The Rily guide to surviving cold and flu season

Popular Conditions & Diets

Fresh ginger

This spicy warmer-upper works synergistically with its Zingiberaceae root cousin turmeric to soothe a sore throat and bolster immune defences. It seems to be principally known as a for the gut. Less well-known, however, is ginger’s alter-ego as an . In this context, ginger boosts Type 1 T-helper cells, a key component of the adaptive immune system that specifically targets viruses and bacteria.

Fresh garlic

Warding off cellular vampires, perhaps? Garlic is directly virucidal and has been used to fight infections and tonify circulation and immune function for hundreds of years. It is nature’s immune-stimulating antibiotic par excellence. When you’re sick, don’t succumb to thinking of garlic as ‘good for you’ in a general way: this is cold medicine.

Horseradish

Since time immemorial, this pungent sulphurous root has been used in Slavic cultures as a traditional remedy for cold and flu symptoms. The inimitable cold camphor-like burn of horseradish increases circulation, which in turn can promote facial drainage and the easy clearing of mucus from sinus passages.

Oranges

If you think about it, eating oranges in flu season is a cheat code for those of us in the North. It’s not exactly local or seasonal. But vitamin C, as we know, is rapidly depleted while fighting a viral infection, and putting it back in the picture is kind of like supplying our troops with more ammo when they need it the most.

Echinacea tea

Whether it’s generations of herbal wisdom or massive water-tight meta-analyses in prestigious journals like The Lancet, evidence overflows: echinacea works. Not only does it make for a good winter strategy to get sick half as often, but it can by a day and a half while lessening the severity of symptoms like sore throat and runny nose. It even seems to reduce the chances of post-infection complications of upper respiratory tract infections.

Putting it all together:

Note that ginger, garlic, turmeric, horseradish, and meat can all go in your bone broth together, along with onions, spinach, or whatever veggies you have on hand. Then you have echinacea tea with honey to sip on (adding lemon juice is even better) and oranges to snack on. Having these things on hand, with an ability to combine as appetite and symptoms require, makes for a very flexible modular support system that takes the guesswork out of what to do.

In a sense, this guide is about taking care of your seasonal illnesses effectively with as little force or effort as possible: it’s all about support.

Honourable Mentions:

Sleep: This should be a top priority, along with anything that supports it, from herbal support, sleep hygiene, bedroom temperature, a nice wind-down routine, eye shades, blackout curtains, sleep-based guided meditations, deep breathing, and getting to bed early.

Stress: Unbalanced stress will keep you sicker for longer. If your sickness is in response to overwhelming work or life stress, it may be doubly true that what you need to do is slow down. For many of us, sickness is our only break from the demands of the modern world. I recommend embracing the opportunity to rest as much as possible.