Herbs for the Cold & Flu Season
Ear Infections, Fevers, Coughs, Colds
and even Yeast Infections!

By Pam Caldwell
Herbalist
Pregnancy/Postpartum/Lactation Specialist

What to do for kids with colds or flu?  How about for yourself?  There are several herbs that have traditionally and successfully been used for the immune system, to help build and strengthen the immune system, to help keep you healthy, and should you become ill, to help you get better. Here are some of my favorite herbs for this, how they work, and how they can help you.

Astragalus ( order now ) – this herb works to nourish, build and strengthen the immune system. It is used on a daily basis and helps to keep one healthy. It's beneficial for those with weakened immune systems, for those who become ill frequently, for those who typically get sick every cold & flu season, or for children going into daycare or school for the first time (boy, they tend to bring home everything, that first year especially!). It is highly nutritious, and is safe for use by adults and children. Herb Lore does offer a non-alcohol version of this herb, which is recommended for children. Note: Astragalus is a warming herb, and should not be used in the presence of a fever, as it can make the fever worse. Astragalus is safe for use by those who are pregnant or nursing.

Echinacea ( order now ) – should one become ill, Astragalus should be discontinued and Echinacea started. Echinacea works to stimulate white blood cell production, which are our body's infection-fighters, spurring them into action to fight the attacking virus or bacteria. It is well known for its anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Echinacea should be used every two hours during the acute phase of the illness, and then cut back to the recommended dose (two droppersful per dose for adults) three times a day until the illness has passed. (See the Children's Dosage Guide for children's dosage suggestions. A non-alcohol version of Echinacea is recommended for children.)  Once the illness has passed, Echinacea should then be discontinued, and at that time, it would be appropriate to resume daily Astragalus use.

Echinacea should not be used on a daily basis because it may lose its effectiveness. It's like keeping your immune system on constant high alert – this higher level would soon become the new “normal” level, requiring even more Echinacea to have any effect the next time it's needed.

A good quality Echinacea tincture should have a numbing and tingling effect in the mouth. This is normal and the sign of a good, potent product. The non-alcohol version will not have as much of a numbing effect, simply due to the sweet and almost syrupy nature of the vegetable glycerine used as the extractant. Echinacea in either form is safe for use by pregnant and nursing mothers.

Goldenseal ( order now ) – this herb is highly effective for yellowish, goopy-type conditions, such as sinus infections. (Yellow/green herb for yellow/green goop!) This herb is difficult to cultivate, and the plant must be destroyed in order to harvest its medicinal parts (the root), therefore it's now found on the endangered species list. It's recommended to use only organically grown Goldenseal (which is the only kind that Herb Lore offers), grown specifically for commercial use, and not harvested from the wild, taking the natural, wild plant reserves. Long-term use of this herb is not recommended as it can compromise the balance of friendly bacteria in the gut. Ten days of use or so is usually sufficient anyways.

Goldenseal is not recommended for use by pregnant women due to its uterine-stimulating properties. It's perfect for use in the event of PROM (Premature Rupture of Membranes - early breaking of waters) however, to help encourage labor and to prevent infection. Goldenseal is fine for use by nursing mothers, but not by those who have a jaundiced baby. For all others, it is fine.

Garlic – this herb is a highly effective anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal. For a vaginal yeast infection , carefully peel a clove of garlic, being careful not to knick it as the juices are rather strong and can burn sensitive tissues, and insert it vaginally before bedtime. This will keep the clove inside and working as long as possible. In the morning, giving a push when sitting on the toilet will bring it to the introitus making it easy to remove. It will usually knock a vaginal yeast infection out within a night or two. This process is safe for use during pregnancy, as long as the amniotic bag is intact. If there is any leaking of waters, even a little bit, do not insert anything into the vagina.

Garlic is effective for other types of fungal infections as well, including candida . I find Garlic helpful when I've had a stomach virus. Eating fresh cloves is the best and most effective way of ingesting the herb, however, some find it unpleasant. Using it in cooking is also effective. Add the herb just at the end of the cooking process to keep the garlic as fresh and potent as possible. Overcooking and microwaving can ruin many of its medicinal properties. If either of these methods is not a desirable choice, taking Garlic in pill form will also work just fine. Many of the odorless Garlic tablets do not have much medicinal properties – apparently the process by which it's made odorless also either removes or can render the properties ineffective. Kyolic brand Garlic tablets, however, do have an odorless type of tablet that does still retain a great deal of it's medicinal properties. Even so, you may still detect a slight garlic taste or odor.

Enterically coated garlic is a great choice when working with systemic or intestinal fungus, like candida. Enterically coated means that the tablet has been specially coated so that it will not be dissolved by the stomach acids, but will bypass the stomach and dissolve in the intestines instead, where it's needed most. Enterically-coated is also a good choice for your probiotics, such as acidophilus , which should be taken during and after antibiotic use to help re-establish friendly bacteria in the intestinal system, helping to prevent yeast overgrowth. Again, enterically-coated Acidophilus will dissolve in your intestines, where it's needed most.  Note:  Probiotics taken by the mother will not be passed along to the nursing child.  These friendly organisms must come into direct contact with the baby's digestive system in order to work for the baby, which means the baby has to ingest it him or herself.  A non-dairy liquid acidophilus is a great choice to give to your baby directly.  You can find it along with the other probiotics in your health food store's refrigerated section.  All probiotics must be refrigerated and have expiration dates.  These are live organisms after all.

If candida or yeast is a problem, the #1 most helpful thing one can do to overcome and eliminate it is to eliminate sugar from the diet. It's not forever - just until the infection is under control. Sugar feeds yeast and bacteria (such as with bladder infections, thrush and other yeast infections), and unless you stop feeding it, it can be very hard to get rid of.

Garlic oil is a safe and effective remedy for ear infections . Children and babies especially are prone to painful ear infections, and a few drops of Garlic Ear Oil ( order now ) will usually alleviate the pain immediately and will knock out the infection within a day or two, generally eliminating the need for antibiotics. (Note: if ear infections tend to be a chronic problem, try eliminating dairy from the diet (either the child's or the breastfeeding mother's or both) to see if this improves the situation. Dairy is a common causative of chronic ear infections and colic in babies and children. (Read more about Colic here.)

Garlic is not only a fantastic anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, it's widely used for its ability to lower blood pressure and has some slight blood-thinning properties when used on a continual basis. This is wonderful news for many people working with high blood pressure and some cardiovascular issues, but people on blood-thinning medications should be aware of these properties and use the herb sparingly or not at all.

Related items:

Cold & Flu Tincture ( order now ) – Herb Lore's Cold & Flu Tincture contains Catnip, Boneset, Yarrow, Elder Flower, Hyssop and Peppermint. This combination of herbs has traditionally been used to help combat cold and/or flu symptoms, including fever. It may also shorten illness duration. It will not dry up a runny nose, however, but in my opinion, that's not something you'd want to do anyway. I know it's messy and unpleasant, but the material that's pouring out of the nose is all of the bacteria and viral material that's been killed off by the fever and/or the body's immune system while combating the illness. My opinion it's better to allow that stuff out, to leave the body rather than keeping it trapped within. (Better out than in, as Shrek always says!)  This product is great for use in combination with Echinacea. This product is not for use during pregnancy.

Heat Clearing Tincture – Although this product is no longer available through Herb Lore, I wanted to at least mention herbs that are so wonderful for bringing down fever.  The herbs we used for this product were Peppermint, Catnip, Lemon Balm, Chamomile and Elder Flower, all of which have traditionally been used to help clear heated conditions, such as fever. You may use these herbs as a tea,  as a cool compress on the forehead, or as an enema (always administer an enema warm to lukewarm, NEVER COLD) or in bathwater as a heat-reducing soak.  (A little Lavender Essential Oil is also helpful in a bath.)  Using the tinctured form of these herbs orally is also effective.  Be sure to get a non-alcohol tincture is you're using it for a child. NOTE: Fevers may be caused by a variety of things, some requiring immediate medical attention (such as with poisoning), but many do not. There is an excellent chapter on fevers in Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's (a pediatrician) book "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor" . This gives information on when and if treatment is necessary, the benefits of fever and the benefits of allowing the fever to do its work, when and how you can safely treat at home, and when medical attention is necessary. This book is available through Herb Lore here . Just scroll down to the Baby & Children's Health section. The price for this fantastic and invaluable book is only $7.99!  

Quiet Cough Tincture ( order now ) – This product contains Osha Root, Mullein, Coltsfoot, Marshmallow Root, Licorice Root and Lobelia with a little Rescue Remedy Flower Essence added for extra calming. This is an extremely soothing and effective combination used for a dry, painful throat, spasmodic, excessive and/or unproductive cough, and respiratory congestion. These herbs have traditionally been used to help calm and quiet irritating, spasmodic coughs, while helping to promote expectoration. When taking this tincture, the typical experience is that there may be one or two more good productive coughs followed by quiet relief. The little coughing that remains is productive, helping to keep the lungs clear. Needless to say, this is one of Herb Lore's most popular products because it works so incredibly well! Kids love the non-alcohol version too! This product is not for use for those who are pregnant or by those with high blood pressure. Use for only two weeks at a time. (Plain Mullein is fine to use by those who are pregnant. You can order that here .)