Noses run in my family
Excuse me while I blow my nose.
Okay.
The index of The Peterson Field Guide to Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants lists page numbers for 64 plants folks use therapeutically to address the effects of a cold which, as you know, is an infection of the upper respiratory tract often caused by sneaky viruses. A gaggle of viruses will gather in sinus membranes and cause catarrh, which means inflammation of said membranes, plus they excite your mucus maker cells. Therefore, snot.
Being a kind, sharing type of animal, humans transmit our viruses freely throughout the community. Wash your hands. Some of us get stuffed up and some of us are wiping our noses every three minutes (excuse me while I find a tissue)… either your snot is stuck up there (congestion) or it’s on the loose, sort of like outlaws either hunkered down or running for daylight.
But despair not. Plants are available for things like this. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) grew wild around my gardens in a previous life. A tea made from its leaves is soothing, calming and tasty with antiviral properties. Combined in a tea with rosemary (another antiviral), lemon balm subtly sweetens the flavor. Also, just for fun, inhale the steam.
Besides rosemary, a bunch of your regular kitchen herbs have antiviral properties – some relieve congestion, others help dry up the mucus. Carvacol is a compound in oregano which counteracts viruses in the respiratory tract. Not only that, cooking with oregano renders an Italian flavor to your kitchen.
Grandmothers through history have dosed their grandkids and neighbors’ grandkids with sage tea to relieve catarrh, plus sage is a source of vitamins and four-syllable crusaders for better health. Sage, like oregano, is easy to grow and, once settled in a garden, will produce more herb than you need.
Studies by serious researchers wearing lab coats with pocket protectors have demonstrated that holy basil, known as tulsi, considerably improves the effectiveness of naturally occurring cells that gang up against viral infections. Sweet basil varieties also have antiviral consequences… another reason to grow your own basil.
And we shall not forget plain old garlic! Eat your garlic. The stinking rose and other alliums stimulate the immune system, thereby protecting against viral infections. Studies demonstrated that folks who consume garlic regularly had fewer colds, and, upon getting one, healed faster. Plus, cooking with garlic lends an Asian aroma to your kitchen.
Capsaicin is the hotness chemical in peppers. Not everyone can handle pepper heat, but even mildly hot peppers contain capsaicin which relieves sinus inflammation (actually, inflammation all over) which leads to blowing your nose and getting that snot out of there. Very busy researchers did a famous study, okay, and it revealed capsaicin shrinks swollen blood vessels in the sinus vicinity which relieves all cold-related snotiness manifestations. Also cooking with chili peppers imparts a Guatemalan zest to your kitchen.
Maybe less common in your kitchen are ginger and elderberries. Ginger is loaded with antiviral compounds which are especially effective on colds. Shredded ginger makes a tasty, potent and effective hot tea if you’re beset with catarrh. Ginger also contains compounds which address other cold symptoms like fever and coughing. Plus, using ginger makes me think of Gilligan’s Island.
Folks who research things claim elderberry products – juice, lozenges, gummies, throat drops, supplements – contain compounds that can not only stimulate the immune system response to a cold but interfere with virus cells reproducing in the sinus cavity. Elderberries deliver a twofer! Raw elderberries are not very tasty, so a person might not eat enough to be harmed by elderberry toxins, which should be neutralized by cooking.
There is also echinacea, turmeric, astragalus, marshmallow, goldenseal and many other plants that have reputations for fighting cold symptoms. Try them all because, let’s face it… snot happens. Wash your hands.