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8 Natural Flu Remedies That May Actually Work

Try as you might, you may not be able to avoid getting sick during cold and flu season. After all, the influenza virus doesn't discriminate between healthy and unhealthy people, or old and young ones. Plus, the virus spreads easily through droplets in the air when someone who is infected coughs, sneezes, or even talks, so we're all potential targets.

Plus, flu season is longer than you might think — it runs through fall and winter and even into spring, peaking sometime between December and February — so time isn't on your side.

Prevention is key. Getting an annual flu shot can help protect you from getting the flu. You may still get sick even if you're vaccinated, but flu symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, and body aches are likely to be less severe.

If you do get the flu, you may want to take an antiviral drug such as oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu), zanamivir (Relenza), or baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza) within two days of the onset of symptoms, especially if you are at high risk of flu complications. You may not be able to get rid of the flu in 24 hours, but these medications will help shorten the length of illness.

There are also home remedies, natural treatments, and other tactics that can help you feel a little better while your immune system fights the flu. Read on for eight strategies.

1. Sleep Away Your Flu Symptoms

"Getting sleep and taking time to recuperate is the best thing you can do for yourself, your coworkers, and your family," says Len Horovitz, MD, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Sleep strengthens the immune system, he explains, and the truth is, when you're feeling sick, you won't feel like doing much else.

Sleep as much as you can and avoid contact with others until you have been fever-free (without taking any fever-reducing medication) for 24 to 48 hours.

While lying down, place an extra pillow under your head to help drain your nasal passages and make yourself more comfortable.

2. Gargle to Soothe a Sore Throat

"If you have a sore throat, gargle with water or salt water," Dr. Horovitz says. Gargling can help lessen inflammation and loosen mucus in the throat, he explains, clearing out irritants such as germs.

3. Drink Water and Herbal Teas to Dodge Dehydration

The immune system requires hydration in order to do its job. "You have to stay hydrated so your cells are functioning as well as they can," says Christine Ryan, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Seattle. "Dehydration can delay your recovery."

For additional benefit, get your hydration from tea. Ryan recommends teas containing herbs, spices, or other flavorings known for their antiviral properties. Turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, chamomile, eucalyptus, fennel, thyme, and pennyroyal can all help calm inflammation, according to Ryan.

A report published in 2020 in Natural Product Communications lists even more antiviral herbs that are useful against cold and flu, such as peppermint leaf and oil.

There's also green tea, which contains a type of antioxidant called catechins that may protect against a variety of viral illnesses, according to a study published in 2021 in Molecules.

4. Sip Chicken Soup

Chicken soup isn't just warm and comforting. Research published in 2022 in Nutrients found that compounds in chicken soup called carnosine and anserine have "excellent" antioxidant and immunity-boosting effects that can help ease flu symptoms.

The National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus website notes that chicken soup has been a popular home remedy for the common cold since at least the 12th century, and while it's not a cure, it may relieve symptoms for a short time.

5. Clear Congestion With a Neti Pot

If you're stuffed up and feeling miserable, you might try using a neti pot — a small teapot-like vessel with a long spout — to flush mucus from your nasal passages twice a day, Horovitz says. This is done by placing a saline solution made with distilled, sterilized, or previously boiled water in the neti pot, and carefully following instructions for safe usage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers a neti pot how-to on its website.

6. Keep Nasal Passages Moist With Steamy Showers

Taking a long steamy shower can help soothe irritated throat and nasal passages, while also helping clear them of mucus, says Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of the Mount Sinai–National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute in New York City and author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds & Flu.

If the flu is making you feel lightheaded or weak, don't risk fainting in the shower; instead, simply turn on the hot water, find a place to sit in the bathroom, and inhale the steam for up to 10 minutes.

7. Consider Elderberry

In recent years, elderberry (sambucus nigra) has been gaining attention as a possible natural flu treatment. Syrups, pills, and other products containing elderberry line the shelves at major retailers and pharmacies.

Scientists are still investigating the antiviral effects of elderberry extract and juices, says Ryan, "but researchers theorize that elderberry can block HA glycoprotein spikes on influenza viruses, which prevents the viruses from duplicating." She adds that elderberry may also work by enhancing the effects of immune system proteins called cytokines, which help fight inflammation.

In a research article published in 2021 in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, researchers reviewed almost 1,200 records and five randomized trials on elderberry for the treatment or prevention of viral respiratory illness. They concluded that elderberry may be a safe option but stated that "evidence on both benefits and harms is uncertain and information from recent and ongoing studies is necessary to make firm conclusions."

8. Give Zinc a Try

Some experts are proponents of zinc as an immunity booster that may help shorten the duration or severity of the flu and improve symptoms if used early on. "I recommend using one or two lozenges per day," says Dr. Schachter.

Even though there is some research supporting this view, such as an investigation published in The Journal of Family Practice, study findings overall have been mixed on whether zinc can help fight respiratory infections. For instance, the results of a randomized controlled trial published in BMJ Open concluded that commercially available zinc acetate lozenges were not effective in treating the common cold. In an analysis of pooled data from 28 randomized controlled trials, also published in BMJ Open, scientists noted that many studies found zinc had only a modest effect or none at all on viral respiratory tract infections, especially in terms of easing daily symptoms.

Note that the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises checking with your doctor or pharmacist before taking zinc, as it may interact with antibiotics and penicillamine, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and a number of other conditions.

What If Your Flu Symptoms Don't Improve?

It's important to remember that the flu can have serious consequences, ranging from ear infections to pneumonia to worsening of chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, and diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some cases, it can even be deadly.

If you have the flu, you should be feeling better within five to seven days, "but if you are not and still have a fever or have started to feel badly again, be sure to call your doctor," Schachter says.

Alternative Flu Remedies

by DR JOHN BRIFFA, Daily Mail

Alternative health expert Dr John Briffa offers advice on how to give your immune system a boost and ward off flu symptoms.

Doctors and scientists have worked long and hard to find a cure for colds and flu. Recent advances have given us the flu vaccine and the anti-flu medication Relenza.

However, stocks of the flu vaccine are running dry, and Relenza is recommended only for those over 65 or those with significant illness.

Neither of these treatments is designed to fight the common cold. Fortunately, natural approaches can be effective and there is a wealth of scientific evidence to suggest that certain vitamins, minerals and herbs can help combat the viruses responsible for colds and flu.

Our susceptibility to infection is essentially dictated by the efficiency of our immune system -the part of the body responsible for repelling unwanted organisms such as viruses and bacteria.

The strength of the immune system is intimately related to lifestyle factors, including what we eat. An important dietary component in this respect is sugar. Two studies dating from the Seventies published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition show that sugar has the capacity to disable the immune system.

It therefore makes sense to limit sugar and probably refined carbohydrates (such as white bread and other white flour products) if we want to give our immune system the best chances of successfully fending off infectious agents.

While many of us are tempted to load up on orange juice at the first sign of a cold or flu, I would question the wisdom in this.

While the vitamin C in orange juice may help fight the infection in theory, the amount contained in commercially produced orange juices is very small compared to what appears to be the effective dose.

Plus, the high sugar content of these juices is likely to impair immune function, and may therefore prolong the infection rather than shorten it.

Several natural agents have been found to be effective in treating the common cold, probably the best known of which is vitamin C. Vitamin C has several immune strengthening and anti-viral actions in the body. Most studies suggest that 1.5-4g of vitamin C taken in divided doses during the day at the first sign of a cold reduce the number of ill days by about 30 per cent.

Research published in 1984 in the journal Antimicrobial Agents And Chemotherapy found that sucking a zinc lozenge every two waking hours reduced the average duration of colds by seven days compared to placebo (inactive medication).

The lozenge should not contain citric acid, tartaric acid, mannitol or sorbitol either, as these can render the zinc inactive.

The herb echinacea has gained quite a reputation over the past few years as a potent infection fighter. Echinacea has proven immune stimulating activity, and a review in the Journal Of Family Practice last year concluded that there was good evidence to support its use in the treatment of the common cold.

You will find Echinaid in independent health food stores.

Another useful agent in the treatment of viral infections is Sambucol. This product contains a blend of black elderberries (Sambucus nigra L.) and raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) which have the ability to inhibit the flu virus. Sambucol is available in independent health food stores.

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You Should Get Your Flu Shot And Ignore This Supplement Advice

Here a student receives a vaccine against the flu virus at a high school. (Photo: FRED... [+] TANNEAU/AFP/Getty Images)

If you are 6 months or older, get the flu vaccine. That's the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unless you have a true life threatening allergy to the flu vaccine or its components. If you are younger than 6 months and can read this, congratulations because you are remarkable.

If you think you may have an allergy, talk to your doctor. It may not really be an allergy.

Yes, the flu vaccine is not perfect. Its effectiveness in reducing your risk of the flu tends to range between 30% and 60%, depending on how well the strains in the vaccine match the circulating strains and how nasty the circulating strains are that year. But besides really good sushi, nothing is perfect in life. As they say, perfect is the enemy of good.

Beware of the myths about the flu vaccine floating around like the flu virus. No, the flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. If you happened to get the flu after the flu vaccine, that is called an unfortunate coincidence. No, getting the flu vaccine is not worse than getting the flu. Getting a needle stuck in your arm or something sprayed up your nose is not worse than the flu, which can knock you out for many days or even kill you regardless of how healthy you may be. No, the vaccine is not dangerous. Nothing in life is 100% safe but the vaccine has been tested extensively and each year many, many people get the vaccine without significant problems. No, getting the flu shot one year doesn't protect you in subsequent years. That would be like saying that you don't need to change your underwear. The circulating strains tend to change each year, and the protection that a flu vaccine offers wanes over time. Get a new flu shot every year and please change your underwear much more frequently than annually.

Why then do some people tell you to not to get the flu vaccine? After all, there is currently no better way of protecting yourself against the influenza virus. Well, let's look at a recent Tweet:

This Tweet seems to suggest that vitamins and "more" can somehow take the place of the flu shot in preventing the flu. Following the accompanying link brings you to a web page authored by a Joseph Mercola, DO, who claims that "There Are Better Ways to Protect Yourself From the Flu" than the flu vaccine. He writes, "if you want to be protected from influenza, consider practice immune system-boosting strategies that may help shield your body against flu-causing agents. Optimizing vitamin D levels, increasing vitamins B1 and C intake, or taking zinc lozenges when initial flu symptoms appear are known to work better than vaccines in addressing the disease before it worsens." And what does Mercola happen to sell? Vitamins and supplements. Lots of them, as can be seen on his web page. Hmmmm.

What evidence does he provide that these vitamins and supplements can protect you against the flu? He cites 4 papers but does not explain or go into detail how exactly these papers support his assertions. None of these papers really proves that vitamins or other supplements can prevent the flu or work better than the flu vaccine. In fact, one of the papers he cites, published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, clearly states "it is premature to recommend vitamin D for either the prevention or treatment of viral respiratory infections." Oh, snap. First rule of citing a paper to support your point of view: read that paper carefully.  

When someone tells you to avoid vaccines like the flu vaccine, look carefully at what that person happens to be selling. One has to wonder how many anti-vaccination campaigns are actually driven by those with ulterior motives or hidden agendas. Are they really trying to sell you an "alternative" to the flu vaccine like some pill, some plant, some way to crack your back, or some other wellness mumbo-jumbo? Or are they trying to sow discord, as in the case of Russian bots? If you are going to rely on bots to get health advice, you may as well have a newborn infant be your doctor.

It's one thing to convince you that your life will change for the better if you buy that shirt that looks like a potato sack. It's completely different to steer you away from something that can protect your life. The latter is irresponsible. Last year, the flu killed around 80,000 people. While that was an exceptionally bad flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that prior to last season, in recent years, annual influenza-associated deaths in the United States have ranged from a low of 12,000 (during 2011-2012) to a high of 56,000 (during 2012-2013). That same report estimates that "influenza vaccination during the 2015-2016 influenza season prevented an estimated 5.1 million illnesses, 2.5 million medical visits, 71,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 (pneumonia and influenza) deaths." Snake oil may be harmless when you are dealing with squeaky snakes but not with a major health risk.

So get your flu shot now (October is typically the best month). And be skeptical about anyone who tells you otherwise.

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