Don’t let a cough or cold ruin your day – try these five natural suggestions to minimize their effects.
If you are looking for effective, safe herbal treatments for coughs and congestion, I recommend the following natural treatments. All can be used safely by both adults and children:
1. Echinacea: The adult dose is one teaspoon of tincture in water four times a day or two capsules of freeze-dried extract four times a day. Give children half those amounts.
2. Garlic: The best home remedy I have found for colds is to eat one or two cloves of raw garlic at the first onset of symptoms. You can chop the garlic fine, let sit for 10 minutes to “activate” and mix it with food, or cut a clove into chunks and swallow them whole like pills.
3. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra): The flowers and fruit of this shrub have a long history of use for treating colds and flu.
4. Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra): This remedy from the inner bark of the red elm tree is available as lozenges, powder, capsules and extracts. Use the lozenges as needed for sore throats due to colds.
5. Zinc: In moderate doses, this mineral can enhance immunity.