Home Herbalism: Seven Useful Herbs for Colds, Flus and Frightful Coughs
In this edition of Home Herbalism, Joseph takes you through the seven essential herbs for treating colds, flus and coughs - herbs you probably already have in the house - plus some recipes for teas to try next time you’re feeling under the weather.
It has begun suddenly to rain torrentially. The bright days of endless sunshine have given way, without warning, to clouds, fog, and tropic-style downpours. I’ve been hearing a lot of coughs, and I can only imagine that in other parts of the northern hemisphere, things are pretty similar. So let’s talk herbs.
As it is hopefully becoming clear, most herbal medicines are neither arcane, exotic, nor poisonous plants; they are everyday cooking herbs and spices, garden weeds, and familiar wild plants. For our current topic of respiratory ailments, you probably already have some of the most useful in your cupboard. To deal with these ailments and their very unpleasant symptoms promptly, I have chosen fifteen or so herbs that are readily available and easy to use. Seven are familiar foodstuffs and the rest you should be able to find in a health food shop - or even the herb section of large ethnic food stores - without too much trouble. Just now, we will focus on the first group, the foodstuffs. The latter group will be discussed in a later article.
Home Herbalism: How To
First things first: choosing your remedies. Medicine's central challenge is choosing the right remedy at the right time; it is healing’s great art. Countless books have been written on the subject and whole medical systems exist to address this one concern. However, for our purposes we need only look at a few simple points before deciding how to proceed. First, what are the symptoms and second, what makes them better or worse? Know what it is you wish to treat, and what you do and do not want to do with it. When people have the flu, you don’t feed them solely on salad and you don’t send them out to shovel the walk. We’re talking simple, basic, common sense stuff, nothing technical or esoteric.
As everyone knows, the usual symptoms of respiratory illnesses include: excessive mucus production, causing a stuffed or runny nose and sneezing; sore throat; runny eyes; an irritable or phlegmy cough; pressure in the head and headache; a “spacey” feeling; body aches; mildly upset digestion; chills; mild fever (though with flu it can be high); and general malaise. For most people, the misery passes in a week, a cold may hang on for two, and then it’s a bad memory. For vulnerable people - the frail, smokers, ex-smokers, and those who already suffer from lung or respiratory problems - it can last a great deal longer, be much more severe, and easily slide into bronchitis and pneumonia. Do not, however, despair. Treatment is quite simple, and knowing what you wish to treat and the dos and don’ts of the symptoms will tell you everything you need to know. To illustrate: running noses and eyes will require remedies that dry and decongest. Coughs will require expectorants to encourage productive coughing or soothing if they are dry and irritable. Chills will require warmers. Sore throats will require soothing. All will require anti-infectives. Match the strength of the remedy to the strength of the illness and the patient, and know when to phone the doctor. You already know these things, so did your mother and your grandmother, and your line of fathers too, although they are perhaps less inclined to listen.
Handily, most herbs have several of these actions already, and a few tricks like Grandmother Grant’s Honey & Lemon will have you confidently dealing with almost anything winter can throw your way. One final note before getting to the fun bit. There is an old fashioned way to deal with this kind of illness, commonly called “sweating it out,” or, in technical terms, “diaphoresis.” It is very effective if done early. Several herbs listed have “promotes sweating” as an action, and these are the remedies you use at the onset of illness before it gets a proper hold. More on this below.
Seven Herbal Medicines You Probably Already Have and How to Use Them for Colds, Flus and Frightful Coughs
The information below pertains exclusively to respiratory usages, though all of these herbs have other applications. Start your remedies as soon as you feel it coming on and continue treatment until it has completely resolved and you are good as new. Expect to treat a simple average cold, with evolving medicines, for 7-10 days; a bad cold for 14-21 days, the flu for 10-21 days, and bronchitis or pneumonia for one month to 6 weeks. This includes the few days after the illness has gone but you still don’t feel quite back to normal. Also, once you get good at spotting sickness taking hold and at nipping it in the bud, the time may be a good deal less.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Easy to find, and wonderfully effective. This is a straight anti-infective agent with a place in all tea mixes; expectorant. Use for colds, flu, and sore throats, in teas, baths, and steams.
Best used: as tea and in food.
Combine with: mint, ginger, and sage; use with elecampane and white horehound (Preview! More on these herbs to come.). Gentle but powerful; one of a pro’s go-tos.
Parts used: leaves, fresh and dried.
Dosage: up to three teaspoons daily; use no less than one fifth part in a tea blend.
Use through all stages of illness from onset through recuperation to shift stuck phlegm and prevent subsequent infection.
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Also easy to find. Sage is both anti-infective and anti-inflammatory, with a helpful drying action. Use for sore throats, sore mouths, and wet streaming conditions. Sage is notably helpful as a gargle for sore throats, with some honey and lemon or a little salt (brew strong and do not swallow when using as a gargle). Use a light hand when measuring sage for use on its own, as the flavour is quite strong.
Best used: as a tea, and in food.
Combine with: thyme.
Parts used: leaves, fresh and dried.
Dosage: up to to three teaspoons daily, no less than one fifth part in a tea mix. Use from onset of illness through clearance of infection as a soother and anti-infective.
Note: Sage should be avoided in therapeutic doses by pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Mint (Mentha piperita, M. spicata, M. aquatica, etc.)
Ubiquitous. Somewhat anti-infective; has a decongesting effect on the nasal passages and on the bronchial tree if inhaled; eases pressure in the sinuses; soothes stomachs upset by mucus; simultaneously calms and clears the mind and helps shift fogginess; gently promotes sweating; familiar and pleasant tasting. A good quality (as in very minty) commercial mint teabag can be used, if necessary. Mint may exacerbate chills; this can be countered by using it with ginger. Peppermint is quite strong, and a small amount - just a pinch - is often enough, while spearmint is less punchy.
Best used: in teas, baths, and steams. Use in all mixes for its effects and for flavour according to taste.
Parts used: leaves, fresh and dried.
Dosage: ad libitum. Drink freely.
Use through all stages of illness. Some people find mint stimulating, and for these people it is best avoided at night.
Chilli/Hot Pepper (Capsicum minimum, Capsicum species)
Ubiquitous. Relieves chills; promotes sweating; expectorant; relieves body aches; vitality booster. Notably high in vitamin C. Chilli is especially helpful as a preventative, or in the earliest stages of infection, to try and knock it on the head before it takes hold. It is also very useful to boost vitality (Briefly: chillies increase blood circulation and flow to the central vital organs, oxygenating the tissues and improving the body’s overall performance. This equates to better energy levels, increased immunity, and an overall sense of increased vitality. Just what you want when battling illness.). Even a tiny amount is beneficial.
Best used: in food.
Combine with: ginger, garlic, and horseradish.
Parts used: fruit, fresh and dried, cooked and raw.
Dosage: in food, as tolerated. Use through all stages of illness.
Note: Avoid in people prone to heartburn, those with GORD/GERD, those with ulcers or sensitive stomachs.
Ginger (Zingiber officinalis)
Ubiquitous; fresh is better than dried. Warms a cold body, relieves chills; promotes sweating; anti-infective; warms a cold sloshing stomach upset by mucus, relieves resultant diarrhoea; mild pain reliever for body aches and headaches; decongestant; mild expectorant; vitality booster in a similar way to chilli. It is especially helpful in the early stages of infection, and can be used throughout the course of illness. Ginger can sometimes irritate a delicate stomach; discontinue if this occurs.
Best used: in tea - slice the root into one or two coins for a cup of tea, or add to the traditional Hot Toddy, and use in food. Useful in most mixes.
Combine with: thyme, mint, and sage in tea; eat with garlic, horseradish and chilli.
Parts used: rhizome, fresh and dried, raw and cooked.
Dosage: Up to six cups of ginger tea daily; in food as tolerated. Exceeding these limits may cause heartburn in some individuals.
Note: If you cannot get fresh root you can use dried, but it is much sharper and has fewer of the soothing properties of the fresh root. Use 1⁄4 teaspoon ginger powder per cup of tea, and adjust to taste if it is too strong or too weak. Use through all stages of illness.
Garlic (Allium sativum)
Ubiquitous. Garlic is a very powerful anti-infective, and an equally strong expectorant. It can be used at all stages of infection and recuperation. The anti-infective compounds are volatile, are only released when the cell walls are broken - which means crushing or chewing, and are destroyed by heat. The expectorant compounds are less heat sensitive, and so at the end of illness, when the effects are lingering but the infection is cleared, cooked garlic may be used. It is one of the big guns. Raw garlic can irritate the stomach, and should be consumed with other foods.
Best used: in food. Eat with chilli, ginger, and thyme.
Combine with: thyme, elecampane, thuja, and white horehound for a full complement of heavy artillery (Preview!).
Parts used: bulb, raw.
Dosage: in acute illness, two to four raw cloves daily. Use from onset through clearance of infection. Use afterwards to remove lingering phlegm.
Horseradish (Amoracia rusticana)
Available fresh in stores catering to European, Jewish and Asian customers. Expectorant; anti-infective; decongestant for nasal passages; eases sinus pressure and pain; clears a foggy head; relieves chills; promotes sweating; warms a cold upset mucous stomach. Use grated raw root. Like garlic, raw horseradish is irritating and consuming it with other foods is recommended; also use as a plaster. A tea can be brewed as well, for the eccentric palate.
Best used: in food.
Combine with: chilli, garlic, and ginger.
Parts used: root, raw.
Dosage: In food as tolerated. Like chilli, horseradish sets its own limits. Prepared horseradish can be used instead, though it is not as effective, and should be used as an auxiliary treatment with other herbs. Use at onset of illness, and when a bad cough develops use through clearance of infection until cough has significantly improved. Use afterwards if needed to shift stuck phlegm.
Methods of Administration
How to Use the Herbs to Treat Colds, Flus and Coughs
For the leafy herbs, using them in tea - usually a blend - is the obvious and most convenient choice, especially as they are most often available dried.
Baths and Steams
Double strength infusions can also be added to baths in one quart/litre quantities, and for stuffy drippy coughing cases, a towel over the patient’s head can make a convenient tent for steaming. For steam inhalations, place a bowl of hot infusion on a table, have the patient lean over it, and drape a towel about the head. Do be careful not to use boiling water for this or the patient may be scalded by the steam. Additionally, boiling or simmering these herbs on a wood stove or hot radiator moistens dry indoor air and circulates the herbs’ anti-infective oils, which helps in both relieving the symptoms and preventing the lurgy’s spread.
Food
For the pungent things, eating is best. Recipes will follow! Horseradish and ginger, with a pinch of chilli if you like, can also be used to make plasters for bad coughs. These old fashioned remedies are very effective, and though they require a some work and attention, with bronchitis or pneumonia, especially in a vulnerable person, it is worth the effort. Plasters are used for warming the chest and back when a nasty cough has settled in, stimulating circulation to the lungs and the expulsion of phlegm.
Plaster
To make a plaster, first make a thick paste of either grated ginger root, dry ginger powder and water, or grated horseradish and flour. Using a jar of prepared horseradish with the juice drained away will work in a pinch, but it doesn’t have much heat. Then, take a large piece of cloth, big enough to cover the upper back or chest when folded, and spread half the cloth thinly with the paste, leaving a good margin to ensure it does not leak. Fold the fabric over, and then place it on the bare skin nearest the lungs, either upper back or chest. There should be just a single layer of fabric between paste and skin, but do not use the paste straight on bare skin. It hurts, and raw horseradish, if allowed to stay on the skin for extended periods, can cause blistering. Once applied, top the cloth with a blanket, warm heating pad, hot water bottle, or plastic wrap/cling film. A warming feeling should quickly set in. Leave the plaster on the skin for about 20 minutes, or 10 for a child. When the plaster is removed, the skin will be quite red, but don’t worry, this is normal and expected. Rinse the area and then keep the patient warm. If the plaster becomes uncomfortable or there is a burning feeling, check the skin and remove the plaster if necessary. Do not use plasters on children under six or people incapable of giving feedback about the treatment. Do not apply plasters to skin that is very sensitive, prone to eczema or psoriasis, broken, elderly and delicate, or otherwise damaged or compromised. Plasters can be applied once daily for up to the three consecutive days.
Poultice
For the same purposes as a plaster, fresh raw horseradish can be mixed into oat porridge for good hot - but not burning! - poultices. The oats hold the heat for a long time and the steam helps absorption and relieves pain. Horseradish is potent stuff, so you won’t need to use much. Go by taste. If it tastes quite punchy, too punchy to pleasantly eat (aside from the odd flavour), it’ll do the job. While your porridge is cooking, grate the horseradish, and when the porridge is thick, stir them together. When it is ready, take a piece of sturdy cloth large enough to cover the area well when folded, and spread the mixture to about an inch/2cm thick, and then fold the cloth over so it will not leak. When cooled to a sufficiently bearable temperature, place the poultice on the bare chest or upper back, and top with blankets or a towel. Remove after about 20 minutes, when the poultice becomes cold or if it becomes uncomfortable, whichever comes first. Rinse, and keep the patient warm. Should the patient complain of discomfort or burning, check the skin, remove the poultice if necessary, and rinse. As with the plaster, this poultice can be applied once daily for up to three days. For a patient having significant pain in the chest or back, either from coughing or other causes, consider the poultice over the plaster.
Brewing Effective Herbal Teas
To make a cup of herbal tea, use a teaspoon (either an American teaspoon measure or an actual teaspoon) to a cup of hot water, in the same way as you would make a cup of loose black or green tea. Herb teas are best brewed in a decent quantity - cafetieres/french press coffee makers are ideal provided they have not been much used for coffee - for this type of illness, as you will be drinking 4-6 cups per day for a week or more. And sick people do not want to be brewing cups of tea every five minutes. So, for adults use 1 tsp. of dried plants to a cup of boiled water brewed for 5-10 minutes, 4-6 times daily. For children under twelve, use Young’s rule for dosage: add 12 to the child’s age and then divide the child’s age by that number; the decimal is the part of the adult dose to use. For a child of six, 6+12=18, 6/18=.3, use 1/3 of the adult dose.
When using fresh herbs for tea, increase the plant material by two times, or about a smallish sprig of mint or sage or thyme. Let personal taste be your guide here, you can’t go far wrong. For scaling up, observe the teapot rule: one spoonful for each person you expect the pot to serve and one for the pot. For a standard one litre cafetiere, three spoons of herb is a good amount. If you find the tea is too strong or too weak for your taste, vary the amounts and brewing times accordingly. As my clinical medicine teacher was fond of saying back in herb school, it’s herbal medicine not chemistry.
The anti-infective principles of the herbs are mostly in the volatile oils, the pungent fragrant chemicals, and they are easily lost by heating, hence “volatile.” Make sure to cover your tea whilst it is brewing, and tip the lid so that the condensation runs back into the pot, to get the most out of your medicine. Sprinkling chopped raw herbs over your food is a good way to boost intake when required.
If you are making up a pot of tea or even just a cup, it is fine to use a bit of this and a pinch of that rather than meticulously measuring, Herb teas can be drunk with a little honey and/or lemon added, according to taste. Any of these herbs can be used on its own - a “simple,” but by combining them with others you can attack an illness from multiple sides and your remedy will be more effective. Herbal medicine is not equal to the sum of its parts, and so more is not necessarily better. Choose according to the symptoms you are treating, the severity of the illness, and the patient.
Some Tea Recipes to Get You Started
There are three tea ideas listed below. The recommendations are intended to further inform rather than as hard and fast rules. Take them as ideas and improvise at will. The best remedies are those you have and with which you are most familiar.
Thyme, sage and mint tea
Use equal parts of each. A good all purpose mix, this will work nicely for a sudden runny cold with post nasal drip. Add a coin or three of ginger for a more warming comforting drink.
Sage and thyme tea
Use equal parts, with honey to taste. Also a good all-purpose cold mix, this one will work nicely for a cold when the first sign is a phlegmy sore throat. You can add some ginger to warm it up if that seems appropriate.
Sage and honey, with optional lemon taste
A venerable classic, this cold remedy will work especially nicely for a sore throat or laryngitis, or even the sore tongues that some people get with colds.
Knowing When to Seek Help
When treating yourself or loved ones without professional medical advice, common sense is the single most important thing to use. Treatments for pregnant women should not be used without due supervision. Likewise, babies, the extremely ill, invalids, and those with dementia who are unreliable reporters and observers of their own conditions, should be treated under a professional’s care. In addition to phoning the doctor when you feel out of your depth, the illness is progressing to quickly or is not responding to treatment, there are several things not to ignore. Phone the doctor if lung pain develops, if the patient becomes short of breath or has chest pain on breathing. Common sense and caution are vital here.
A few bottles of elderberry syrup and these seven herbs - thyme, sage, mint, chilli, ginger, garlic, and horseradish - are the basics of a well-stocked herbal medicine chest. The next article will be along soon, so check back often for more on Home Herbalism: Colds, Flus & Frightful Coughs.