Natural Remedies for Colds

I've got a cold at the moment so I'm feeling pretty run down and tired. I've read that it's not uncommon to get sick in the first weeks of pregnancy because your body suppresses its immune system so that it is less likely to reject the embryo as something foreign.

In keeping with my ideals of avoiding drugs at all costs during the preconception period, pregnancy and while breastfeeding (and as a general rule for my own health and well being) I choose not to have any pharmaceutical drugs (yes, this includes paracetamol, ibuprofen and the like) and stick to natural ways of boosting my immune response and getting over colds.

Here is a list of natural remedies to try when you are feeling under the weather, and these remedies are great whether you are pregnant or not so use these as your first point of call before you decide that you need to head to the doctor.

Ginger, lemon and honey tea

- 1 tsp grated ginger

- ½ - 1 lemon juiced

- 1 tsp honey (preferably raw honey)

- Enough boiling water to fill your favourite mug.

Put ginger, lemon and honey in a mug and top with boiling water. Go and sit down and put your feet up for 10mins to enjoy you hot drink.

Echinacea tea

- 1 tsp Echinacea leaves in 1 cup of boiling water. Leave for3-5mins before drinking.

Garlic

- Everyone knows that garlic is good for you but unless you are putting it into every meal you eat, it can be hard to get enough of it into you. My naturopath suggests swallowing garlic like a tablet. If you have around three cloves a day it shouldn’t give you garlic breath, but any more than that might.

Raspberry leaf tea

- Not only is raspberry leaf good for toning you uterus, it is also good for sore throats so a cup a day is a must! Here's a great blog entry I found on Raspberry leaf if you want to find out some more info. http://journeytocrunchville.wordpress.com/2008/07/28/red-raspberry-leaf-tea-what-every-pregnant-woman-needs/

- 1tsp raspberry leaf in 1 cup of boiling water. Let the tea steep for 3-5 mins before drinking.

Vitamin C

- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and great when you feel a cold coming on. You can take around 2g daily to ward off colds and combat free radicals. Vitamin C usually comes in 500g tablets, your body can only process 500g of vitamin C a time so you need to spread out taking tablets throughout the day otherwise you just end up weeing out all the vitamin C that you body can’t process.

Liquorice root tea

Liquorice root boosts immune system and reduces inflammation; it is anti-allergenic (great for hay fever) and soothes headaches. Along with many other amazing beneficial properties, this is one to include in your diet.

- 1tsp dried liquorice root in 1 cup of boiling water. Leave for 3-5 mins before drinking