Common cold or flu got you down? Looking for a natural remedy for a cold and flu?

Stop your cold and get back to the gym (or yoga) by doing this…… 

Drink Yarrow tea.

Drinking 4 to 8 cups of yarrow tea, at the start of a cold or flu can help you recover quicker, faster.

This is exactly what I did – and it worked! (The attached photo is the yarrow I used, picked fresh from my backyard).

Yarrow – Natural remedy for a cold and flu

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), is one of the most common wayside herbs, grown in many places throughout North America.

I learned about the medicinal properties of Yarrow- just in time.

I started to come down with a cold and a good friend (Kenna Graff) mentioned how she cured her daughter’s cold in a day, drinking yarrow tea.

So I thought I`d give it a try and it worked! Now I am passing this information to you.

To get you familiar with Yarrow (and hopefully comfortable using it), here are it’s properties.

Properties of Yarrow: Bitter, Stimulant, Anti inflammatory, Astringent, Diuretic, Diaphoretic, Tonic, Emmenagogue, and Alternative

Yarrow is often put in the ‘bitter’ category of herbs. Due to the extremely powerful volatile oil (Achillein).

This oil, together with it’s tannic acid, gives it a stimulating, anti inflammatory, astringent effect.

Yarrow is also a natural diuretic, so when consuming yarrow tea, be prepared to hit the washroom several times a day. In fact, this is exactly what happened to me. But hey, I kicked my cold in about 1-2 days! I am guessing one of the mechanism of actions was that it flushed out the ‘acid’ toxins, contributing to my cold.

Yarrow also helps bring on a sweat (diaphoretic). In fact, you could support a fever with it and assist the body’s natural healing response to infection this way.

The classic formula for colds and flus is yarrow, peppermint, and elderflower. Drink very hot. Then wrap up warmly, keeping a hot water bottle (bottom of feet) and wait to sweat.

I personally didn’t have peppermint and elderflower on hand, but, it still worked to stop my cold.

More applications for Yarrow

Cold and flu prevention: Drink 1 or 2 cups per day as a tonic. Yarrow is a medicinal herb considered to be one of the most valuable herbs in the world. Yarrow is especially known for its action on the liver. It has been shown to strengthen the liver`s efficiency and stimulate bile production. You can drink it hot or room temperature. Try it in your morning green drink or smoothie instead of using water as a base (that’s what I have been doing lately).

Everyday cleanse: Start with 1 cup a day and slowly increase to 2 cups over a period of 2 weeks. Yarrow`s astringent medicinal properties helps firm and tone your body`s tissues. This is especially good news for those who are looking to reset their bad dietary habits or been exposed to a lot of toxins. 

Coffee replacement: Yarrow`s `stimulating` properties also helps to rehabilitate the body`s systems with renewed alertness and immunity. This makes for a great morning coffee replacement.

Balances menstruation: Start with 1 cup of yarrow tea and increase an additional 1 cup until you reach up to 4 cups of yarrow tea a day. Try this over a period of 1 month and continue for 3 months. Doing so can promote menstrual balance. Yarrow can be used for menses that are too heavy or too light; spotting between cycles, or for those dreaded menstrual cramps (along with a good quality calcium/magnesium supplement during the day with additional magnesium at night).

Night sweats: Drink 1 cup of Yarrow tea (any preferred temperature) and 1 cup of cool (not cold) cup of Yarrow tea before bed.

How to make Yarrow tea

Dried Herb: Take 28 grams (1 ounce) of the dried herb, pour on 476 ml (1 pint) of boiling water, cover and steep for 5-10 minutes. Best to drink without added sweetener (to release the added benefits of the bitter properties). If you haven`t developed the taste for bitter herbs, then add a little honey or stevia.

Freshly gathered herb: If you start with freshly gathered undried Yarrow leaves, make sure you simmer it down, on the stove for 20-30 minutes, covered. Then strain and drink half a cup, 3 times a day. The leaves are edible. Simply toss them in your next veggie dish and enjoy!

Cautions:

Many midwives advise against using Yarrow during pregnancy as it can be extra stimulating to the uterus.

Summary

If you are struggling with a cold or flu, and you’re looking for a natural remedy – Yarrow is probably the herb for the job. Even if you are at the stage of vomiting, and nothing will go down, just sip yarrow tea. The idea is to take small doses at regular intervals. Even if you vomit the first bit out, keep on it. Drinking it cool usually helps in extreme cases.

I truly hope you get to know your yarrow and try it for yourself! I did and now it’s definitely part of my Fit n Healthy Plan!

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