Marketing and commercialization by the pharmaceutical and health food industries tries to convince us that taking responsibility for our health is difficult. We are encouraged to buy expensive products and to rely on the “experts” to guide us in our choices.
Treating our colds and flu at home doesn’t require complicated recipes or difficult to obtain and expensive ingredients. We can use simple foods for cold and flu. Combing raw honey with garlic, ginger, and sage makes an effective and great-tasting medicine for the entire family.
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Traditional Foods as Medicine
When you feel yourself with the beginning of a cold, there are some simple things you can do without turning to store-bought medicines or remedies. Many of our common kitchen ingredients have been used for thousands of years as both food and medicine.
In our modern world of medicine today, the pharmaceutical industry continues to churn out “new” and “improved” medicines for us to buy, and bombard us with advertising, and the FDA regularly recalls drugs discovered to cause harm.
But we can rely on simple foods that connect us to the earth and our ancestors. We can use the remedies that have been available through the generations. Research is confirming these foods as powerfully effective in supporting our immune systems and keeping us healthy.
Four Simple Foods for Cold and Flu
- Raw Honey
- Sage
- Fresh Ginger
- Fresh Garlic
There are so many foods that support our health, but I chose these four because:
- They are have a long history of use as medicine
- Are easy to obtain
- Have extensive research confirming they are incredibly effective
- They taste great!
These four foods are effective medicine when used alone, but work even better together. Synergistically, these foods fight colds and flu by:
- Destroying the bacteria and viruses that make us sick
- Stimulating our immune system (such as increasing white blood cells)
- Preventing viruses from reproducing, essentially stopping a cold or flu in its tracks
Sometimes when we use food as medicine, we need more than we can comfortably consume. Medicinal honey is a great way to enjoy the nourishing and healing properties of plant medicines, and honey is an excellent way to pull and concentrate the medicinal properties in the plants. Using good quality local honey, we can enjoy the medicine of the plants and the medicine of the honey.
Benefits of Raw Honey
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists honey as a demulcent, which means it is a substance that soothes dry, irritated membranes. Honey is effective for soothing coughs and sore throats, and it has antimicrobial properties (nature’s way of preserving the honey for the bees!) These antimicrobial properties help us fight the cold and flu viruses.
Honey is an excellent way to extract and preserve the medicinal properties of the plants. And the great taste helps us take the medicine we need.
But beware, most “honey” sold in grocery stores is highly processed, meaning the honey is heated to such a high temperature that all the medicinal qualities are destroyed. In addition to this heating process, the “honey” is diluted with water, corn syrup, and often found to be contaminated with chemicals and heavy metals.
Sadly, most of the large national honey distributors import honey from countries with poor quality standards, and the FDA is unable (or perhaps unwilling) to test more than a very small percentage of the honey industry. *If this disturbs you, and you want to learn more, this is an excellent resource.
Your best choice is to buy organic honey from a trusted source, or better yet, buy local raw honey. Raw honey does cost more, but when making medicine for ourselves and our families, using raw honey is essential.
Raw honey can be used to make some truly indulgent infused honeys. Consider indulging yourself with rose honey, lavender honey, mint honey, and more! Check out my herbal honey recipes – Herbal Infused Honeys .
Benefits of Sage
Sage is a plant used as food and many kinds of medicine for thousands of years. For colds and flu, sage kills the virus and bacteria responsible for our respiratory infections, relieves our cough and sore throats, and because sage has astringent properties, it’s excellent for treating drippy sinus. Sage can be used alone as a tea, or as a gargle to sooth a sore throat.
Avoid medicinal amounts if you are breast-feeding (slows lactation).
Benefits of Ginger
Ginger is an incredibly versatile food and medicine that has been used for thousands of years. Traditional uses and current science agree that ginger has potent antibacterial and antiviral properties. Ginger also has strong anti-inflammatory properties and several large studies have shown that ginger is as effective at treating aches and pains as Ibuprofen. And by increasing circulation, ginger has a warming effect; perfect for the cold seasons.
Benefits of Garlic
For over 5,000 years garlic has been used as food and medicine. Garlic stimulates the immune system, helps thin mucous, and acts as an expectorant. Like ginger, garlic has anti-inflammatory compounds that help relieve the discomforts of cold and flu.
The Cooking Detective has a well-researched article on the 39 Health Benefits of Garlic.
Avoid medicinal amounts if you’re on blood thinners or antibiotics.
Easy Steps to Making a Medicinal Honey
Click here for your easy-to-print PDF: Cold and Flu Recipe
Supplies:
- Raw Honey
- Fresh or Dried Sage Leaf
- Fresh Ginger
- Fresh Garlic
- Pint-sized Jar
- Wooden spoon
- Knife and cutting board
Instructions:
- Fill a clean, dry jar 1/3 to 1/2 full with loosely chopped sage, ginger, and garlic.
- Cover ingredients with honey, stirring lightly to remove air bubbles.
- Add more honey as needed to completely cover the herbs.
- Cover and allow to infuse. The longer you leave it, the stronger the flavor. You can use within a few days, but I like to give mine a week before straining into a clean jar.
You don’t have to strain the honey, but I prefer to strain mine for a smooth honey and take it by the spoonful.
Dosing:
During acute illness:
- Adults – 1 teaspoon every 2 hours up to 10 doses daily
- Children over 1 year – 1/2 teaspoon every 2 hours up to 5 doses daily.
Summary
When I think about making medicine at home for myself and my family, I want to keep it simple and accessible. I have used these simple plant medicines, and I see how well they work. Unlike the store-bought cold medicines which simply suppress our cold and flu symptoms, the plant medicines work deep, supporting and strengthening our body’s immune system.
I’m excited to share this simple traditional medicine with you. I encourage you to give it a try, and let me know how it works for you! And don’t forget to share this with others.
Do you have a traditional remedy for colds and flu? Maybe something shared in your family?
~ Michelle
Here are some more of my favorite homemade remedies:
Please Note: the information provided here is not intended to replace professional medical advice and care. It is simply my perspective for you to consider as you make good choices for you and your family’s health. Seek the support and care of a physician and/or complementary care practitioner you trust, and above all, listen to and trust in yourself. Be well!
Bitters for Health and How to Make a Bitter Tincture
How to Sleep Better – Simple Strategies for Better Sleep
Chickweed Recipe – Chickweed Pesto
Simple Homemade Herbal Mouthwash
Seeking Joyful Simplicity is about living your best life after 40. I write about using a holistic approach combining herbal remedies, nourishing foods, and self-care to reduce overwhelm, manage our weight, and enjoy more vibrant health in our 40's, 50's, and beyond.
Well said! Better to deal with symptoms (which are the body’s way of saying PAY ATTENTION!) than to suppress with purchased medicine & make some pharmaceutical company more wealthy. I make “honey/lemon” often in winter – boil water, add fresh lemon juice to taste, sweeten with honey. When I plan ahead, I’ll add unpeeled ginger slices to the water when boiling, let it steep with lid on til cool, then store in frig and use it whenever I want “tea” – just heat & add the honey & lemon or tea of choice. Heating honey reduces its medicinal value so I don’t heat it until I’m ready to consume. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely, I get so frustrated with the promotion of treating symptoms versus treating causes. I like the idea of the lemon, honey, ginger water. Especially having it ready when you need it. There are so many simple remedies available to us – thank you for sharing!
Loved this post. I have a standby cold remedy which is hot teapot of lemon, ginger, garlic, honey, apple vinegar, and hot sauce. I also abstain from all sugar when I feel a cold coming on. It usually makes my colds less severe and shorter duration.
I love the simplicity of your remedy, and the addition of the apple cider vinegar and hot sauce. I have been told (by my herbal teachers) that apple cider vinegar is excellent at pulling the medicine from the plants and has an affinity for the lungs.
I wonder why abstaining from sugar helps? Because it is inflammatory maybe? Sounds like a good idea though. Thanks for sharing!
M
I used to get local honey from our feed mill, but I’ve gotten away from it lately. Now that I know more about store bought honey, I think I’ll go back to investing in the real thing. Thanks for the info!
Buying local from people we know is the safest, even though it does cost more. Thanks for visiting.
Yes, local is the best. They say that local honey has properties that our bodies can utilize more…I guess that goes for any food product. AND you are supporting your local small farmer, something I really believe in. I also don’t think it is that much more expensive: I can buy organic honey, quarts, for about $16-$18 at my local health food store, and driving 30 miles to a great farm stand, pay $17! I also found some relatively close, about 45 miles away for about the same amount, but feel that closer is better.
And for Kathy: heating honey up at ALL( they say at about 90*) begins to destroys the benefits, so I wait until the tea is lukewarm…..maybe that sounds ucky for some; some like their teas and coffee HOT, but I actually prefer to add it when my beverage is lukewarm anyway.
Yep, you are right, there are many advantages to buying local honey (and other foods), and I definitely believe in supporting the local farmers and beekeepers. I do add my honey to hot tea, (I like it hot), but use raw unheated honey as medicine.
I do like to keep local honey on hand for things like colds.
Great article! I’ll be trying the honey recipe for sure. I make my own version of Fire Cider, and that’s what we’ve been using… The OTC’s and Rx’s are often worse for you than the illness itself. The more people who write articles like this and share this message, the better off people will be. Thank you! I don’t know if it’s ok to share an article I wrote about this topic, but if it is…here it is:
http://www.healingharvesthomestead.com/home/2016/8/9/why-i-choose-herbal-medicine-over-prescription-or-otc-medications
I have used fired cider with great success… but there is no way my younger kids will take it. So the medicinal honey is very effective and easier to take. ; )
I never used to appreciate how effective food and herbs are for common ailments, and I am still surprised at how great they work. So why isn’t everyone turning to food and herbs first? We have been convinced these simple remedies “can’t possibly work”, or they don’t work as well as the fancy medications. I’m glad we are spreading the word – thanks for your article link!
Just wondering, (it is probably in your video, but I don’t care for videos…) You have no instructions past adding the honey to cover, then go right into dosing. What do you do after covering? How long do you “steep” it? You probably strain it, too….Did I miss some steps or did you perhaps forget them???
Woops, you’re right, I did skip a bit there. I added a short explanation (maybe I should hire you as my editor Carol ; )
You could start using the honey within a day or two, but I like to give it a week or more. I have done it both ways – leaving the garlic, ginger and sage in the honey and using it that way, and I have strained it off after a few weeks. I like it better strained. And the flavor continues to intensify the longer you leave the garlic, sage, ginger in the honey, which is not necessarily a bad thing, unless it makes you not want to use it.
(I took the video link out – I’m not big on videos myself, although it was interesting to try.)
Very simple, but very effective! Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop!
This is a great article! I can’t wait to try this! The comments were very helpful as well!
I would like to invite you to share On our blog hop too!
http://www.homesteadingwithheart.com/?cat=248
Hi, it’s me again! Getting ready to finally make this recipe, and wondered if you have ratios for the ingredients? Sage is dried and ‘fluffy’, whereas garlic and ginger are not, and I wonder if I’m getting the proportions right? And after, exactly how do you ‘strain’ honey from herbs? Does it ‘macerate’ and put out water? Just trying to figure that out. It should be ‘easy’ to filter the ginger and garlic, but the sage? Might be problematic. Also, I just roughly chopped the garlic, and the ginger was frozen so I cut a few coins of it. Will that be enough or should I have minced all of them?
Sorry for so many questions, I just don’t want to end up having to throw out good ingredients because I did it wrong.
Those are great questions – I tend to do 1/3 garlic, 1/3 sage, and 1/3 ginger and then cover with the honey. The important thing is to keep checking it and make sure the sage-ginger-garlic are covered well with the honey to prevent molding. The honey’s antimicrobial properties do well for preservation, but just in case I make sure to stir it all up every few days.
I use a small wire strainer with a handle to strain off the honey. It’s messy and I set it up so I can leave it (it’s a slow process!) When I come back to it after most of the honey has been strained through, I give the garlic-ginger-sage a good squeeze (using the back of a wooden spoon against the strainer) to get out as much as I can. Does this make sense?
I have had really good results with this medicinal honey, starting dosing at the beginning of a cold. And even my youngest will generally take it without complaint. Sounds like you are going to be well stocked for the cold-flu season!
Yes, I should be! Thank you for responding so quickly. I was using the plastic lid, however, since this has no acid (vinegar) in it, I decided to use the regular canning lid as the plastic ones are NOT airtight! So now I can just invert the jar every day or whenever I see the herbs have risen to the top. I was a bit worried, as they were sitting on the top and I couldn’t figure out how to get the honey to stay on top, as it is much heavier than the herbs. It already smells wonderful. (I love the smell of garlic and ginger! )
I have several remedies steeping right now. The past few years I have had nothing to go through cold and flu season, and this year, I should be well prepared. I found out a few years ago I have type 2 diabetes, and my immune system, which used to be SO strong (I almost never got sick) is suffering. So this year, I plan to be ready! I can alternate between them. Echinacea, especially, should be used for only a few days then take time off from it to work best.
Thanks for this post!
I’m sorry about the diabetes diagnosis, but I love that you are taking such good care of yourself, and that you are being proactive and supporting your health with good, nourishing remedies. If you ever want to talk, you can always email me seekingjoyfulsimplicity@gmail.com.
I do wish those platics lids worked with liquids!
Let me know how things work out for you with the remedies.
Hello! There wasn’t a ‘reply’ button to your last comment to me, so here I am. I am going to strain my honey, sage, ginger, and garlic remedy tomorrow. (It’s too late to do it tonight)
I am excited to get started using it, although I am a bit concerned about consuming it with so much honey…..
Thanks for the comments. I’m trying. My diabetes was brought on by stress at work, as I hadn’t bought sugar in years. I wasn’t a candy/cake/pie/cookie eater, either! Didn’t go out to eat a lot, did my own cooking, so…..I am still under the stress but trying to use essential oils by diffusing and drinking teas for stress reduction. I am not on any Rx at this time, as my Dr dropped me when I told him I couldn’t come in every 3 months for the A1C test: If my numbers went up from 3xday testing my blood, then I’d come in, but not unless. So…no Dr, no Rx. I have been on the KETO diet, which had reduced my blood sugar to under 140, but then it began creeping up again…I know I need to loose weight, but when you have no energy…..I may try another doctor, asking them to allow me to come in when/if I need to and get on a smaller amount of metformin. (Someone who is more of a naturopath/natural doctor. My daughter is worried about my numbers going up again.
I have taken elderberry syrup with no spikes, and small amounts of honey in remedies with no long term issues, but I need to find a way to drop it further.
Just a caveat: I don’t recommend trying to do it without meds. Diabetes is serious and should always be monitored and controlled. That is why I’m going to try to find another doctor more willing to work with me to get the meds.
I am actually taking the elderberry syrup 1/2 and 1/2 with some elderberry tincture I made, which is reducing the honey as well. It isn’t bad, either! Fire cider will be done in a few more weeks, then I can add that to my medicine cabinet as well.
AH! I found some lids that are airtight for the small mouth canning jars! Haven’t found any for the large mouth though….just thought I’d let you know about them. They are dark grey.
Again, thank you for this recipe. I know it will help me maintain my health this winter.
You are focused on your health in a holistic way, and that is a good thing! When I worked as a clinical dietitian I saw many people who developed full-blown diabetes out of nowhere – it was often stress that pushed their body over the edge – both physical stress (of illness or surgery) or emotional/mental stress.
I would encourage you to include a small amount of protein and healthy fats when you use the honey and syrup remedies – the protein/fat slows down the release of glucose into the blood.
You are well prepared for the season with your remedies! I will have to check out those airtight lids, it would be nice.
Stay healthy and well!
Hi! I have finally strained the honey. I let it sit for a few weeks, actually. Not entirely due to forgetfulness! I would turn it to let the honey drip through the herbs as I noted that no matter how full I got it, the honey would always slide to the bottom. So several times a day, whenever I walked past, I would turn it upside down to have the honey flow through the herbs so they didn’t get mold. I set it up as you suggested, and let it drip for a few days. It had stopped so I knew it was ready. I will rotate my herbal remedies; I think I have enough to rotate for 5 days.I did find the large mouth airtight lids. As I suspected, they do have them as well as the small. I didn’t have time to get any, but will soon. They will surely come in handy.
Thanks again for this recipe!
Sounds like you are well-prepared for the cold-flu season! The herbal honeys do take patience, but I think they are worth it – so effective and soothing. Where are you finding those lids?