Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

The flu is a common viral illness that usually occurs in the winter. Although it takes about a week to recover, the symptoms can be managed with simple home remedies.

While these remedies cannot cure the illness, they can help alleviate symptoms. If you experience coughing along with the flu, it is called an upper respiratory tract infection. Many cost-effective and easy-to-follow home remedies can be used to manage flu symptoms.

Symptoms of flu:

• Runny nose and eyes
• Generalized Body aches and joint pains
• Mild fever and chills
• Cough with or without phlegm /sputum
• Sneezing: due to irritation in the nose.
• Headache: can be caused by nasal congestion and dehydration
• Blocked sinuses or nasal congestion due to nasal inflammation

Medications for flu: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

You can use painkillers for body aches and antipyretics for fever. However, these medications will not cure the flu, but can relieve the symptoms. Moreover, other signs and symptoms can be managed by simple home remedies, such as the following:

Boiled Eggs: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Eggs are very effective in combating the flu. Use half-boiled eggs, apply crushed black pepper over them, and take them before bedtime. Furthermore, do not drink water after that for at least 3-4 hours.

Eggs are so effective in treating flu symptoms, as the flu vaccine is based on egg protein. That’s why this remedy is very effective. Furthermore, eggs have anti-inflammatory properties, by adding black pepper to them further increases or doubles the anti-inflammatory properties of eggs. So, must use them together.

Herbal tea: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Make a herbal tea containing illachi(cardamom), darchini( cinnamon), and loung (cloves), and some leaves of green tea.

Method of preparation of herbal tea: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Take one cup of water, bring it to a boil, and put 4 pieces of cardamom, 4-5 pieces of cinnamon, 4-5 pieces of cloves, and some leaves of green tea. Make it boil till the color of the tea becomes dark brown. Strain it and put 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper powder in it, and drink before it becomes cool. Repeat it 3-4 times a day. These will relieve symptoms of the flu and give a soothing effect.

Ginger tea: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Ginger is thought to be an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. However, drinking ginger tea with honey in it decreases inflammation, which leads to clearance of the airway.

Use steam inhalation: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies.

Taking steam inhalation by adding a small amount of Vicks to it is a very effective remedy in relieving the symptoms of congestion and irritation. It liquefies the mucus in the airway and eases the breathing pattern. It also gives a soothing effect to the airway.

So, must take steam at least 2, 3 times a day. After taking steam inhalation, cover yourself with a warm piece of cloth or a blanket.

How to take steam inhalation:

Pour around ½ to one cup of water in a kettle to make it boil, and when it starts evaporating, put a little amount of Vicks in it. Cover yourself with the help of a towel, inhale the vapors deeply, and cover yourself with a blanket. Do not expose yourself to a cool environment after steam inhalation.

Take excessive fluids: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies.

Hydration is very important during the flu. Take fluids in your diet, such as soup, juices, and soupy noodles. Do not take cold water; take normal room temperature water.

This will prevent dehydration, which can be caused due to insensible losses due to fever and runny nose, or sneezing. Most people avoid taking water and fluid, due to a change in taste and shivering or chills.

Take maximum bed Rest:Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies.

Take bed rest for a fast recovery from the flu. It will help to come in contact with an outside dry or cold environment. A dry and cold environment can aggravate the symptoms such as nasal congestion, sore throat, and chills. Secondly, flu can be transmitted to others as well. So, avoid yourself around others.

Gargling Salt Water:Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Gargling with warm, salty water is also very effective in cleaning up the respiratory tract. Secondly, it keeps the airway hydrated and helps in relieving pain, and this will ease the sore throat, as a sore throat in flu is due to inflammation in the throat linings.

Honey for flu: Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Honey is considered to be the best remedy for the flu. It works as an antibiotic according to ancient perceptions. So, use honey in warm water, or you can mix it with the tea as mentioned above.

It also works by smoothing your throat and decreasing inflammation. Moreover, adding honey with black pepper can also be effective.

Vitamin C:Flu: Symptoms and Home Remedies

Vitamin C cannot cure the flu, but it strengthens our immune system, which can further prevent viral infections and also shorten the duration of our sickness.

Moreover, our body cannot synthesize vitamin C; it has to take it in food. Vitamin C-containing fruits citrus fruits, such as oranges and orange juice, strawberries, black pepper, and potatoes, also contain a good amount of vitamin C.So, using vitamin C-rich food during a viral illness, such as the flu, can be very beneficial in treating the symptoms and recovering from the illness.

Who can get the flu very easily?

  Almost all people can get the flu at any time, but patients with weak immune systems get it very quickly. Moreover, patients on immunotherapy and chemotherapy, and patients going under bone marrow or other organ transplants, are at high risk of getting respiratory tract infections very soon. Moreover, children and old age people are also at greater risk of getting it.              

As flu is a viral illness and everybody can be a victim of it. People with weak immune systems, such as children, the elderly, cancer patients, and patients who underwent /underwent a transplant (bone marrow transplant, liver or kidney transplant), are more susceptible to it. Moreover, home remedies are very effective in relieving flu symptoms.