Herbal Cold Remedy

Despite our efforts, the "crud" has hit our house! Thankfully it is not in the form of the flu, but lovely upper respiratory infections.  It began with the kiddos, now Momma has it. Time to bust out the herbs and make my favorite cold remedy. The herbs I use are in dried form and are my "go-to" for this type of occasion.

Here is my list of 
favorites:

Mullein, Horehound, Oregano, Rose hips, Slippery Elm, Chamomile

 (* Please note: I am not a master herbalist, but I have had some training in herbs.  Always educate yourself on the type of herbs and their properties before using.*)

What makes these great for a cold? Here is why I use them:

Mullein: This herb is a natural Expectorant. Gets the phelgm thin and able for the body to remove.

Horehound: Old time cure for upper respitory infections, bronconitis, also aids as expectorant.

Oregano: My favorite anti-viral herb. I use it dried, in oil form, and in cooking.

Slippery Elm: Helps soothe the itchy throat, gets things moving out, if you know what I mean.

Rose Hips: Big time Vitamin C, love this herb.

Chamomile: Aids in relaxation and sleep aid.

What I do with these herbs is mix them and either put them into a cheesecloth or use a teabag. I put all the herbs into a glass jar and add boiling water. Making a Infusion. I allow it to steep for about 20 minutes or so.

After I have my infusion done,  I use a strainer over my mug and pour the liquid through it. No matter what I do, I always have bits of herbs floating and no one wants to walk around with bits of herbs stuck in between their teeth.

My next step is to add honey and fresh lemon into the tea. For this batch I did add a bit of fresh Ginger root to settle my stomach from all the drainage. Sorry that is gross but true.

Besides making my herbal tea, I really bulk up on cooking and eating garlic, Cayenne pepper, Onion, and pushing vitamin C. All three of these things help with fighting viral infections and boost immunity.