Herbs & Habits: Staying Well During Cold + Flu Season (Without Bubble Wrapping Yourself)

Cold and flu season is like that one guest who overstays their welcome and somehow still gets invited back every year. But with a few smart habits, some powerful plant allies, and a healthy respect for your immune system, you can make it through the sniffle season strong, balanced, and maybe even smugly flu-free.

Let’s talk about how to keep your body thriving when everyone else is coughing in line behind you at the store.

First, the Basics: Lifestyle Tips That Actually Work

Yes, I’m an herbalist. But before I hand you a mug of steaming elderberry tea, I will lovingly nudge you toward the stuff that builds resilience: daily habits.

Here’s the foundational stuff that herbs love to work with, not against.

Good Hygiene (You Knew This Was Coming)

• Wash your hands like you just chopped jalapeños and need to take your contacts out.

• Avoid high-germ zones: public restrooms, shopping carts, airports, and anything else.

• Keep your hands off your face. We touch our face 16 times an hour, and that’s how viruses sneak in.

Healthy Diet

• Cut back on sugar. (It suppresses your immune system for hours after you eat it.)

• Embrace fermented foods or take a good probiotic. Your gut is your immune HQ.

• Choose real food — things your great-grandma would recognize as dinner.

Lifestyle Upgrades

• Move your body regularly.

• Get some sun or full-spectrum light (hello, winter blues prevention).

• Meditate, breathe, or just stare at a candle — whatever reduces your stress works.

• Laugh often. (Science says your immune system loves a good giggle.)

• Sleep. Non-negotiable.

• Gargle with salt water if you’ve been around sniffly humans. Old-school and effective

Supplements: Small Things, Big Impact

• Vitamin D—This sunshine vitamin is very important for your immune system, especially during darker months. Have your levels checked and supplement if needed.

• Vitamin C – The OG immunity booster. Add citrus, leafy greens, or high-quality supplements.

• Hydration – Drink warm herbal teas and spicy chai. Hydration supports detox, keeps mucus flowing (TMI but true), and comforts your whole system.

Herbal tea

Herbs for Immunity: Your Plant-Powered Dream Team

Herbs have been showing up for humanity long before pharmaceuticals. These six powerhouses offer everything from viral resistance to fever support to post-flu recovery.

1. Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Parts used: Flower + Berry

Why it's great: Elder is like that friend who shows up with soup and your favorite cozy blanket. A traditional go-to for colds and flu, elderflower is especially helpful at the first sign of illness. It soothes inflammation, clears respiratory heat, and helps you sweat out a fever.

Use it as a hot tea or syrup.

2. Garlic (Allium sativum)

Parts used: Bulb.

Why it's great: Raw garlic is a kitchen medicine cabinet staple. It is antimicrobial, expectorant, and immune-boosting. It supports respiratory health and even shortens the length of illness.🧄 Raw garlic is most potent, but if that's too much, roast it and add it to soups.

3. Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger tea

Parts used: Rhizome

Why it’s great: Not just for nausea, Ginger gets your blood moving, clears mucus, calms the gut, and helps you sweat it out. Try a tea with fresh ginger, lemon, and honey for an immune hug in a mug.

4. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Parts used: Aerial parts

Why it’s great: This culinary staple is also a respiratory hero. Thyme helps open airways, calms inflammation, and supports sinus health. Think of it as your herbal decongestant. Use in tea, tincture, steam inhalation, or a throat gargle with honey.

5. Echinacea (Echinacea spp.)

Parts used: Root, seed, aerial parts

Why it’s great: Echinacea is your go-to for the very beginning of illness — it revs up the immune system like a “hey, you’ve got work to do!” nudge. Best used short-term and early on. Avoid daily use unless you're cycling or working with a practitioner.

6. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)

Parts used: Leaf

Why it’s great: Cooling, calming, antimicrobial, and perfect when you're stuffy and cranky. Excellent for fevers, coughs, and nausea, and smells like a winter spa. Use in steam inhalations, teas, or even sniff the oil.

A Final Sip of Wisdom

Your immune system isn’t something to "boost" with one magical pill. It’s a complex, intelligent system that thrives on good food, joyful living, solid rest, and yes, herbal support.

Herbs like elder, garlic, ginger, and thyme don’t cure a virus, but they help your body do what it’s designed to do — respond, repair, and recover.

This season, stock your pantry, slow down when your body whispers (before it screams), and let the plants support you, one sip at a time.

Stay well, stay warm, and keep those garlic cloves handy.

– Jodi xoxo

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