Today I’m sharing what I currently use to keep my immune system healthy and naturally prevent colds and the flu. There are tons of natural ways to prevent sickness, but these are just a few that have been working for me.
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Elderberry
Flu viruses have little spikes that pierce through your healthy cells to start replicating. Elderberry has been found to break down those spikes so the virus cannot spread and get worse! It also contains flavonoids like anthocyanins (giving antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits). I take it in a tincture but I also have it in gummies.
Olive leaf
Olive leaf is an immune booster and antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial, thus used to fight against colds and flu. It contains oleuropein, which has a blood pressure-lowering effect. (I had high blood pressure for a few years and I started incorporating olive leaf and celery leaf into my supplement routine, and within one month my blood pressure had gone down to normal. And I did not exercise! I’m not saying it was solely the olive leaf or even the celery, but I was so pleasantly surprised to see my blood pressure had finally lowered. I’ll have to make a future blog post about my other favorites for lowering blood pressure.)
Astragalus
Astragalus has been used for hundreds of years in Chinese medicine. It has immune supporting properties and protects cells from free radical damage.
Oreganol
Oregano oil can help symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Not only that, but oil of oregano is recognized as an antimicrobial and potent antioxidant, fighting free radicals. Or, put some of the oil in a diffuser to help a stuffy nose and sinuses.
Diffusing Essential Oils
Diffusing essential oils can be used to relieve cold and flu symptoms or to disinfect germs. (FYI, in this post I’m only talking about diffusing them in an oil diffuser, not used topically or ingested)
Many essential oils are antibacterial, so I love to diffuse them in multiple rooms of my house during the flu and cold season to make it harder for germs to live in the air.
Some antibacterial oils include cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, geranium, lemongrass, and tea tree. I’ll usually add about 8-10 drops of essential oils in the diffuser.
You can make your own oil concoctions for whatever your needs are, but when I first started growing my aromatherapy collection, I picked up some that were already mixed.
My biggest tip for avoiding cold and flu is to keep your immune system healthy! How? Avoid sugar, eat a healthy diet, take a good multivitamin if you feel your diet isn’t up to par (I listed mine below).
Include some superfoods like garlic, turmeric, and ginger.
The major active cold-fighting component in garlic, allicin, is antibacterial and antifungal. Allicin is more bioavailable when eaten fresh since it is produced when the garlic is chopped up or crushed, so add it to a meal (love it in soups). Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and high in antioxidants. Ginger is awesome since it has so many health benefits in general. Its antimicrobial properties are powerful for fighting viruses.
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