Cold Fighting Remedies

If you have been following my blog or tweets you may have noticed a slight shift in my mood. Recently it seems as though a black cloud has been following me, and I have had a need to sleep... Lots and more and lots. This a.m I woke up and my throat was hurting: bad.

Uncertain of whether I had a voice left and knowing that I had work to do, I got up and set off. Happy in the knowledge that being ill is the reason for my recent depressive-self, woo hoo!! It's OK I’m not falling into a murky tunnel! This explains why my skin has been getting paler and my mood darker.

Armed with this knowledge I looked forward to finishing off my day and collecting my entire feel better essentials, here are some of my tried and tested tricks to helping me through a cold: sans médicaments!

First off when you have a cold you must keep hydrated. Drink lots of fluids, water of course is a fabulous friend and so are my delicious cold fighter brews:

Hot Orange and Honey:

What you need to make: Hot Orange and Honey

Fill half a cup with hot water, stir in a couple of teaspoons of honey till fully melted. Top up with orange juice, stir and drink: A fabulous warm drink filled with goodness.

Lemon and Ginger Tea:

What you need to make: Lemon and Ginger Tea

Chop up some ginger and halve a lemon. Squeeze the lemon into a cup and add ginger, now top this up with hot water, to finish; stir in a couple of teaspoons of honey.

I usually make these drinks at the same time. It is best to drink the Hot Orange and Honey as soon as you have made it, I drink this while waiting for the Lemon and Ginger Tea to cool down. If you have to face the office with a full blown cold, fill up a thermos with the Lemon and Ginger Tea and work while sipping your way towards better health.

A Thyme-ly Infusion

Thyme from my garden

This is the simplest of all my cold fighter recipes and has the most immediate impact too. Very easy to make, get a bunch of thyme, wash carefully and place in a pan, fill up the pan with cold water and bring to the boil. Once served add honey, or a squeeze of lemon or lime. I tend to drink mine as it comes, savouring the natural flavours.

Thyme is a great healer! Fighting several diseases that cause bacteria and viruses. It is also a great digestive aid, helps with menstrual aches and pains and is a fantastic cold remedy. Today, thyme is used to treat whooping cough and emphysema in Germany.

Olbas Oil

Awww I love this little fella!

Olbas Oil is your colds new best-friend , this decongestant will clear and soothe those painful sinuses and relieve nasal congestion. Apply a couple of drops to the following places:

Olbas in the bath

Olbas on your pillow

Olbas on your tissues

With your drops dropped, inhale and look forward to clearer breathing!

Inhalation:

Create your own inhalation at home all you need for a fabulous steam is:

A menthol experience

To do this you need to fill up a bowl with hot water, grab a towel and place over your head, lean over the bowl and add a crystal. Breathe in as deeply as you can and let the menthol goodness pass through your airways.

You should be able to buy these crystals from any pharmacist; I got mine from boots for £1.53. The crystals are seriously strong so don't use more than one at a time. This is quite an intense process, you may feel like removing your face but try and brave it, feels so good afterwards!

This is me working on ridding the cold... Très glamorous!