Top herbs for cold and flu season

Well, it’s clearly fall outside. The air has gotten crisp and chilly. The leaves on the trees are changing colour. The animals outside are storing up food for the winter. And from walking the trails almost every day, I can assure that the temperatures have dropped a fair bit.

But I love this time of year! With all of the colours and the fact that some of my favourites foods that are in season right now (mmmm squash…), there are a lot of things to love about fall. (Plus, fuzzy sweaters and cute mittens? Yes please!)

One thing that I do NOT love about the fall and winter seasons though, is that fact that sometimes our immune systems are not up to the challenge of keeping us healthy through these colder months. That can lead to sniffles, coughs, drowsiness, brain fuzziness and more.

But what can we do about that? I mean, unless moving to the tropics for 6 months of the year is an option, it can be pretty hard to get away from that biting cold sometimes (and all of the fun things it brings with it). Luckily, my nutrition background comes in quite handy when it comes to things like boosting our immune systems!

One easy way to help yourself to stay healthy this time of year is by incorporating certain foods and herbs into your daily routine and diet. I promise that there is nothing weird or uncommon on this list, and you probably have most of these already sitting in your kitchen. Add them to as many of your meals as you can!

· Echinacea (Echinacea spp.)

o Stimulates the immune system

o Helps to shorten the duration of a cold or flu

o Best made into an herbal syrup

· Garlic (Allium sativum)

o Antimicrobial

o Boosts the immune system

o Helps to move congestion

· Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

o Anti-viral

o Soothes an upset tummy or nausea

· Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

o Anti-microbial

o Opens the sinuses

o Thins and moves congestion

· Astragalus (Astragalus mongholicus)

o Helps rebuild the immune system and strengthen your body after fighting off germs

As you can see, many of the foods that we use everyday have powers beyond what we may use them for! I love making a homemade hand sanitizer using witch hazel, aloe vera gel, vitamin E extract and essential oils like lemon and lavender. Infusing raw honey with garlic creates a tonic that you take by the teaspoon every day, and it will work wonders on your immune system! Even something as simple as adding a vitamin D supplement to your morning regime can make a world of difference.

What are YOU doing to stay healthy this season?