Help Fight A Spring Cold with These Herbal Teas

The warmer weather may be almost upon us, but that doesn’t mean we’re safe from pesky spring cold and flu bugs.

In fact, now that we’re out and about and starting to mingle more, that’s exactly when illnesses can take hold. One way to try to avoid getting ill is to boost our immune systems and make sure we’re upping our antioxidant intake.

We can do this by eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, of course. But another way is to sip comforting and soothing herbal tea blends specifically tailored to help our immune systems and resistance to illness.

3 ways to help fight a spring cold

Pine Needle & Rose Hip to boost vitamin C

You’ll find far more vitamin C in pine needles than you will in an orange. It’s also a plant that works on the lungs, chest and in fact your whole respiratory system. It can also help to loosen mucus so that you don’t feel ‘bunged up’ as you would with a bad cold. Pine needles also act as an antimicrobial so can help fight bacteria and viruses.

Rose hip too is packed with vitamin C, as well as E and B. Their antioxidant activity is due to their content in polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamins C, E, B and carotenoids, amongst other good stuff.

NutraDefence Tea for tip top immunity

Aimed at supporting the immune system and keeping the respiratory system tip top, this flavoursome blend of plants helps the body transition from winter to spring. Its high liquorice content means its full of compounds such as glycyrrhizin which is both an antioxidant and antimicrobial. It’s been used to fight cold infections in Chinese Medicine for centuries now.

Another main ingredient in this tea is eucalyptus which is well-known for helping to soothe the symptoms of a sore throat and cold. It does this by breaking up mucus in the chest area. It can also help make breathing easier if you do catch a spring cold.

NutraThroat Tea to combat dry coughs

You’ll find similar benefits from our NutraThroat tea because it’s also high in both Liquorice and Eucalyptus. The addition of marshmallow root packs a further punch against respiratory conditions, especially a dry cough and even bronchitis. It can also help calm the production of mucus.

Meanwhile, slippery elm can also help soothe the throat (and which is why you’ll find it in a number of over-the-counter throat lozenges). The inner bark of the Red Elm tree, this has been used for centuries now to help prevent dry coughs and ease throat conditions.

Turmeric & Cinnamon to fight off infection

Its the turmeric that’s so good when it comes to fighting infection and boosting the immune system. It’s particularly helpful to our T and B lymphocytes. The latter are white blood cells and the former helps regulate our immune system reactions.

The cinnamon component in this popular herbal tea provides antioxidants in abundance. It can also help fight respiratory tract infections and help boost the T cell count in our immune system. So treasured was the spice in ancient Egypt – which is derived from the bark of the cinnamon tree – that it was regularly gifted to royalty.

Elderberry and Echinacea to cut short a cough

Another immune boosting tea, our Elderberry and Echinacea blend is one of our most popular cough and cold-fighting teas. It doesn’t just taste great, the echinacea can stimulate our immune system so that we’re less likely to pick up an infection when exposed to the cold or flu virus. It can also help make any current symptoms more tolerable.

Elderberry actually contains a higher number of antioxidants than echinacea, as well as vitamin C. As such, it is believed the berries can help reduce the length of time your spring cold hangs around for.

Mullein Leaf & Thyme to soothe a tickly throat

If you’re dealing with a persistent cough that’s interrupting your sleep, sipping on a cup of herbal tea with mullein can be a great solution. Mullein Leaf is known for its soothing properties that help relax the respiratory tract, making it easier to breathe and easing that annoying tickle in your throat. A warm cup before bedtime might just be the relief you need for a restful night’s sleep.