My son is 18 months old, and he’s busy. Luckily, there are tons of different play groups and Mothercraft (a drop-in daycare) in our neighbourhood that keeps him busy. Unfortunately, play groups and daycare equals colds, green snot, coughing and fevers, which equals waking up at night and generally irritability for Jack and myself. I’ve come to HATE colds.
Traditional thinking would suggest that there’s nothing you can do to treat a cold, but lately I’ve started to think otherwise. My friend Andrea wrote an awesome guest post for me recently where she listed a bunch of natural cold & flu remedies that she uses for her family. Natural remedies work the best when you sense that your child is getting sick because they don’t cure a cold, but instead work to cut back on the length & severity of cold & flu symptoms.
Another friend of mine recently sent me a recipe for Healthy Gummies for Cold, Flu & Sleep that include tart cherry juice, elderberry syrup, manuka honey and gelatin. This inspired me to do some research into these ingredients and here’s what I learned:
Tart Cherry Juice: studies have shown that cherry juice acts as a natural sleep aid; improving quality & increasing length of sleep. This is perfect when getting sick as your body needs rest in order to recover.
Elderberry Syrup: elderberries are little black berries that are used to make medicine. They strengthen the immune system, and help fight flu symptoms and inflammation.
Raw or Unpasteurized Manuka Honey: honey is like nature’s antibiotics because hydrogen peroxide is a major component of honey. Manuka honey is best used for anti-bacterial purposes because in addition to hydrogen peroxide it also includes methylglyoxal (MG); another antibacterial component. Manuka honey can be used topically (it’s a great way to treat acne!) or ingested (it’s suggested to drink tea with honey to help with a sore throat).
Gelatin: gelatin (like the stuff used to make Jello) is actually really good for you! I know what you’re thinking – really? “Gelatin is largely composed of the amino acids glycine and proline, which many people don’t consume in adequate amounts as they are found in the bones, fibrous tissues and organs of animals and as a population, we don’t consume these parts as much anymore. These amino acids are needed not only for proper skin, hair and nail growth, but for optimal immune function and weight regulation!” (Wellness Mama). Gelatin is also known to improve quality of sleep. Click here for 12 ways to use gelatin.
I recently combined all of these ingredients and made little gummies (link above) for our family to take each day, but there are many ways to use these awesome ingredients to help relieve cold & flu symptoms in your family.
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