Three traditional cold and flu remedies

Got a sore throat? Feel a sniffle coming on? Grandma was right. These traditional cold and flu treatments will have you back on your feet in no time. Blast cold and flu bugs with garlic, fight fevers with olive leaves, and dose up on cod liver oil to support your immune system this winter.

Cod liver oil
After years of languishing at the back of the medicine cabinet, cod liver oil is making a comeback. It still doesn’t taste very good, but you can get around that by taking it in capsules instead of by the spoonful.

What’s so good about cod liver oil? It’s a rich natural source of vitamins A and D (both of which are involved in immune system function), and in clinical studies – some of which date back to the 1930s – it’s been shown to reduce susceptibility to respiratory infections.

Vitamin A is required for mucous membrane health. These slippery surfaces lining your nasal passages, throat, and lungs are one of your first lines of defence against infection, and when vitamin A levels are too low, immunity becomes compromised.

Vitamin D is sometimes referred to as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ because our major source of this nutrient is via the action of sunlight on our skin. Levels are naturally lower in winter because there’s less sunlight around, we’re more inclined stay inside, and we tend to wear long-sleeved clothes when we do venture out. Some researchers believe that our increased susceptibility to flu and other respiratory infections during winter can be linked to our lower vitamin D levels at this time of year.

Garlic
The anti-infective properties of garlic have been recognised for centuries, and it has documented potency against a wide range of bacteria and viruses.

Unfortunately, the most medicinally active compounds in garlic are also the ones responsible for its characteristic odour, so rather than eating garlic cloves, many people prefer to take their garlic in concentrated, easy-to-swallow, odour–controlled perles. A suitable dose for adults is equivalent to 3 grams of garlic, taken twice daily.

Alternatively, try a good-sized portion of our Congestion-Clearing Chicken Noodle Soup!

Olive leaf
In the Mediterranean, olive leaf tea is a traditional remedy against coughs and colds, and is considered particularly beneficial when feverish symptoms are present.