Treating the Common Cold: Two Herbal Teas You Can Make At Home

Drink these teas as soon as you start to feel like you might be coming down with something. These food-grade herbs are good for helping your body push the “evil qi” right back out, preventing you from getting sick. And, they are both really tasty!

Tea for “Wind-Cold”
This type of cold usually begins with sneezing and runny nose, and possibly watery eyes. There may also be body aches, a stiff neck, and a feeling of being chilled, especially at the surface of the skin. This is a warming tea, so if you feel feverish or have a sore throat, try the next tea instead!

You’ll need:
2 slices of fresh ginger root, about 1/2 inch thick
a 2-inch piece of dried or fresh tangerine peel (orange, clementine, etc. will do as a substitute)
1-2 scallions, sliced (both white and green parts)
1 teabag of green tea
honey to taste Boil ginger root in 2-3 cups of water for 10 minutes; add tangerine peel and boil 3-5 minutes longer; add scallions and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the teabag, steeping for 2-3 minutes.  Strain, and add honey to taste.You can make a batch and use it throughout the day. Also, don’t worry if you’re missing one or two ingredients – it will still be yummy and helpful.Tea for “Wind-Heat”
An attack of wind heat usually begins with a sore or dry scratchy throat. You might also notice swollen glands, congestion, or feeling feverish (you may also feel a little chilled, but if you mostly feel hot, it’s still wind-heat).

The basic recipe:
a small handful of fresh or dried mint
1 bag green tea
honey to taste

Boil mint in 2-3 cups water for 3-5 minutes; turn off heat and add the teabag, steeping for 2-3 minutes. Add honey to taste. You can also use a teabag of peppermint or other mint tea in place of the fresh mint.

For a more ambitious variation, add:
3-4 pieces of dried licorice root
3-5 dried chrysanthemum flowers

Both ingredients are available in Chinese food stores or pharmacies. Boil the licorice root for 10 minutes, then add the chrysanthemum with the mint and proceed as above.

How to Prevent Colds and Flu

Here are some self-care tips to keep you healthy during cold and flu season.

1. Wash your hands, thoroughly and frequently (you know this one already).
2. Take good care of yourself (you know this one too): get plenty of rest, eat well, drink lots of fluids, and take some time to relax.
3. Eat root vegetables. In Chinese dietary therapy, root vegetables are said to strengthen the lung — which in Chinese medicine includes the lung, nose, throat, sinuses, and skin, as well as the first line of defense against illness. Try incorporating root veggies into your diet at this time of year, whether by making a hearty vegetable stew, adding a sweet potato to your meal as a side dish, or simply including carrots and beets in a salad.
4. Keep your neck covered. Illnesses such as colds are said to enter the body via wind, usually through the back of the neck. While this differs from our usual thinking about germs, I’ve found there’s something to it. Try wearing a scarf as it gets colder, and avoid drafts, especially if you’ve been sweating or your hair is wet.
5. Keep a bottle of yin qiao or other herbal cold formula on hand. There are several Chinese herbal formulas that, when taken at the first hint of symptoms, can help ward off a cold before it really gets started. Ask me for the one most suited to your usual patterns of getting sick.
6. Try a homemade herbal remedy as soon as you start feeling like you might be catching something.  See the post on teas to make at home. 
7. Consider taking an immune-boosting herbal formula if you are someone who catches cold frequently and predictably at a certain time of year. Feel free to call and I can help you out with this.

Treating Colds, Flu, and Respiratory Illnesses with Chinese Medicine

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have a lot to offer in preventing and treating colds and flu. Historically, there is a reason for this: China suffered through many plagues that began with cold-like symptoms, and many great physicians spent their lives learning to treat these complaints and prevent them from worsening.

Chinese medicine differentiates between several types of colds and flu, with different treatments for each. For example, a cold that begins with sneezing, runny nose, and stiff neck is treated differently from one that starts with a sore throat and swollen glands. An acupuncturist can choose specific points, based on your symptoms, that “release the exterior” and “expel the evil qi” — meaning that they help the body rid itself of the invading germs before they get in deep enough to require all that sneezing, phlegm, and feverishness!  Simple herbal formulas, which you can take at home, help the body do the same thing.  It pays to keep a bottle handy, or learn how to make herbal teas yourself, to stop colds before they begin to take hold. 

There are also specific treatments for later stages, whether your colds tend to develop into sinus infections, bronchitis, a lingering cough, or a weakened immune system that is more vulnerable to the next virus.  Acupuncture and herbs can treat any of these conditions — without antibiotics or other drugs.  However, many people find that treating a cold early, with an acupuncture session and/or herbs, allows them to avoid getting to this stage at all.

The best choice of all, though:  take good care of your immune system, and avoid colds and flu in the first place!  See the post on prevention and self-treatment for more information.