Case: Hanan called me on the phone to ask me what she could do about her family. They had been suffering from runny nose, fevers, sore throats and bronchitis for four weeks and could not seem to shake the symptoms. She complained that this was a yearly routine and that twice or three times a year this happened to her family. Sometimes for two weeks and sometimes for four weeks. She elaborated by saying that the doctor had confirmed that it was just the flu and had sent her home three times already.

I asked Hanan what exactly was bothering her. She said that she had trouble breathing, her daughter had a runny nose and that her youngest son had been feverish off and on for two days. The doctor had given her some cold medicine but her youngest son always threw up when she gave it to him. Furthermore, the medicine she was given made her very sleepy and she could not afford to miss any more work after three weeks of feeling ill.

Hanan’s situation was typical of many people. Frequently, people get colds or flus and since they do not know what home remedies they can use they go straight to the doctor before they even try to deal with the symptoms at home. I even know of many people who go straight to the clinic the minute a child complains of an earache or has a fever and do not even wait for the symptoms to become serious. Of course, there are valid reasons to visit the doctor, but the family caretaker (usually the mother) needs to know what these reasons are. Hanan's doctor had made it clear to her that he felt she could deal with this problem at home. The problem was, Hanan did not know how.

I first recommended to Hanan that she get a book called Smart Medicine for a Healtheir Child by Zand, Walton and Rountree as well as a book called Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch and Balch. These two books contain chapters describing various illnesses and how to deal with them at home. They also listed, under each condition, how to tell when it was time to go to the clinic.

I find that the reason most people visit the clinic unnecessarily is because they do not know when a situation is urgent and when it can be managed at home. These two books give specific guidelines for many conditions and outline when one should visit a doctor. Yet, even armed with these two books many people feel more confident visiting a doctor first.

However, in Hanan’s case, the doctor looked at her and her children and told her to go home and take care of it there. It is at this point in time when even an amateur herbalist can use home remedies with confidence. Furthermore, most home remedies for colds and flus are safe. Safe means that even in the worst possible case, if they don’t help you, they wont hurt you either.

I gave Hanan a list of my favorite home remedies and asked her to try them. I also asked her to try them in the future at the first indication or onset of a cold or flu in her family to try to avoid her first trip to the doctor. Hanan did use the remedy list I gave her and managed to finally get rid of the colds and flus in her house. A few months later she called to tell me that her and her daughter had started to get sick again but only experienced mild symptoms for a couple days because she had immediately taken some herbal teas. She was overjoyed. In the past, she commented, "I would have gone straight to the clinic even though it was only a runny nose. " She expressed only one regret. "This was so easy", she said, "I wish I would have known about all these remedies much earlier!"

Here is the list I gave Hanan:

There are so many ways and just as many herbs that can help lower a fever. However, my favorite ones are the ones that are readily available. First, one must remember to dress a feverish person in loose cotton clothing. If a person is wearing tights or jeans or clothes that are too warm, it can make the situation worse. The following herbs assist in lowering a fever. However, you must also establish a guideline for what constitutes a high fever. In some people a fever over 100 degrees requires a trip to the clinic and other people can reach higher temperatures before it is serious.

To lower a fever you can add ten cups of sage tea to a bathtub full of water and/or drink a fourth cup of the tea every fifteen minutes for two hours. Sage can also be used to induce sleep, to help an upset stomach and ease a sore throat. Singers often gargle with sage tea to help them heal quicker so they can sing as soon as possible. Thyme tea with honey can also be used the same ways as sage, but is not as effective on a sore throat. Children usually prefer the taste of thyme to sage. Plain barley water can also be used to lower a fever. To make barley water put one cup of crushed barley in six cups of water and boil it down to three cups. A slice of lemon squeezed into the water makes an even more effective tonic.

The most effective way to clear a sinus problem is to rinse the nasal passages with a saline solution, a standard method of prevention in most dusty or polluted cities worldwide. To do this, dissolve one teaspoon of sea salt in one cup of water and inhale it through your nose, using a medicine dropper, your hands or a Netti Pot. Spit the solution out of your mouth. Homemade ginger ale is also a useful tonic for the sinuses and is a popular home remedy for both colds and flus.

To make homemade ginger ale take two cups fresh ginger root, sliced but not peeled. Put in four cups of water. Simmer on low for half an hour and strain. Add one half cup of maple syrup or honey. Cool and store in the refrigerator for six months. Add to hot water to make tea or fizzy water to make ginger ale. 

To ease a cough you can cut a big hole in an onion, fill it with honey, roast it in the over and then drink the honey out of the onion. Children often enjoy the "lemonade cure": Squeeze one tablespoon of lemon into a glass, add one tablespoon of honey and enough water to taste. Sip this often over the course of an hour to stop a cough.

If you are more adventurous or have a very urgent need to rid yourself of a cough as soon as possible you can try the "garlic cure". Grate half an ounce of ginger into a cup of boiling water and let it sit. While it is sitting shell three walnuts. Drink the tea and walnuts together (swallow the grated ginger without chewing). You can also rub garlic on the bottoms of the feet while pressing on the tops of the feet and the upper pad of the feet. 

Thyme tea is the best home remedy for any breathing problems. Essential oil of thyme is also useful rubbed on the chest in the proportion of ten drops per tablespoon of massage oil. Grated apples can also be eaten to help with breathing. Garlic syrup is also a standard home remedy for asthma and flus. To make garlic syrup take one-half pound of peeled garlic buds. Add equal amounts apple cider vinegar and distilled water to cover the buds. Later, add one half pint of glycerin and one and a half pounds of honey. Put the vinegar and garlic in a wide mouth jar and shake well. Let stand in a cool place for four or five days, shaking each day. Add the glycerin, shake the jar and let stand for one more day. Strain and blend in the honey. This mixture will keep for up to six months in the refrigerator. However, if you are in a hurry you can simply crush some garlic in honey, heat it and eat it quickly. This actually tastes quite pleasant and children usually enjoy it as well. Milk and white bread products should be avoided while a person is experiencing lung congestion or a runny nose. 

General tonics cover many symptoms together and are useful when one is not sure what is happening or when the symptoms are changing frequently. Fenugreek tea is my favorite general tonic. It provides nutrition for people who are not eating during their illness. It also covers many general cold symptoms. Fenugreek tea can help ease a stuffy or runny nose, cool fevers, calm stomachaches, soothe sore throats and even help coughs. Peppermint tea is also a good general tonic. Peppermint can lower a fever, calm a stomachache and clear a runny nose. Ginger ale and garlic syrup also have multiple uses as well as being powerful antibiotics.

To use home remedies I one must use them frequently, regularly and as needed. Two or three remedies can be tried at once. 

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