My Favorite Natural Treatments for the Common Cold

My Favorite Natural Treatments for the Common ColdHow many mothers are there out there that have not had to deal with the common cold in themselves and their children? Probably none!  It seems small children need to get some quantity of colds in order to build up some resistence to them.
These are my favorite ways to deal with them in our home:

-Especially for the littlest ones, create a steam canopy. Click here for more information and instructions on how to create a steam canopy using a humidifier and a blanket. It is amazing how much difference it makes! If all you did was this, for a small baby especially, you may be able to effectively clear up the cold.

-Echinacea Tea. Be sure to let it steep, covered, for at least 10 minutes. If you children prefer it cold, you can even put it in the fridge for a while before giving it to them. For my babies, I often give them dropper fulls of the lukewarm tea, testing the temperature on my wrist first.
You can also buy (or make) tinctures of echinacea for children. There are several companies that make them, like Herbs 4 Kids, for example, which you can purchase at a health food store or online.

-Extra Vitamin C - Our favorite is Emer-Gen-C, and our favorite flavor is Super Orange. It is available very affordable at Wal-Mart, and comes in packets that you mix in water. I use half a packet for the children. One packet contains 1,000 mg of Vitamin C.  One midwife advised me to only use one packet a day during pregnancy, but otherwise I usually take two packets a day for myself, and a half of a packet twice a day for the children.

-Essential Oils - add them to your humidifier (I talk more about this in the post about steam canopies). You may also mix them with some olive oil to apply to chests or even under noses. Eucalyptis oil is my favorite for cold symptoms.

-Unkers - especially for a cough, unkers applied to the bottoms of feet can be very effective. I really like to do this at night so that the little ones can get a good night's sleep without coughing all night long. It is not expensive, and lasts a long time. A good addition to any home medicine cabinet. You may also apply to the chest if there is congestion there, or even in your humidifier.

-Garlic - We take this raw, as it is a powerful anti-biotic. Here's our method for getting it down: Put some (raw) honey on a spoon, and cover with raw garlic, chopped finely. Cover the garlic with more honey and *down* it as fast as you can without chewing. Repeat many times daily.  I start giving this to my children after a year old, and they dont usually complain about it when they are little. When they get a bit older and start complaining, I tell them that they must take a second spoonful if they can't take it without complaining. It's amazing how happy they get to take it then! :-D

You can also make a poultice of garlic if there is any chest congestion. I find it eases their breathing too. Here's how to do it: Place 2-3 cloves of garlic in the center of an old washcloth. Smash them a bit with a hammer. Pour just a bit of boiling water over them to release the oils. Let it cool until it is comfortable to the skin, wrap the garlic up in the middle of the damp, warm cloth, and place it directly on your child's (or your own) chest. Works wonders!

- Nasal Spray and Siphoning - Using an inexpensive saline spray can help clear up stuffy noses and get the mucus flowing, which is what you want. You do NOT want to dry up the mucus, but rather allow it to flow freely. Then you can use a bulb syringe to suction out baby's nose.  Be sure to keep both the bulb syringe and the top of the nasal spray clean after each use. A vinegar/water solution is good to use on them to keep them clear of bacteria, so that you are not re-introducing bacteria into your baby's nose when you re-use them. Our doctor recommends doing the saline spray and suction deal up to every half an hour!

Further Tips for Small Babies:If you are a nursing mother, *you* can take the echinacea tea, vitamin C, and garlic, and your baby will receive its benefits.  In addition, one doctor we used to go to (who was a little "out there", but had some really great advice) told me to ingest my baby's snot. Yes, you read that right. As you might be, I was hesitant to try it, until my third child got a persistent cough at about 3 months old. I broke down and followed the doctor's orders, and his cough cleared up! Seems that it is because the mama's body makes specialized antibodies to fight the exact antigen the baby is dealing with when mama's body is directly exposed like that, and these antibodies are released directly to the baby through her milk. Amazing, eh?  Ah, the things we mamas do for our children!