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December 17, 2018

Herbal Cold Remedies (Simples)

Whilst it is true that a cure for the common cold does not exist, research during the past twenty years into medicinal plants has shown that herbal medicines offer the potential to help the immune system stave off these bugs, as well as to speed healing, once one of them has laid you low.

I’ve divided the herbs into two groups.

The first group consists of those herbs which have proven their worth as primary cold fighters.

The second group consists of herbs that are mostly, though not always, employed to alleviate the various symptoms associated with colds. Depending on your individual needs, some can be used as primary fighters as well.

In the next unit, I share proven herbal cold formulas you can make.

Tips:

1. If you want good results treating your cold with herbs it is imperative that you start treatment the moment you notice that you are feeling sick. Do not wait for your symptoms to develop. Select the remedies you want to use before you have a cold, acquire them and keep them handy. Keep remedies like Echinacea in your car, or purse as well.

2. Making herbal infusions can be a bit of a chore. Make one large batch in the morning and store the remainder of the day’s doses in a thermos flask(s). It saves a lot of time.

3. It is not advisable to use a herb(s) on a daily basis, over a prolonged period of time, without expert supervision. This is especially true for herbs such as echinacea. Always take a break in between. Say one week on, one week off, or apply the age-old herbalist’s rule – “Never on Sundays”.

1. Primary cold fighters

Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)
This is one of the best remedies to take before a cold strike as it has immense immune-building potential. Scientific studies have shown that it increases nearly every phase of immune system activity.

The recommended dose is 9 to 15 g of dried root taken daily, for about a month in the form of a decoction. Do not use Astragalus to fight a cold, use it as a preventative. Unfortunately, it has become quite difficult to obtain readily in South Africa, but the better health shops do stock it.

Sorry, but only logged-in students can see the whole pharmacopoeia of primary and secondary cold and flu fighters and symptom busters. Please login or enrol HERE!

Take Action

  1. Make a shortlist of the primary and secondary cold fighters that you’d like to add to your apothecary. Don’t overthink this. Just go with with a handful that resonates the most with you.

Go To NEXT UNIT

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Article by 21 Comments

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  1. Rhiannon Mitchell says

    October 22, 2022 at 11:59 pm

    Echinacea, lemon balm and elderberry

    Log in to Reply
  2. dheeonline says

    April 20, 2022 at 5:12 pm

    Primary herbs: Cayenne, Garlic, Ginger, Peppermint

    Secondary herbs: Lemon Blossom, Rosehip, Stinging Nettle

    Log in to Reply
  3. Colin Jardine says

    April 6, 2022 at 5:40 pm

    Primary: Astragalus, Echinacea, Elderberries, Ginger.
    Secondary: Coltsfoot, Goldenseal, Golden rod wort, Rosehip, Yarrow.

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  4. Marietjie Van der Walt says

    September 26, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    A) PRIMARY COLD FIGHTERS
    1) Echinacea (Echinacea sp) – its ability to boost the production of
    white blood cells
    2) Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) – provide relief for virtually all of your
    cold symptoms
    3) Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) – its proven track record as a cold
    buster
    4) Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – standard remedy for aiding the body
    in dealing with fevers
    5) Garlic (Allium sativum) – for its antibacterial properties
    B) SECONDARY COLD FIGHTERS
    1) Boldo Leaf (Peumus boldus) – one of the best liver tonics in the
    world,
    2) Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) – specifically indicated for bronchitis
    3) Lime Blossom (Tilia x vulgaris) – well known relaxing remedy for
    use in nervous tension.
    4) Rose Hips (Rosa canina) – one of the best natural sources of
    vitamin C

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  5. Megan Martin says

    September 19, 2021 at 2:20 am

    Echinacea, Elderberry, Ginger, Lemon Balm,

    Log in to Reply
  6. JR Malan says

    August 18, 2021 at 10:34 am

    Echinacea, Elderberry & Sting Nettle

    Log in to Reply
  7. Norma Steiner says

    May 10, 2021 at 4:26 am

    Echinacea, Elderberry, and Garlic

    Log in to Reply
  8. Dion Le Roux says

    February 7, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    Primary:

    Echinacea for its ability to boost the production of white blood cells
    Elderberry for its proven track record as a cold buster
    Ginger for the relief it provides
    Garlic for its antibacterial properties

    Secondary:

    Blood Leaf as something new that I am not familiar with
    Hyssop as a mucolitic (diaphoretic) – replacement for Acc200 commonly prescribed by allopathic doctors
    Lemon Balm

    Log in to Reply
  9. debbieadedeji says

    October 20, 2020 at 8:22 am

    I will like to add these Primary and Secondary herbs to my Apothecary

    Primary:
    Astragalus (Astragalus Membranaceus)
    Echinacea (Echinacea sp)
    Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra)
    Yarrow (Achillea Milefolium)

    Secondary:
    Boldo leaf (Peumus Boldus)
    Golden seal (Gydrastis Canadensis)
    Hyssop ( Hydsopus Officialis)
    Stinging Nettle (Urticaria Dioica )

    Log in to Reply
  10. patricia. [email protected] says

    October 4, 2020 at 1:16 am

    Echinacea, ginger, elderberry. Peppermint goldenseal, hyssop lemon balm

    Log in to Reply
  11. Tebogo Pooe says

    June 4, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    HOW i love home remedies. I can not wait to plat herbs as can get some from my garden

    Log in to Reply
  12. Cornelius Foord says

    May 26, 2020 at 7:27 pm

    amazing knowledge

    Log in to Reply
  13. Joy Hoskin says

    May 9, 2020 at 5:12 pm

    I like keeping these in my apothecary plans. So very helpful learning these

    Log in to Reply
  14. Riana Beneke says

    April 2, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    Extremely valuable information to use. I will further study these herbs individually again

    Log in to Reply
  15. Linda Janse van Rensburg says

    November 20, 2019 at 10:10 am

    Wow, loads of new information.
    Excited to try out some of these teas.

    Log in to Reply
  16. veleskatruter says

    July 13, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    I can already see which of the herbs I value more in certain scenarios and what I will use in others. Fascinating stuff. Love it

    Log in to Reply
    • Eimear Duffy says

      September 1, 2019 at 7:14 pm

      I didn’t know the extent of benefits for dried stinging nettle. Great information.

      Log in to Reply
  17. Philemon Ramaphakela says

    June 27, 2019 at 2:01 pm

    A load of valuable information. Can’t wait to see myself in practice.

    Log in to Reply
  18. nfventer says

    March 27, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    Wow lots of new and interesting information. Can not wait to try some of them for colds and flu.

    Log in to Reply
  19. Joanne Madgwick says

    March 22, 2019 at 5:39 pm

    Oh my this is a lot of new information. So good to know!

    Log in to Reply
  20. stbrigidfarm says

    March 11, 2019 at 3:51 am

    This is amazing knowledge! Glad I have all of these remedies written down and can’t wait to try them!

    Log in to Reply

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Course Progress

Basic Herbal Medicine Making
Module 3 Materia Medica: The Materials of Medicine-
Unit 1 The Importance of Botanical Names
Unit 2 Start Working On Your Own Materia Medica
Unit 3 Spend Your Time Wisely When Building Your Materia Medica
Unit 4 Quiz 3: Materia Medica
Unit 5 Rate Your Experience
Module 4 The Common Cold: The Green Healers Perspective-
Unit 1 Introduction  - Preview
Unit 2 The Green Healers Perspective  - Preview
Unit 3 Therapeutic Approaches
Unit 4 Herbal Cold Remedies (Simples)  - Preview
Unit 5 Herbal and Botanical Formulae  - Preview
Unit 6 A Proven Cold and Flu Therapeutic Protocol
Unit 7 Quiz 4: Cold Treatment Protocol
Module 5 Final Course Assignment - Certificate of Completion-
Unit 1 Your Seed Balance
Unit 2 Tips For Doing The Final Assignment
Unit 3 Final Assignment - Certificate of Completion
Unit 4 Let's Partner

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