Home Remedies For Flu And Cold | Garlic For Cold And Flu Treatment

By | February 18, 2010

Garlic Health Benefits For Treating Cold

Cold and flu is a condition that will typically last for a week and can leave you feeling extremely miserable. Cold and flu both are viruses of the respiratory tract and though the symptoms are similar, flu is more serious condition. Flu is the commonly shortened name for influenza that attacks the body by spreading through the upper or lower respiratory tract and is caused by influenza A or B viruses where as a common cold is a group of symptoms seen in the upper respiratory tract.

You know you are suffering from cold and flu when you have a fever, sore throat, cough, congestion or an itchy skin, eyes or nose. Any complications arising out of a cold are minor but a severe case of flu could lead to a life threatening illness such as pneumonia. Both cold and flu are infectious and therefore, maintaining personal hygiene is of utmost importance.

Echinacea is a remedy most commonly used for treatment of cold and flu. It is a flowering plant, the extracts of which are said to have an effect on the immune system. There are a number of herbs, plants, minerals, vitamins and supplements like eucalyptus, garlic, honey, lemon, menthol, vitamin C and zinc that help fight symptoms of cold.

Antibiotic Effects Of Using Garlic

Garlic is a great remedy as it is a broad spectrum antibiotic that has powerful antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties and is very useful to prevent and treat cold and flu as it contains a lot of useful compounds that help build the immune system to fight the infection and hence should be used daily in your diet to prevent the onset of cold and flu. Consume about 1 or 2 whole cloves of garlic every time you feel you are getting a cold as it will boost your body’s disease fighting power while soothing your throat and cough.

You can prepare garlic tea by chopping a clove of garlic into very fine bits adding it to boiling water and allowing it to steep in for a few minutes. Have this tea warm and drink a cup daily whenever you are suffering from a cold and flu or showing any of its symptoms. Apart from producing a number of potentially beneficial compounds, it contains a powerful antibacterial called allicin which primarily helps in treatment of cold and flu. However it is said that garlic is best effective when had before the infection is got or as soon as the symptoms begin to show.