Seasonal Cold

I’ve had a stinking cold this week - one of those really drippy ones, sneezing what feels like every few seconds. Luckily, there is no shortage of herbal remedies for a common cold, and with the amount of snot I was producing, drinking copious amounts of  fluids in the form of herbal tea was no hardship. 

Herbs for a Cold Tea

In order to “turn off the tap” somewhat, I opted for lime blossom and elderflower. Elderflower has a toning effect on the mucous membranes, which is why it it commonly used for chronic catarrh and allergies like hay fever, as well as for bouts of cold and flu. Lime blossoms also help reduce catarrh, plus they help relieve sinus headaches and are wonderfully calming - so important when falling asleep is made harder because of a blocked nose and associated headache. 

Because I had some fresh thyme to use up from a cooking recipe earlier in the week, I added thyme for good measure. Thyme is predominantly an expectorant and anti-microbial, so it wasn’t strictly speaking called for in my case, since I am pretty sure it was a viral rather than bacterial cold, and luckily it hadn’t gone to my chest. But I threw it in for good measure and taste - I like something rich in essential oils when my nose is all stuffy, and part of the fun of herbal remedies is that you can take liberties with the prescriptions to accommodate taste and preferences - at least when you are dealing with kitchen herbs and are confident about not causing any unwanted side effects.