Common Cruds

Read the original list of Natural Solutions for Colds & Flu here.

Colds can be your body’s way of naturally cleansing itself.  Much of what we think is the flu is not–the flu is only a respiratory disease.  Any gastrointestinal symptoms are something else.

Herbs

  • Elderberry
  • Echinacea
  • Astragalus

Essential Oils

  • Peppermint
  • Eucalyptus
  • Clove
  • Cinnamon
  • Thyme
  • Oregano

Amino Acids (take with a B-complex and magnesium supplements)

  • N-Acetyl Cysteine
  • Lysine

Homeopathic Remedies

  • Aconite – Sudden onset.  Hoarseness.  Dry cough.  Prickly/numb and burning pains.  Copious nasal discharge that is watery.  Much sneezing.  There is a great sense of fear and anxiety with worries over every ailment.  The person is often very restless and startles easily.  Heightened sense of smell with pain at the root of the nose.  There is great thirst.  Better in open air.  Worse in a warm room, in the night and evening, from music, from tobacco smoke, and from dry and cold winds.
  • Belladonna – This remedy often has a sudden onset.  Guiding symptoms for belladonna include glassy, unfocused eyes, red cheeks, a strawberry look to the tongue, hallucinations, and often a high fever.  All of the senses are acutely heightened.  Toddlers may be biters.  Symptoms are worse from touch, from jarring, from noise, from drafts, after noon, and when lying down.  Symptoms are better by being semi-erect.
  • Bryonia – Gradual onset. When the cold has moved into the chest and has produced a painful, dry, spasmodic cough that is worse with any movement including deep breaths. The person is grouchy, like a grumpy bear. The nose may bleed. Nasal congestion sends shooting and aching pains into the forehead. Nose feels as if it would ulcerate if touched. The throat is dry and scraped feeling. The mucus is stuck in the larynx and trachea and takes great effort to loosen up. Cough causes person to sit up, especially at night. There are stitching pains in the chest. Pulse may be hard and racing during fever. Perspiration is easy and profuse. Worse from warmth, from any motion, in the morning, from eating, from hot weather, from any exertion, and from touch. Getting up can cause faintness and feeling sick. Better from pressure, rest, staying very still, and from cold.
  • Gelsemium – Gradual onset.  Key words to describe symptoms of Gelsemium are dull, dopey, droopy, dumb.  There is a desire to be quiet and alone.  The person is apathetic and listless.  Symptoms are worse in damp weather, in fog, before a thunderstorm, from emotion/excitement and bad news, from tobacco smoke, when thinking of ailments, and at 10am.  Symptoms are better when bending forward, by profuse urination, in open air, from stimulants, and from continued motion.

Unsure how to use homeopathic remedies? Check out our helpful article for tips!

Flower Essences

  • Rescue Remedy / Five-Flower Formula – panic, disorientation, loss of consciousness, in any time of stress or trauma
  • Chicory – helpful for emotional congestion

 

Note: Everything here is for information only. This is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Seek a qualified medical professional.