I choose to fight a virus naturally whenever possible and these are my top tips. Since we have a large family, it can take almost 2 weeks for a virus to run its course through our family, with each family member being sick for about 2 days (those of us with weak immune systems are often sick longer).
We rely on these home remedies to help us get well quicker. We also use them to keep the sicknesses away in the first place. Of course, I am not a doctor and these are simply based on my experience and opinion.
It is always a good idea to give our bodies a break so that we do not build immunity to the products and have them lose their boosting powers. If we are not actively fighting a virus, I do not use these every day but only if we know that we may have been exposed to a virus.
My Favorite Health Resources
Fit2b is my favorite online exercise resource – start with the 5×5 challenge! Learn More HERE.
Beeyoutiful is my favorite place to order vitamins, supplements, herbs, probiotics, and essential oils – I have been a loyal customer since 2008! SHOP HERE
Trim Healthy Mama offers a sustainable lifestyle for the whole family! Their resources will help you succeed! Shop Here
Subscribe to the Christian Herbal Magazine for some old-fashioned help! LEARN MORE HERE.
More Than 5 Ways To Fight A Virus Naturally
Elderberry Syrup – we buy Berry Well from Beeyoutiful. It is delicious and packed full of antioxidants and bacteria-fighting properties. The original Berry Well recipe is an immune-boosting mixture of elderberries, raw apple cider vinegar, raw honey, and echinacea. (booster)
Probiotics – we use Tummy Tuneup most often. It is an extremely high-quality, vegan probiotic that helps improve gut health and fight off bad bacteria. Gut Guardian is also beneficial and great at maintaining a healthy gut. I am a firm believer in health starting in the gut! (supporter)
Garlic – we use garlic pills for their antibacterial powers. We also eat garlic in the form of fermented garlic honey* or as fresh/cooked in recipes. (supporter)
Essential Oils – we use chamomile most often, but also use a blend called Bandito. It is awesome and contains frankincense, rosemary, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, and lemon essential oils making it a perfect virus-fighting blend for diffusing or as a cleaning agent. (supporter or booster, depending on the EO and how it is used)
Teas – we use a hot water-based drink that has fermented garlic honey* (can use plain raw honey instead), lemon juice, Trim Healthy Mama Just Gelatin or Collagen (protein source, gut-soothing), and cayenne pepper for head colds, sore throats, and stomach bugs. This seems to kick the virus and shorten the symptoms/duration of the virus for us! (supporter)
Silver – we use liquid silver hydrosol as a supplement to fight a virus naturally. This brand seems to be the best, in our experience. Follow the guidelines on the bottle. (supporter)
Bone-Broth Soup – the old remedy of “chicken soup” is based around using real bone-broth with garlic, onion, and other healthy ingredients to flood your body with nutrients and antioxidants. Be sure you are not eating soup from a can and expecting the same results. (supporter)
Fire Cider – this is a raw apple cider vinegar drink infused with the power of garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, black peppercorns, peppers, and whatever else you can think of that may have anti-inflammatory properties and be beneficial to your immune system. I put all of the ingredients in a mason jar with a lid and let it sit for a few days up to a week on my counter to ferment. Be sure everything is submerged in the raw ACV. Loosen the lid every day to release any excess gases that have built up from the fermentation process. Then I strain out the solids and store the fire cider liquids in a sealed jar in the fridge to use throughout the year ahead. We take a spoonful as needed – and as tolerated. Can be made into a “tea” with or without the fermented garlic honey*. (supporter)
Side Note:
- I have an autoimmune disease, so I do not take immune system boosters but I do take immune system supporters – I have noted boosters/supporters below.
- Some people with autoimmune conditions can tolerate immune boosters if taken occasionally.
- Please do your own research and talk to your healthcare provider if you have a medical condition.
- I try to eat whole foods that are nutrient-rich to stay healthier overall.
What are your favorite ways to fight a virus?
*To make fermented garlic honey just fill a jar halfway with organic garlic cloves (peeled) and then fill the jar up the rest of the way with raw honey. Home-grown garlic and local honey are best. Put a lid on the jar and set it on your counter out of direct sunlight. Every day (for the first week), open the lid to “burp” it to release the excess gases built up from the fermentation process. You may also want to stir it every few days to keep the garlic covered with honey until it has fermented. Or, you could flip the jar upsidedown (if using a waterproof lid) to encourage the fermentation process to reach all of the honey. It will take around one month to be ready to use. When the honey has become runnier (like water) and the garlic cloves have turned brown, it is fermented. Store on the counter or in a cupboard (at room temp). Take a spoonful of honey when you have been exposed to a sickness. Can be taken straight or added to hot water to drink as a tea. You can also eat a garlic clove for super strong support against illness. Honey is not recommended for children under age one. We start the jar in late summer and use it throughout the year ahead, as needed.
READ: GROWING NATURAL – RESOURCES FOR MOMS DESIRING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
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Good ideas!
Great tips. Thanks for sharing. Do you buy fermented garlic or ferment your own? If you buy, what brand? If you ferment, how?
I make my own. I use fresh organic garlic cloves and fill a quart mason jar about 1/2 to 3/4 full with the peeled garlic and cover completely with organic/local raw honey, close jar with plastic lid and allow to sit at room temp out of direct light. It should be “burped” every day or two to allow the build-up of gases to escape (open lid briefly) and after a few weeks, it is fermenting. You can use it right away but the fermenting makes it stronger. You can use it for as long as it lasts (for us, 1 jar has lasted over a year). The honey turns into a runny liquid and my kids say it has its own flavor. I have not taken it myself, lol.. but my husband and kids do at the first sign of any sickness. My 11yo daughter says it is delicious. We spoon out the liquid, leaving behind the garlic cloves. 1 spoonful per cup of hot water/tea. This is the first time we have made/used it and we are in our second fall/winter using the same bottle. I have heard that you can eat the cloves after the liquid is gone but we haven’t gotten to that point yet.
I’ve made garlic honey for several years now and it really helps with sore throats and colds, though I have never heard of fermenting it, or adding it to water for a tea (although that sounds good). We usually just take a spoonful of both the honey and the chopped up garlic. This year I added some ginger I put through my zester. The taste was amazing and I believe it really adds to the honey and garlic. When we needed another batch not long ago as I make small batches as needed, I forgot to add the ginger and wondered what was off about the taste. After remembering the ginger and adding it–oh–how good it was!
This is a very helpful list. Can you explain to me why you do not use immune boosters? My son has an auto immune disease so I would not want him to have the Berry Well? I would love to know more about this! Thank you so much.
Based on my own experience and opinion, I choose not to use anything that may boost my immune system and “tell” it to work harder since that is what tends to trigger my autoimmune condition.