Natural Cold and Flu Support My Family Loves

Are you sick of getting sick? This time of year can seem to bring one illness after another, especially when you have children. Kids love to share germs and when we’re busy and tired, we’re especially prone to catching it.

But us moms are too busy to get sick. And if we do, we need to get better fast. Right?

Today, I have some all-natural cold and flu remedies that my family uses.

Please note that I am not a medical professional and the information presented here is merely for educational purposes and not intended to replace medical advice. Always check with your own doctor.

15+ Natural Cold and Flu Support:

Vitamin C

This common vitamin is well known for boosting immunity. Since our bodies can’t create Vitamin C, the only way you’ll get this important vitamin is through food or supplements.

I take 1,000mg Vitamin C two to three times daily.

This is the brand I use.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D does many things, but boosting immunity is one of its top benefits. Studies have proven how effective Vitamin D is and additionally, that most people are deficient in it. (Studies have shown it’s hard to overdose on Vitamin D.

Chances are you are deficient in Vitamin D too and that’s even more likely if you live in a northern climate where you don’t get much sun this time of year.

I naturally run low in Vitamin D, so I take 10,000 IUI daily (at the recommendation of my doctor) during the winter. During the summer, I take 5,000 IUI every 3 days (or when I remember.)

If you’re feeling sluggish or get sick often, chances are you don’t have enough Vitamin D. Check with your doctor to see if you should supplement with Vitamin D.

This is my favorite brand.

Probiotics

Approximately 70-80% of the immune system lies in your gut. If your gut isn’t healthy, your immune system isn’t going to be functioning in top shape.

This is one of the many reasons why I take probiotics every day, which boost the healthy bacteria in my gut, and thus my immune system.

My favorite probiotic is iFlora, but you can experiment and see which one works the best for you. Klare Labs is another good brand my doctor recommends.

Elderberry

Elderberry is another fantastic immune booster and has been proven to reduce the duration of the flu by 4 days based on one study.

We take elderberry at the first sign of illness.

Update 2020: we make our own elderberry syrup with this easy recipe and I find that even more effective than capsules.

Monolaurin

Monolaurin is a natural fatty acid found in coconut (seriously, what doesn’t coconut do?!).

My doctor introduced me to this amazing supplement last fall when I got sick. Within 24 hours of taking the first dose, I was feeling better!

Some people like to take monolaurin daily. I usually take it a couple times a week and increase the frequency if I start feeling ill.

Oil of Oregano

Oil of Oregano is not the same thing as the essential oil oregano. This article does a good job of explaining the difference between the two.

While oregano essential oil can be helpful for supporting the immune system too (see my essential oils for the flu post here), in this post, I am talking about the herbal supplement, oregano oil or oil of oregano.

In recent years, I take 1/2 dropper of liquid oregano oil in water (it’s very strong!) if I feel an illness coming on and I’ve noticed a big improvement. In fact, I haven’t had a sinus infection since using this herb.

This is the one I use.

Immune Strength

I love this powerhouse essential oil blend from Rocky Mountain Oils. A few drops of Immune Strength in my diffuser really helps.

Immune Support Essential Oil Spray

This is one of my favorite natural defenders this time of year. It’s almost like a natural hand sanitizer with added bonus of supporting the immune system.  I simply spray it on my children’s hands and my own before we leave the house.

You can purchase Immune Support Essential Oil Spray here. (

Protective Coat

As I shared in my Natural Cold & Flu Support for Kids post, I’m fortunate to have an incredible herbalist in my town. This Protective Coat is a tincture I take daily to help keep my immune system in tip-top shape.

Stop It Now

Stop It Now is a fantastic herbal tincture that helps support the throat, lungs, nasal passages, etc.. I take this as soon as I feel a tingle in my throat or begin sneezing and it’s done wonders at warding off illness. Both for me and my entire family!

The key with this and similar remedies is to take it as soon as symptoms appear. If you wait until you’re really sick, it won’t work quite as well.

Flew the Coop

Last fall, I woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever, body aches, a stuffy nose, and was so exhausted, I could barely walk to the bathroom. I had caught the dreaded flu and it came on so suddenly, I didn’t have time to take my normal remedies. Fortunately, I had Flew the Coop on hand, which I began taking every 30 minutes (per the directions.) Within 6 hours, I was feeling more human and within 24 hours of first getting sick, my fever had broken and I was on the mend.

Bronchial WellBeing

I used to get really congested when I’d catch a cold, but not anymore thanks to this herbal tincture. It’s also amazing with kids, who as you know, can be prone to stuffy noses as they don’t know how to blow their nose well.

Sinus Aid

If you’re prone to getting sinus infections or headaches, Sinus Aid is something to consider.

I haven’t had a sinus infection in years, but I do occasionally get a sinus headache and this helps clear it right up.

13 Tough Guys

This remedy contains 13 helpful herbs that are known to affect viruses. When was the last time you saw something for a VIRUS? Everything is antibacterial, but viral remedies are few and far between.

A few more natural ideas:

Bacteria, viruses, etc. thrive on sugar. If you’re coming down with an illness, avoid sweets as that fuels the bad stuff and makes it harder for your immune system. I used to get sick a lot (blame it on kids, my poor immune system due to my leaky gut, etc.) and eventually figured out that if I avoided sugar, I would either not get sick or I’d get better much faster.

Eat lots of green vegetables. A healthy salad with romaine lettuce, spinach, and whatever other veggies you prefer gives your immune system a natural boost. I always make sure to eat extra greens if I’m feeling under the weather as it really does provide a natural immune boost.

My Healing Chicken Soup recipe never fails to soothe. I make this anytime someone in my family gets sick and they always feel better after a warm bowl of this healthy soup!

There’s quite a variety of natural cold and flu support available. While you might not want to run out and purchase every single one of these, if you try just one or two, you should notice a difference. You too can beat the illness this season!