for the same amount of time.
You can also increase the amount of water in your teapot to 600 ml, pour it over a slice of lemon in your teacup and enjoy a refill a while after!
Hyssop (or Zofa)
Pour boiling water over a full teaspoon of this herb that is known to alleviate coughs, cover your cup for ten minutes, add a bit of honey to bring out its expectorant properties,
and start feeling better!
This tea is not suitable for pregnant women.
Lemongrass
For two delicious cups of tea, boil a hand full of fresh or dried lemongrass for at least five minutes in 600 ml of water. This infusion can be reheated if necessary.
Two compounds found in lemongrass, citral and myrcene, can have adverse effects on pregnancy. Avoid the use of lemongrass during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Orange peel
Pour boiling water over one fresh or dried orange peel, let it infuse for eight minutes, then drink. You can also add this to your morning Yunnan tea for a nice taste.
Try to use organic orange peel as the regular ones may be covered in pesticides.
Coupled with healthy food and plenty of healing sleep, herbal teas are not only comforting but have amazing properties that can help you beat a cold.
What natural remedies have you used to cope with a cold?
