Ayurvedic Remedies and Yoga Practices for Colds and Flue

Since long time I wanted to write something about Ayurveda, the”Science of life”, the system of traditional Indian medicine and sister science of yoga. I haven’t found the right start yet, but an opportunity was offered recently. I hope it’s interesting for you. More to come…

Many people around me in KL suffer from flue these days. And even I, who haven’t been sick for long time, feel a bit going on in my body. I treated myself with Ayurvedic remedies and would like to share what has been working with you.

Ayurvedically  speaking, colds and flue are a disorder of Kapha-Vata – two of the three body constitutions according to Ayurveda . The body builds up an excess of mucus, resulting in familiar symptoms such as  runny nose, cough, and congestion. Ayurvedic remedies for flue aim for relieving the cold symptoms and support recovery by bringing the Kapha-Vata imbalance back to a balanced state. Based on literature and personal experience I’d like to list of helpful remedies:

AYURVEDIC REMEDIES

One excellent remedy is ginger. I like to prepare a ginger-cinnamon-lemongrass tea: Put 1-2 finger size of peeled old ginger, 1 table spoon cinnamon, and 3 stalks punched lemongrass together in a liter of water and boil them for around 10 minutes. Let it cool a bit and add honey for sweetness. Drink this delicious teas several times a day. You can add water and reboil during the day. My wife likes to add a pandan leaf into the tea, something which she learned from her Indian grandmother. Not sure if this an Ayurvedic remedy but it gives a nice flavor to the tea.
Besides, I add young ginger to my food, may it be as ginger juice into a salad dressing or cut in small pieces in a soup or other cooked food.

For productive wet cough I have used the following remedy: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder with 1 teaspoon honey and eat on full stomach. If your voice is hoarse, use ghee (clarified butter) instead of honey.

A sore throat can easily be treated with the following remedy: mix 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 1 cup of warm water. Gargle with this mixture morning and evening. A sore throat never lasted longer than 1 or two days when I treated my kids with this remedy. I use to take it whenever I feel something starting to bother me in my throat and I never got a real sore throat since.

A very helpful treatment for a runny nose is to put some liquefied ghee in each nostril in the morning and before sleep. This will lubricate yhe nasal passages and relieve the irritation and sneezing of a cold.

YOGA PRACTICES

Besides, Ayurvedic remedies, different yoga kriya (cleansing) practices have shown to be beneficial.

Kapalabhati breathing helps to burn up the cold. During this practice inhale normally and relax your belly, but exhale forcefully, and repeat several times. To avoid complications, let a qualified yoga instructor teach you in this breathing practice.

Neti nasal wash: Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt (without added fluor!) in 1 liter of warm water. Use a neti pot and wash each nostril 2 times in the morning and before sleep. Add the ghee as nose drops afterwards. If you want to intensify the cleansing of your nose, apply a neti string before doing the nasal wash.

Vigorous exercise should be avoided when you have a cold. However, gentle exercise like surya namasakara (sun salutation) is beneficial. Inverted postures, including shoulder stand and headstand as well as standing forward bends help to prevent nasal drip and help to drain the mucus through the nose.

Vaman dauthi: I have benefited from this advanced krya practice, whenever there was tom much mucus in my system, not only during a cold.

OTHER REMEDIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Vitamin C: Taking some vitamin C, e.g. tablet dissolved in water, will be beneficial.

Hot water: Drinking hot water several times a day is an effective way to remove toxins from your the system and hasten recovery from a cold. At the same time avid all cold drinks or foods.

No dairy products: Strictly avoid dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and milk, since they will increase mucus in your system.

Be sure to rest: Rest is very important for healing. As much as possible, rest, read, and relax.

I hope the described remedies and practices help you to relieve the symptoms and eliminate the causes of a cold. All works as I have experienced, partly myself or while treating my family and friends. If you are interested in more Ayurvedic remedies, stay tuned or read “The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies” by Vasant lad.

Stay healthy or get well soon!

Volker