Best Teas For Colds. All You Need to Know When Being Ill
Nobody likes being ill but nobody also likes taking pills as they are far from being tasty. Fortunately, there is much more pleasant, healthy and, what is essential, tasty way of treating yourself when being sick. And it’s a tea for colds.
There is plenty of different recipes of natural teas that one can use for healing. However, people often wonder what good teas for colds are and how to make them correctly.
Here comes all you ever wanted to ask about natural teas for cold and flu.
Flowers, leaves, stems, and roots of herbs are effective remedies given to us by nature. And it would be a great mistake not to take advantage of these gifts. Medicinal herbs are a great alternative to chemical medicines. Their benefits include low toxicity, soft action, natural adaptability and, of course, affordable price.
During growth, blossom, and maturation, plants accumulate a variety of biologically active substances derived from soil, water, air, and solar energy. These unique compounds have a beneficial effect on the human body. They heal and support the internal organs and help us to avoid many pathologies.
The healing potential of herbs is magnificent. Out of five thousand substances used in medicine, two thousand are of plant origin.
However, the biggest advantage of plants is that they can be used alone, at home, in the form of all the usual infusions, teas and decoctions. And the benefit of such treatment is no less than that of synthetic drugs. What kind of tea is good for a cold? Keep reading to learn it.
Herb Tea for Colds and Cough
Thyme and oregano are good for bronchitis. You can use them in the form of hot teas. Thymol essential oil contained in thyme has an expectorant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effect.
Butterbur encircles the mucous membranes of the throat, nose, larynx, and thus protects them from irritation, so it is effective for dry cough. Besides, it dilutes the mucus in the bronchi and facilitates its exit from the respiratory tract.
Licorice root contains substances that stimulate sputum excretion and enhance mucus secretion.
If the cough is prolonged and the treatment with herbs does not help, be sure to see your doctor. You may need synthetic medicines or antibiotics.
Herb Teas for Colds and Flu
During colds, it is vital to help the body get rid of toxins and products of virus activity as quickly as possible. You should drink up to 2 liters of warm fluid to provoke increased sweating. By the way, the sweating signals that anti-inflammatory drugs have started to act.
Raspberry and lime blossom contain a lot of anti-inflammatory components. You may also use the willow bark, which is considered to be the mother of aspirin.
Delicious teas can be made from raspberry leaves.
Lime flowers should be steamed in a thermos: take 2 tbsp. of flowers for a glass of boiling water and infuse for one hour.
The roots and bark of the willow need to be cooked. Take 1 tsp of willow for a glass of water. Boil all ingredients over low heat for 20-30 minutes.
You need to drink these teas often but carefully: a couple of sips every hour. Honey is a good addition to such teas, provided you are not allergic to it.
Best Tea to Drink when You Have a Cold
Homemade herbal teas are an old proven way to cope with the first symptoms of a cold. You can easily prepare one of the following teas when sick:
Echinacea tea. You will need one spoon of Echinacea grass and half a liter of boiling water. Put the mixture in a thermos and leave overnight. Strain and drink half a cup three times a day half an hour before meals.
Ginger tea with lemon. It warms up and relieves colds. Take one cup of hot water, add one spoon of honey, one spoon of lemon juice, half a spoon of crushed ginger root and a pinch of cinnamon.
Chamomile tea. For the preparation of this healing tea take chamomile, calendula, lime blossom, mint, leaves and dried fruits of raspberry, celandine, and St. John’s wort. The mixture of herbs is brewed in the proportion of 2 tbsp. per 1 liter of water. Leave it to infuse before drinking. You can add lemon, honey, sugar to taste.
Lime tea. A tablespoon of lime blossom should be poured with a glass of boiling water and add a tablespoon of honey. Drink half a cup of this tea three times a day. This folk remedy is effective at high temperature, it provokes sweating and lowers the temperature.
Honey tea. You will need the root of the marshmallow herb and dried leaves of the butterbur. Mix the herbs in equal parts. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and brew it with a glass of steep boiling water. Drink the tea in a warm state, adding a tablespoon of honey. It is recommended to drink tea three times a day after meals.
Tea with a carnation. It will require 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 liter of water, 25 g of black tea,
55 g of sugar, 70 ml of orange juice, juice of half a lemon, ginger. Mix a small piece of ginger with cinnamon and cloves, fill with water and boil. Pour in tea with spices and leave for five minutes. Add sugar, mix, add orange and lemon juice.
Tea with spices and milk. You will need 2 buds of carnation, a piece of ginger root, 3 teaspoons of black bay tea, 0.5 liters of water, 0.5 liters of milk. Put cloves and ginger in water and boil. Then add tea to boiling water with spices and infuse for 5 minutes, strain and add hot milk.
Tea with pepper. Add 1–2 grains of crushed pepper to each teaspoon of black tea, brew as usual and leave to infuse. Such tea has a restorative effect.
Green Tea for a Cold
Green tea is the first aid for colds. As soon as you feel a treacherous flutter in your throat or a headache, make a drink.
- Tea promotes intense sweating and has a diuretic effect, cleaning the body.
- The drink helps with cough, it expands the airways and normalizes ventilation of the lungs. Therefore, green tea is useful for bronchitis and pneumonia.
- Green tea has a warming effect and also kills germs in the nasopharynx, which helps to overcome the cold and sore throat.
- It lowers the temperature and strengthens immunity.
Moreover, green tea is a natural remedy, which means that it is good for children, adults, and the elderly. Unlike drugs, it copes with the infection without having a harmful effect on the body.
When considering herbs, remember that this is also a cure! And the attitude must be appropriate.
- Do not use herbs without checking their properties.
- Follow your doctor’s recommendations.
- Learn about the side effects and compatibility with other medicines.
Frequently Asked Questions. Recipes and Usage
To prepare yourself the best tea to drink for a cold, check out several most frequent questions regarding this topic!
What tea is good for a cold?
Different herbs have different effects on our immune system, and different healing powers, too. Besides, their taste also differs.
To handle a cold, it is better to make a lemon tea, a tea from ginger, an elderberry tea or echinacea tea. For the ordinary cold, peppermint and chamomile teas would also be a good choice.
Nevertheless, take into account the usage restrictions as chamomile tea, for example, is prohibited for pregnant women.
In fact, there is no such thing as the best herbal tea for cold as different types of illness require different treatment and there is no universal recipe.
What is the best hot tea for a cold?
Depending on how severe your cold is, you can choose different teas to treat yourself. If you are not too sick, make some ginger and lemon tea with honey.
For more serious cold, prepare a stronger herbal tea or a herbal mix. For example, a mix of oregano, peppermint, ginger, and sage will work well.
If you have a bad cough, dry Icelandic moss will help the best. Only take into account that this herb is very bitter.
What tea can I make for congestion?
To help yourself to relieve a stuffy nose and be able to breathe, herbal tea can be a good idea. Even though drinking hot tea can not be considered as a cure if you have congestion, it will definitely bring you relief.
Depending on your taste and state, make some green tea, chamomile tea or a cup of peppermint tea. Peppermint tea will also help to ventilate your nose and ease your breathing.
Is there a most efficient cold relief tea?
Having a cold is a very exhausting problem. To help your immune system deal with the virus and remain strong, regular drinking of herbal tea is good support.
Peppermint tea helps to ease the symptoms of the cold due to the menthol it contains which works as an anesthetic for the aching throat, suppresses cough and has an antiviral effect.
Echinacea tea helps to fight viruses and can make the duration of your illness shorter whilst a cup of ginger tea will not only warm you up but also will work as an anti-inflammatory treatment.
Use any of these natural teas for colds to boost your immune system and get better faster.
What is the benefit of chamomile tea for colds?
Chamomile is traditionally used for better sleep, however, as a treatment for a cold, it is also widely used. Chamomile tea helps both to soothe the cold symptoms and calm your nervous system which leads to faster healing.
Peppermint tea for cough. Is there any benefit?
A cup of peppermint tea can help you fight a blocked nose and ease the whole state of health — all thanks to menthol that this herb contains. This element also has some anesthetic effect which is good if you have an aching throat.
Drinking teas that are good for colds instead of swallowing pills may take a bit more time for you to recover but this is definitely the healthier and safer way of treatment.
