Have a Cough? Try This Natural Remedy

Thyme for a Cough

If the worrying news about over-the-counter cough syrup has you down, try this natural alternative:

Add three tablespoons of dried thyme to one pint of boiling water. Let cool, then add one cup of honey. Take one teaspoon every hour as needed. You can store the mix in the fridge for up to three months.

Another option: vitamin C-rich ziziphus fruit tea.

Vitamin C to Prevent Colds

Cold and flu season in the U.S. stretches from November to March. As much as 20 percent of the U.S. population contracts influenza (200,000 are hospitalized and 36,000 die) and most people get two or three colds.

To prevent a cold, try vitamin C, delivered either the old-fashioned way with a daily dose of orange or grapefruit juice, peaches, red peppers or other vitamin C-rich food, or with a vitamin supplement. Double up with echinacea for an added boost.

See the Top 10 Food Sources of Vitamin C. Other natural cold-preventatives include the herb andrographis, zinc and elderberry extract.

Garlic for a Runny Nose

There\'s no cure for a runny nose like getting the snot out, and garlic can do the trick.

Just add garlic to your meals for both a short-term treatment and long-term fortification against the next cold or flu virus.

Another idea: Boil water with a drop or two of eucalyptus oil. Stand with your head about 18 inches above the pot to avoid scalding, cover your head and the pot of water with a towel, and breathe deeply.

Leafy Greens for Nosebleeds

Dry indoor air, coupled with a sneeze, can be a recipe for nosebleeds.

A daily cup of leafy greens can provide enough vitamin K to fortify sensitive capillaries and help your blood clot quickly. Kale and collard greens have the highest vitamin K content, followed by spinach.

Another natural remedy for nosebleeds is yarrow, a flower available as a supplement.

Tea for Sore Throats

A little illness can take a lot out of you — like your voice or your desire to speak at all.

For a sore throat, the tea remedy is as old as time, it seems. Try jujube tea for an extra vitamin C boost.

Other natural sore throat remedies include a goldenseal gargle, or a Pelargonium sidoides supplement.

Carrots for Headaches

If the foot traffic at the mall gives you a headache, fortify yourself ahead of time with this natural remedy: a simple salad.

Phytonutrients in fresh produce, like the beta-carotene in carrots, can reduce inflammation in the blood vessels of the brain. Eating two cups a day can help some people reduce headache incidence by 70 percent!

Nuts for Energy

There\'s nothing like watching the sunset from your office window to suck the energy out of you. No question: Winter can be tough.

Find time to exercise and to laugh, get enough sleep — and look to unsalted nuts like almonds for a good energy booster.

Raisins or dried apricots are also good options.

For more ideas, including \"herbal uppers\" and meditation tips for beginners, see QuickandSimple.com\'s Natural Remedies.

Lavender for Anxiety

You\'re hosting your family for a holiday meal, you have presents to buy and the household finances are tighter than they have been in years. Winter is a recipe for anxiety.

Lavender can help. Apply lavender oil or a sachet to your pulse points — the arteries at your wrists, neck and feet are a good start — for a subtle soothing experience.

Other natural anxiety remedies include sipping chamomile or black tea, or bathing in hot water sprinkled with dry valerian root.

Pineapples for Better Digestion

Eating well during the holiday season is a goal more than a reality for many of us. All that bad food can make your digestive tract complain loudly.

Make a half cup of pineapple part of your routine to reduce intestinal inflammation, speed the breakdown of protein and, most important, reduce gas.

For natural remedies for indigestion or constipation, see these tips from QuickandSimple.com.

Tomatoes for Burns

A pellet or wood stove can be an efficient way to warm your home, but it can also leave you walking away with a burn.

For minor burns, slice a tomato and apply it to the burn, allowing the juice to fully dry. Tomatoes have nature\'s healthiest dose of lycopene, which is anti-inflammatory.

Also try a baking soda and water salve or St. John\'s wort oil.

Celery for Better Sleep

Cold nights, the stress of the holiday season and the shifting hourglass sands brought on by the end of Daylight Savings can throw off your sleep pattern.

If all the usual non-medicinal remedies have failed you, try munching some celery for the sedative powers of the phthalides it contains.

Also try Valerian root, chamomile tea, lemon balm or lavender.

Walnuts for Dry Skin

Dry, cracked skin is a part of the season for many — but it doesn\'t have to be so bad.

Fortify your skin by eating one ounce of walnuts daily. Within two weeks, the natural omega-3 oils will not only keep your energy levels up, but improve the elasticity and natural moisture in your skin.

Honey Yogurt Lotion for Dry Skin

If dry skin has already set in, set about soothing and restoring cracked, itchy spots with this natural salve.

2 tablespoons honey
\r\n1/2 cup plain regular yogurt
\r\n1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
\r\n1 cup iced black tea

Apply mixture of first three ingredients to skin and leave for 15 minutes. Splash off with the tea.