3 Natural Remedies to Fight The Flu

As flu season approaches, so much indoor activity and close contact spawns all sorts of influenza viruses waiting to make your life miserable. Before flu season shifts into full swing, there are several ways to prepare to fight the flu naturally or alongside the flu shot.

The flu shot is a gamble but has shown to effectively fight a virus if that virus corresponds with that year’s flu vaccination. The vaccination is made up of two or three predicted or expected, highly algorithm derived flu strains administered in one shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that,

“While vaccine effectiveness (VE) can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine.”

That leaves a 60%-40% chance of contracting the flu if you got the vaccine. Whether you get the shot or not, this flu season fight the flu naturally (on your own or alongside the flu vaccine) with these three powerful holistic remedies.

Extraordinary Elderberry

Black elderberry has shown to be an incredible flu remedy. It was found that the compounds found in elderberry are capable of deactivating hemagglutinin spikes. These are spikes found on the surface of virus cells enabling them to pierce healthy cell walls, enter them and replicate.

A study by researchers from the Department of Virology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel which was published in the The Journal of International Medical Research (2004) reported in the abstract that,

“Patients received 15 ml of elderberry or placebo syrup four times a day for 5 days, and recorded their symptoms using a visual analogue scale. Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo. Elderberry extract seems to offer an efficient, safe and cost-effective treatment for influenza.”

Look for black elderberry tincture for the best sublingual delivery. Pharmacy Times recommends, “take ½ to 1 tablespoon daily for adults to prevent illness; or if the flu does strike, take ½ to 1 tablespoon every 2 to 3 hours, instead of once a day, until symptoms disappear.”

Oregano: Not Just On Pizza

Some believe that the specially prepared oil derived from the oregano herb can be as powerful as penicillin. The antibacterial and antiviral properties of this oil are significantly effective.

Living Well reported that,

“A 2014 study found that oregano oil is a highly effective antiviral, in this case, a strain of norovirus. Another study determined that oregano oil is also highly effective against 22 different strains of bacteria and is “an effective means for the prevention of antibiotic-resistant strain development.”

Look for P73 oregano oil which University Health News (UHN) describes as,

“Wild Oregano P73 stands for “polyphenol 73 percent” and is a specific blend of several high-grade medicinal wild oreganos. P73 oregano is also a rich source of natural vitamins and minerals—calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, boron, potassium, copper, and manganese—all of which help boost immunity.”

UHN recommends an “adult dosage for P73 oregano oil flu treatment is anywhere between 3 to 20 drops [under the tongue or in water], four times per day.”

Offer An Olive Branch

As the saying goes, offer an olive branch for the beginnings of peace. This also goes for fighting the flu. Olive leaf extract has been reported as a powerful anti-viral capable of protecting your body just as well as attempted conventional virus blockers.

ABC News reported that,

“In a 2010 study published in the medical journal Scientia Pharmaceutica, this extract was described as having antiviral properties to the respiratory viruses R.S.V. and parainfluenza,”

Another study published in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2006) concluded that,

“The findings of the present study showed that the exposure of MDCK [Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Epithelial Cells] cells to OLE [olive leaf extract] one hour before infection with influenza virus exhibited antiviral activities. It is, therefore, speculated that interaction of OLE with certain components of cellular membrane crucial to initiation of viral infection resulted in inhibition of viral entry into the cell.”

Olive leaf extract can be taken in capsule, tincture or tea. Follow appropriate instructions for optimal results.

 

These three natural remedies to fight the flu should be used before or during a flu outbreak. It is particularly beneficial to start this protocol when you are healthy so you are well into natural accumulation before being potentially exposed. Always check with your doctor before taking any natural remedies to fight the flu, especially if you are taking pharmaceutical medicine. This flu season, get a ‘leg up’ on the many germs out there looking to make trouble and you just may get through unscathed.