How to protect against and treat colds & flu naturally

Many of the symptoms of colds and flu are the same – sneezing, feverishness, aching limbs, sore throat, catarrh and sinusitis. Although flu is invariably initiated by a filtrant virus, just what brings on a cold still remains rather a mystery.

This week I’m sharing ideas with you to protect against and treat the symptoms of colds and flu – something so many of us suffer from at this time of year. If you’d like to know how to get started with essential oils, read my earlier blog.

When symptoms first appear
As you lose your sense of smell with colds or flu, it is important to shake them off as quickly as possible. My advice is to rest, stay away from work for a few days until you have recovered, and to take the following steps.

When the first symptoms appear, rub your chest, sinus areas (around the eyes and nose) and inside your nostrils with either of the following mixtures.

1 drop of eucalyptus
1 drop of ravintsara
1 drop of pine
1 egg cup of almond or any other cold-pressed vegetable oil
Mix altogether, and decant into a glass bottle.

How to treat a fever
If you have a fever, which is usually a good sign because it is the body’s way of fighting off the virus, your body will be using a good deal of energy. Eating foods which are difficult to digest saps the available energy and you would be wisest to eat very little for the first two days; thereafter eat fresh fruit which helps the cleansing process, and natural yoghurt sprinkled with wheat germ and sweetened with honey.

How to replace fluids
Your body will also lose water through sweating and will shed the minerals sodium and potassium, which need to be replaced. Make this tisane, which is rich in these nutrients.

1 stick of cinnamon
2 cloves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (3 pinches of dried)
1 litre (2 pints) water

Mix everything in a saucepan and boil for 2 minutes, then leave to infuse, covered with a clean cloth, for 5 minutes. Strain and drink throughout the day interspersed with fresh lemon juice mixed with mineral water and honey or fructose (fruit sugar). Keep the tisane in a jug in the fridge for no more than two days.

How to relieve congestion
For inhaling, which will help to relieve the congestion and dispel catarrh, add to a bowl of hot water (not boiling, just hand hot), 4 drops of the following mixture.

1 drop of eucalyptus
1 drop of niaouli
1 drop of pine
1 egg cup of almond or other oil

Inhale for at least 5-10 minutes with a towel over your head, to seal in the vapours, four or five times a day at regular intervals. Alternatively, take two or more warm/hot baths (morning and evening), adding 2 drops of eucalyptus and 2 drops of niaouli while it is running. Soak for 10 minutes, then dry yourself vigorously, wrap up in a warm dressing gown, go back to bed and drink some of the tisane. Whilst you are bathing keep the bathroom door closed to seal in the vapours and make sure that the room is pre-heated.

How to keep colds and flu at bay
Once the symptoms have cleared, keep using the essences for another ten days, adding them to your bath, rubbing them into your chest, drinking the tisane once a day, taking plenty of lemon and other freshly squeezed juices to build up your resistance; otherwise you will only fall ill again.

How to protect against colds and flu
For protection against colds and flu, especially if working in an office with other people who are suffering, mix up the following ingredients and decant.

1 drop of eucalyptus
1 drop of pine
1 drop of niaouli
1 drop of ravintsara
2 egg cups of almond or other oil

To fumigate your room sprinkle a few drops of this mixture on a ball of lightly dampened cotton wool and place this on the radiator, or mix a few drops of the essences pine, clove, eucalyptus and cinnamon minus the oil, in water and decant into an atomiser to spray your room.

You can also rub some of the essences in oil into your chest and around your nose for added protection.

NB: please read this important note before using essential oils