Tried-and-True Home Remedies for Cold & Flu Season

When the weather outside gets frightful, it often means that cold and flu season is upon us.  When it hits our household, we have several tricks – some passed down from grandmothers – to help get you back on your feet!  The best thing?  Everything you need is probably in your house right now or easily obtained.
 
Festive Steam Pot
I don’t know about you, but our household goes through clementines like crazy beginning around Thanksgiving – don’t throw out the peels!  Add them in the bottom of a sturdy pot with a cinnamon stick or two and a sprinkle of whole cloves (add a handful of fresh cranberries, if you have them) and crush them with a muddler or wooden spoon to release the oils from the citrus skins and blend with the spices.  Fill the pot about an inch from the top with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low.  This trick not only adds moisture to a dry house, but the smell is so festive!  Be sure to keep an eye on the pot so it doesn’t run dry.  You can add water  a few times to keep it going, but drain and compost or toss the remains and start a fresh pot the next day, as the smell begins to become unpleasant if you’ve over-simmered your peels.

A Festive Steam Pot adds much needed humidity plus a festive aroma to your home.

Wooly Cough Suppressant
A bad cough can keep you up at night and make it harder to get better, but this simple trick can almost miraculously keep a cough at bay (depending on the type of cough).  Take a clean washcloth and fold it into thirds or fourths so you have a long rectangle. Run it under warm water, then wring it out so that it isn’t dripping wet.  Place the cloth over your throat like a scarf, with the ends trying to meet at the back of your neck, then wrap a wool scarf, sock, or piece of wool fabric over the cloth, securing it by tying the scarf or with a safety or diaper pin.  This trick only works for certain types of coughs, but you’ll notice it immediately if it works!  I’ve been able to finally fall asleep without coughing many a night by using this trick.  When the effect wears off, simply re-wet the washcloth and repeat.  Note that you do need to use real wool for the scarf, sock, or fabric or it won't work.

A wool scarf, a washcloth, and warm water are all it takes to stop a cough!

Basic Cold & Flu Tea
Put the kettle on and grab a mug.  Squeeze half of a lemon into the mug, then add a teaspoon to a tablespoon of raw honey and a half inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled.  When the kettle comes to a boil, let it sit for a minute before pouring it over, as boiling water can destroy the good stuff in the honey, lemon juice, and ginger.  Sip it while it’s hot and repeat as necessary.

Lemon juice, raw honey, and a bit of raw ginger makes the perfect Basic Cold & Flu Tea.

Sea Salt Sore Throat Remedy
Terrible sore throat?  Put on the kettle, again.  Add one teaspoon of sea salt or Himalayan salt (the pink stuff) to a coffee mug, then add warm (not boiling) water.  Stir to dissolve the salt.  Standing in front of the bathroom sink, take sips of the warm salt water (DO NOT swallow this stuff!) and gargle for as long as possible, spitting down the drain when you need to, until you’ve used up all the water in the cup.  This is best done right before bed, but can be done periodically through the day, as well.  Avoid drinking anything afterwards for awhile, as it rinses the salt – and the relief it brings – away.
 
My kids used these remedies, too, with supervision, just know your kid (Are they capable of gargling? Test the temperature of the tea or salt water before you give it to them, of course. How likely is it that they get tangled in a scarf or stuck by a pin?).  The whole household benefits from the Festive Steaming Pot, so that’s an easy one to try, but you’ll be surprised at how well these home remedies work to ease you through the germiest time of the year.
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Have a tried-and-true home remedy for colds and flu that we missed?  Let us know in the comments!