To ask for your old wives tale cold and flu “cures”

[Fcukthisshit]

Just that really. I’ve been ill with a cold / flu type virus for a month now and still feeling horrendous. What do you swear by for a cold? I’ve tried all the usual stuff - keeping hydrated, paracetamol, olbas oil, Sudafed, strepsils, honey and lemon drink etc etc. Having missed the majority of Christmas, at the very least I’d like to be feeling a bit better before I go back to work on Monday.

Hot bath with a cup of hot water and lemon and honey before bed.
Night nurse tablets just before bed will let you get a couple of hours of unbroken sleep.
In the morning have a smoothie with as much fruit and veg in as possible.
Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.
Chicken soup for lunch
And a really hot curry for tea, the hotter the better.

Garlic, garlic and more garlic.
Sleep with onions in your socks (weird but works).

I make fresh ginger tea. Grate about half an inch of fresh ginger , add a spoonful of honey and hot water.

Nutrition - the lemon helps with vit c BUT you need to not be having caffeine and nicotine at the same time as these block absorption

You also need iron (essential for recovery from any ailment to be honest), protein and as wide a range of vitamins and minerals as you can manage to get in.

Eggs are a good source of nutrition especially iron and protein and whenever we were sick as kids one of the things mum would make us to eat was Chucky eggs - boiled eggs mashed in a cup with butter and a little salt maybe some black pepper if you like served with toast (I like marmite on toast with it and marmite is packed with b vitamins which boost energy and help with red blood cell production it also contains iron)

Soup - chicken soup is now known to contain elements which fight many common cold and flu symptoms, I’m veggie though so have veggie soup (the more the merrier for this so use up whatever’s available) but it’s still a good way to get a lot of nutrition into you in a way that feels fairly light and easy to eat and comforting.

Remember iron needs vit c to boost absorption.

Garlic - now known to have antibiotic and antiviral properties. Easy to add to comforting soups and stews, I’m a bit odd and discovered when living overseas the delight of pickled garlic which I can happily eat straight out of the jar but I realise that won’t be for everyone.

Ginger - naturally anti-inflammatory, decongestant and anti-nausea

Hot toddy helps combine some things I make up using honey (anti-viral and antibiotic and anti-inflammatory), Lemon (I’m lazy and use plj always got some in as I like a splash in cold drinks too), ginger (again I’m lazy I get that very lazy ginger in, quick rinse before using in this), a splash of rum and if I have any in a stick of cinnamon.

Put the honey, lemon & ginger in cup first, pour over hot but not boiling water, let steep for a few mins, add splash of rum and cinnamon stick maybe a dash of cold water if still too hot to drink and sip slowly.

I also struggle with sinus issues though (I have an enlarged and deviated septum among other reasons) so I also cut back on dairy if I get a bug.

I also use olbas oil or essential oils like eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint, Bergamot... depends on exact symptoms. But remember some oils aren’t to be used by/around pregnant women, young babies or pets. Check before using.

Gotta say I eat a lot of garlic and ginger anyway and I’m rarely ill with this type of bug and if I am it doesn’t last long.

But I’m also (ny resolution) taking multivitamin supplement and a vit d supplement (for different reasons but hoping it’ll guard against this too)

I think prevention tends to work better than cure to be honest.

Hope you’re feeling much better soon.

@Graphista thanks for your reply! Lots of food for thought there! I don’t smoke or drink and caffeine is minimal (a can of Coke to have some tablets with earlier today, but I don’t drink tea or coffee). I’ll give the ginger a go and I’ll pick up some iron supplements tomorrow.

@ClientListQueen when I saw the GP a few days ago, he said that in 12 years of being a GP he had never known the virus to be as severe as this year and for so many people to have them. I think we need a cold snap to kill everything off. I hope you’re feeling better soon too.

@Rose789 I made a nice spicy curry for tea tonight

Thanks it's been grim, I just feel wiped out mostly now and the snot.. never ending

Genuinely hope it's of some help - remember caffeine isn't just in drinks, any chocolate or chocolate or coffee flavoured things also contains caffeine. And it's in drinks that people don't realise it is too - I was surprised to learn years ago it's in Irn bru.

I've been caffeine free for a year except I had a few treats over Christmas and I generally feel better for it.

If you're going the supplement route for iron I'd recommend Spatone as better for absorption and less likely to cause constipation.

But really food is the best source for iron as I'm sure you know, as well as red meat if you're omni there's also beans, dark green leafy veg (add to soups & stews if not keen on taste I snuck loads into dd as a kid by using in blended soups she never knew), lentils, nuts, dried fruit...

My appetite is really poor at the moment and I'm not cooking either (mh issues) but I'm trying to counteract those with buying in easy to prep/eat things like ready prepped fruit and veg or ones that require no fuss (grapes, cherry tomatoes, carrot batons, button mushrooms) and I also get the wee snack bags of raisins and dried Apricots and try and have at least one a day. Tinned stuff too that can be eaten cold, tinned fruit, tinned sweetcorn etc

And when physically low you don't feel much like cooking/prepping either

Pondering this currently as have a bit of a cold.
Do you think it would work to swallow a whole garlic clove - without chewing?
In the past I’ve found a mega dose of vitamin C works wonders (like 3000 mgs, far more than you’d think) though it can give you the shits.

I like the brandy idea best I must say

In a shot glass pour 3/4 fill of apple cider vinegar, add honey and ten drops of tobasco sauce. Down it! Rather nasty especially the first couple of times but works a treat to clear the chest. I also noticed the first time the bonus side effect of soft smooth skin on my wintery legs!

Hot lemonade and honey

Have you actually rested? Proper rest in bed, only up for showers, toilet and possibly to lie on sofa?

Moringa is a plant that reputedly boosts the immune system and it's flowers smell lovely - a staple scent of the Body Shop.

My granny used to swear by neat whisky. She said if you drink enough of it you didn't care whether it cured you or not. She was right.

Taxfree - it does seem to be a properly grim virus. I've been at home for 9 days now, and I'm still full of snot, blocked ears, chesty cough and I've done nothing but sleep
Back to work tomorrow and TBH I don't feel much better at all

My granny used to swear by neat whisky. She said if you drink enough of it you didn't care whether it cured you or not. She was right.
Ah. The sanitising from the inside with a smile on a face😁 I like your granny

Whiskey, brown sugar, honey, hot water. If it doesn't cure it you'll forget the problem anyway. At least that's how my grandmother's recipe worked.