How to make a Herb Cold and Flu Remedy Tea

painting by Tammy Lovelady and I own it :)

Now that winter has brought a chill to the air it is time to stock the medicine cabinet with the herbs to make a nice cup of tea that boosts the immune system and fights colds and flu. Here are a couple of my favorite herbs for use in fighting off colds and the flu.

The herbs listed are well known for their ability to strengthen the body' s

natural defense system. Echinacea and Rose Hips are best taken right at the onset of the cold or flu symptoms when they have a better chance of assisting your body in fighting off the bugs and you will not get as sick as you would had without these herbs. If you are already sick, then add Goldenseal to the Echinacea and Rose Hips tea to help get you back on your feet faster.

These are safe herbs that are available at Drug Stores and Health Food stores in a variety of forms. I have used these herbs with family members of all ages for years with excellent results. If tea isn't your pleasure then you can purchase pills and mixtures in a variety of tastes that will help fight off colds and the flu.

The most documented and acclaimed cold fighter is the powerful Purple Cone Flower aka Echinacea.

The Purple Cone flower can be found growing wild in the Ozarks and other areas of the country, flowering every two years it draws Butterflies that swarm in groups all about the single purple flower or two of each plant. This plant likes to live along the road sides giving us the pleasure of watching Butterflies as we drive along the road.

If you find it, all you have to do is dig down and cut part of the root off, leave the rest of the plant to continue growing, thank the plant for giving you medicine and wash it, dry it on a paper plate or in a brown paper bag and use about a teaspoon per cup of tea. Read more about it at this link and there are many articles recommending Echinacea for further research. It is available in loose bulk herb for a couple of dollar an oz which will last the cold season.

A 2007 study by the University of Connecticut combined findings from 14 previously-reported trials examining Echinacea and concluded that Echinacea can cut the chances of catching a cold by more than half, and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. Read the findings here

Rose Hips are a favorite for fighting colds and infections because they are high in vitamin C and boost the immune system. Rose Hips also contain vitamin D and E, essential fatty acids and antioxidant flavonoids. Wild Rose, tea rose and the dog rose are the varieties used and found to contain the highest levels of vitamins and if you have any of these members of the Rose family growing in your garden then you can pick the Hips and dry them in a brown paper bag for later use. They can be purchased at health food stores in pills, tea bags and loose form by the oz. You can learn more about the safety of using roses here

Golden Seal is another well known herb that has excellent immune building strengths. This wild plant is well documented and available at Drug Stores and Health Food stores. It is harder to find in pre-bagged tea form. I usually get it in loose bulk amounts of one oz which lasts a long while. This plant grows wild in many areas of the country but is harder to identify then the Cone Flower so I would recommend buying it from a reputable outlet. Herbalist know this herb well and it has a long history of use in Native American medicine and natural healing for ills other then colds and the flu. You can learn more about Goldenseal here:

After obtaining each of the herbs, you will be able to use 1 teaspoon of each to make a cup of Cold fighting tea.

The easiest way I have found to make this blend of tea is to buy 1 oz of each herb and mix the loose herbs together then label the bag as cold tea.

Use 1 tablespoon of the mixture or 1 teaspoon of each herb per cup of tea.

Drink this at the first signs of illness and you will not be as sick as you would have if you did not drink the tea.

A cup once a week will help your body prevent the cold or flu viruses from getting the best of you.