Going ten rounds with the Common cold, the herbal way.

Being an East Londoner now, I have almost become one of those yuppies who do things the naturalistic organic way. Introduced to over priced organic tea brands and root vegetables from the organicist of underground soils for an extortionate price, seems to be the drug of these Easterly shores. However, this wonderful festive season, i have endeavored to fight the british classic of a cold the old fashioned wives tale way.

You know the feeling on that wonderfully iced afternoon, when the tingly throat develops and your head starts feeling like a baby elephant is sitting on your skull, (The biggest of the elephant tribe is waiting for his turn to sit later that evening) You sneeze out the odd germ and boom, you have caught a cold. Most probably from the tall, sniveling man on that underground train you was crammed onto a few days previously, who thought he would give you a wonderful present this festive season by exploding a million germ particles into your face with his expulsions of air.

So, step one of killing this fungus that is turning into a full scale family pulsing through your veins, gaining speed as it picks up other free radicles in your system, a little like a beginner at roller disco, at first a little slow and cautious, skating precariously around the small circular stadium (the blood stream), then, as its confidence grows, those wheels spin faster and the need to grab hold of others and take them on this tremendous journey around and around develops leaving the carrier drained and unable to cope with the 70’s discotheque occurring in their arteries.

Echinacea - I take this herbal supplement daily and it helps support the immune system. Although nothing of what I will recommend is a cure, its all incredibly preventative and shortens dramatically this feeling of yuk. Echinacea is known amongst many as a stimulant for the immune system and it helps reduce any inflammation in the body, it also aids with the development of cold sores (of which I get many) mostly through stress and exhaustion, but they too are nasty beings. For me they are a little like Doctor Who’s Darlics, you think you’ve killed them off for good, but years later they are still reappearing with vengeance and now the ability to float! All in all, this herbal supplement is a great beginning to the fight.

Step 2, Pukka teas, lemon, Ginger and manuka honey with half a lemon squeezed into this boiling hot beverage, it seems to have helped me immensely. About 4 times a day this flows into my system and soothes me from the inside out, instantly making me feel overwhelmed with warmth. A really good substitute for the normal British cuppa in times of need.

Step 3, Try to stay away from dairy as much as possible. Although we all adore a lovely spread of butter on our sourdough toast or creamy milk with our cereal it actually encourages the mucas growth in your system, mostly making the phlegm that we have thicker, creating more reason for your nose to become that running tap of hell we all know about.

Step 4, Lysine - this herbal supplement is also a great one for fighting the cold sore virus of dread. 1 tablet a day with some kind of digestible meal helps the immune system to combat many forms of disease. Its ability to aid the body retain calcium is also a helpful treat to those who may suffer from osteoporosis or such like. Plus its intensity helps suffers of anxiety, by delivering a calming effect on the human anatomy.

Step 5 - PAW PAW, for those of you unaware of this product, Paw paw cream is derived mostly from the fruit of the shapely triangular bush that is the Asimina Triloba, thats, tree of paw paw to those of us less familiar with the language of the ancient tree lovers. Beautifully loaded with antioxidants and soothing qualities, the genius who made this into an ointment should be honored to the highest decree and celebrated globally, for crying out loud, if Cliff Richard gets appointed to be a Sir for his (coughs into ones hands as speaks) ‘singing’ plus his arrogance towards his fans and preaching of humanity unto all men, whilst spinning in a slow circle with his arms raised, thinking to himself what shape swimming pool to purchase for his new, beach side, Miami abode... the inventor of a medical miracle should, perhaps, be celebrated at some point. But hey what do i know. Back to the point in hand. Every time you reach for that tissue, sneeze, twitch or feel one tiny ounce of dryness on your face make sure you cover your entire nose in the stuff. Yes its shiny, and yes it is quite a thick texture but a couple of days of shiny nose syndrome is so much more pleasant than three weeks of dry crusty nose syndrome, the moment you have to explain, “Oh i am sorry thats not a bogey in my nostrills, its just a piece of dry flaky skin from where i’ve had to blow my nose with every kind of tissue from cheap toilet roll to Kleenex man size sheets, to within an inch of its life until my skin falls off” This is a moment of pure horror. When society judges us all so much on appearance and first impressions this is of upmost importance, when ninja combatting the common cold, or the one whose name shall not be spoken as it is referred to in my household.

Good luck kickboxing this years flu symptoms out of you, I hope these tips and tricks help you a little.