By Betsy JabsCold Remedy and Flu Remedy: A Yummy Tea
Am I the only one who experiences anxiety when I feel the first signs of sickness coming on?
Although I usually love any excuse to lie around in my robe and pajamas, having a cold or the flu does NOT qualify as an enjoyable, relaxing experience. Life will pass you by while you lie sick for days. Laundry piles up, groceries run out, and work goes undone as you lie sprawled on the couch, sniffling, sweating from fever, and begging for someone to bring you tea.
Not a pretty picture, right?
I work hard to avoid this scenario with a proactive approach to my health. You’ve heard it all before – eat well, get plenty of sleep, and take steps to reduce stress. But, sometimes sickness still strikes even when you’re working hard to avoid it.
The good news is that we can reduce the anxiety of becoming sick by preparing for it. Having a basic cold and flu tea already mixed up is an efficient way to prepare. Let’s just hope you won’t need to use it!
Make your own Cold and Flu Tea
The herbs in this cold and flu blend were chosen for their ability to stimulate the immune system, fight viruses and bacteria, and ease the uncomfortable symptoms of a cold or flu.
Ingredients for tea blend:
- ¼ cup dried echinacea leaves (find echinacea leaves here)
- ¼ cup dried peppermint leaves (find peppermint leaves here)
- ¼ cup dried lemon balm leaves (find lemon balm leaves here)
- 3 Tbsp dried elder berries (find them here) or ¼ cup dried elder flowers (find them here)
Add all ingredients to a glass jar and shake gently to combine. Seal jar tightly. Label well and store your Cold and Flu Tea away from heat and light for up to a year. This blend will make approximately 24 cups of tea.
For one cup of tea:
- 1 cup of filtered water
- 2 tsp Cold and Flu Tea blend
- raw, unfiltered honey to taste (optional)
Add tea blend to tea infuser or tea ball. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat. Pour water into mug and add tea. Steep for 5-10 minutes. Add honey (if using) and stir until dissolved. Drink up to 3 cups of tea per day as needed.
Herbs for cold and flu season
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida) – Echinacea was chosen for this tea blend based on its ability to prevent or help the body fight colds and the flu. Echinacea is one of the most researched herbs for its effectiveness in shortening the duration and reducing the severity of cold and flu symptoms. This herb contains active substances that boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain.
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra, S. canadensis) – Elderberry is a powerful flu fighter. This herb has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and immune stimulating effects. It has been shown to greatly reduce healing time when taken at the first signs of flu symptoms. Elderberry works to prevent viral infection by blocking the virus from penetrating our cells. Many symptoms of the typical cold and flu virus can be treated with this berry. Elder flowers can also be used in herbal tea blends to help reduce fevers. (Never eat the leaves, stems, or raw berries of this plant, which contain toxic components.)
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)- This member of the mint family works against a variety of viruses and bacteria, including the virus that causes the common cold. Its anti-inflammatory properties also make it perfect for soothing headaches. It has a fresh lemony-mint flavor when added to tea.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) – This herb’s active component, menthol, can improve nasal congestion and relax airways. Peppermint can also help soothe a sore, irritated throat. (Not to mention, I just love minty things.)
Get back to normal
Too many DIY projects can cut into my sleep. So when I was feeling worn out and felt a sore throat coming on the other day, I quickly brewed a cup of this tea. One cup before bed, another first thing the next morning, and my sore throat was gone by the afternoon.
I can’t afford to lie around for days anymore. My mom isn’t here waiting on me hand and foot, bringing me soup to slurp, and Archie comics to read. Instead, I think I’ll speed recovery with a natural, soothing tea and get back to the land of the living in no time.
What natural remedies do you utilize to curb cold and flu symptoms?
Share with the community!
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Resources and Recommended Reading
Love this tea! Does it have caffeine? I gave a cup to my hubby last night and he said he couldn’t sleep?
Hi Lori,
This is an herbal tea and generally herbal teas have 0mg of caffeine. However, he may have a sensitivity to one of the herbs in the mixture. I have seen things that claimed echinacea might lead to troubles sleeping for some people. Peppermint (which you might think could keep you awake) is actually calming and relaxing to internal systems, and is frequently included in bedtime teas. So you could try mixing up the tea without echinacea, and you’ll still get lots of benefits.
Here’s a tea that I make from my spice cabinet: In strainer in a teapot, 1 tsp each : Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Italian spices, Parsley. Pinch of Rosemary, Garlic clove, dried or squeezed. 1 Tsp Calendula petals only(dried from my flower garden) and Camomile teabag. Let seep 20 minutes. Pour into a big mug and put a couple squirts of Chicken broth (I use Boivril brand) and you have a spicy chicken broth that I have found is guaranteed to chase away any nasty bug that is shadowing you. Sometimes I throw in a little ginger and mint, even catnip. Enjoy, Laura
I have found that drinking turmeric (1 tablespoon or less, dissolved in about 1cup of warm or cold water) and also making a hot drink using fresh ginger—- both work wonders to combat inflammation in the lungs.
Eating fresh organic celery helps, too. Munching a couple sticks of celery helps to impart healthy energy, when lungs are in need of some TLC.
Those who have thyroid issues should not use lemon balm or bee balm. There may be others. In this case, what could substitute for lemon balm? Or can it just be left out?
The lemon balm can be left out and you are still left with an effective tea. Check some of the other comments for great suggestions on other herbs that can be included if you like.
For those who have family member that will not drink tea. I found Emergen-C immune defense the Ruby Lemon Honey flavored fizzy drink mix. It has vitamin C, enhanced zinc, vitamins A & D, hibiscus extract elderberry extract. It has work really great for us. We also take an Airbone tablet before we go anywhere there will be alot of people. Both of these have worked great for us. The only time I have had the flu was five years ago because I forgot to take my Airboure before work a couple of days. That taught me a hard lesson so now I never for get to take it.
Silly question……I got all the ingredients today and a tea ball thingy (lol) BUT I couldn’t find Echinacea leaves….just powder. So my question is can I still make this and will the powder come out of the tea ball thingy? Any help would be appreciated.
Also what would be the ratio or amount of powdered Echinacea to use in this recipe?
Amy,You can purchase Echinacea here.
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/
They are a wonderful little companies and I use them all the time.
The powdered form of Echinacea is not optimal for a tea. It will come out of your tea ball, and will completely dissolve in your tea (if it makes it that far). I have also read that the powdered form loses its potency rather quickly, which could defeat the purpose of including Echinacea in this herbal tea. You can leave it out of the mixture and add about 1/8 teaspoon of the powder to each cup of tea you drink. This will ensure you’re not getting too much or too little.
I just made my first batch. Wow! It tastes wonderful! It may be my normal go to tea, not just my feel bad tea! What a blend!
Yes, I love it with a little honey and have been drinking it even when I feel fine. 🙂 Glad you like it!
I should have had some of this at your house the other day! 🙂 Luckily my worst day was the day i was with you guys! i’m telling you, cold calm really helps me! Hope you two are still healthy. 🙂
I know! I saw it in the cupboard after you left and thought the same thing! What a bummer your worst day was when you were here. 🙁 We ARE still healthy, although I’ve been sleeping a ton the past few days…my body may be fighting something off. Glad you’re feeling better!
I’m going to try Rodney’s great soup tomorrow as I have everything I need to make it, and I’m not sick! It sounds great. Thanks Rodney. I also left out of my post that I eat 1to 2 raw garlic cloves a day and 1 to 2 Tbs of virgin coconut oil a day too. I have not been sick since I have been doing this for almost two years. I saw a woman on TV a year or so ago that was 104 years old and she seem to think that because she ate a raw garlic clove everyday was the reason for her longevity. That’s when I started doing this and as far as I’m concerned it works.
I use all of these herbs plus I add red clover, sage, eucalyptus,thyme, ginger root, and licorice root too. I also make a powerful tincture with the same mix.
The tisane tastes great. I step for 15 minutes instead of 10 to allow the roots more time. The tincture I take 1 tsp per hour. It will kill off almost anything.
Love your newsletter. I”m a new subscriber.
Welcome Thomas! Thanks for reading and sharing with the community. Your herb mixture sounds like it would be a powerful immune booster!
I find this very interesting cure for that maledy which plagues us all at the transition from season to season. this was my cure
Many years ago I was treated by a Naturpath, whom I, as one does with your consultant, he passed this recipe on to me.
http://just-rodney.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Soup—A-cure-for-Colds-and-Flu
Read the link and the philosophy behind it!
Your in Health
oh, sorry – I didn’t refresh before posting and I see my question has been answered! Thank you.
I too would like to know an effective substitute for the peppermint, or if the tea would be as efficacious without it if no substitute comes to mind?
Sad that so many people are still in denial of holistic cures.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/jan/13/dont-fall-victim-bogus-flu-remedies/?opinionfreepress
Wow, that was a sad article. I wonder where the research is that backs their claims…none cited. It is a bummer that many think holistic cures are a hoax.
I use D3, a combo vitamin with oregano oil, rosemary oil, elderberry, olive leaf, and allium (garlic) called ‘Allibiotic’
Had to do something as I work at 2 elementary schools surrounded by hundreds of children daily!
Wow, that sounds like it’s PACKED with goodness! I also used to work in multiple elementary schools and was always trying to dodge sickness. 🙂
Tracy a teacher came up with Airborne. My brother has a very low immune system when he was in school he would get everything. When my mom found out about Airborne she get it to him before school and he didn’t get sick for the rest of his school days which was about three years. You can also take it every three to four hours if you do feel and sickness coming on. It has really work great for our family and it comes in several flavors.
Oh, how I can relate to this! When I feel the first symptoms of a cold, I get really upset because I know how I will feel the next 7-10 days. However, I tested a new treatment just before Christmas. I got a sore throat and really didn’t feel like getting a full blown cold. So I started taking buffered vitamin C powder (about 1’000mg every 15 minutes) until I reached bowel tolerance (means exactly what you think it means…). Overall I took approximately 20’000 mg/day. The next day my sore throat was gone and I didn’t get a cold.
Vitamin C has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. I learned about it from the books of Dr. Andrew Saul, a great resource for orthomolecular medicine.
Awesome Jeanette! We read another study (can’t remember who it was by) that said there’s no harm in taking massive amounts of Vitamin C to treat cold symptoms. The only side effect of test subjects was upset stomach when the doses were really high. (Sounds like what you experienced.) 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
When I feel a cold coming on, I take 1 Vitamin C and 1 zinc every hour on the hour. I did this for 4 days when my grandson and daughter got flu with high fevers just after visiting me. Never got it, while EVERYONE else who was with us did!!! Taking them every hour keeps the vitamin C in your system, but there is no overdosing issue with stomach or bowel problems. Zinc in tandem with vitamin C really packs a punch to colds and flu!!
Those ingredients are very good for alleviating cold and flu symptoms. I stopped getting colds and flu altogether in 2007 when I stopped eating processed foods and started taking vitamin D3 daily. Strengthening the immune system protects you from colds and flu. Other powerful cold and flu remedies are Wild Oil of Oregano and Thieves Essential Oil. 🙂
Yes! Thanks for sharing Anne…those are very important steps in avoiding sickness!
Due to acid reflux, I cannot have mint. Is there anything that I can replace it with that will still make this a “cold & flu” tea? By the way, thanks for all you do —- just love your blog.
Bummer Bunkie…but no problem on the mint. There are several other herbs that can be used. Yarrow is a really good one; use the dried leaves or flowers (not recommended for pregnant women though). It has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and sweat-inducing properties. Astragalus is a great immune-boosting and antiviral herb. Ginger is also fabulous for colds & flus. You can grate up some fresh ginger and add it to your cup of tea. Hope this helps!
Are you to use any herb from the mint family? Catnip is a great alternative to peppermint and since I’m assuming that the peppermint in this recipe is used for the calming of the stomach as well a other properties. I’d also suggest using chamomile instead of the mints.
Also mullein is great for colds and the flu.
I myself make a cold/flu tea and syrup with the ingredients from above as well as other herbs that work great for colds and flu as well as bronchitis.