Nothing's More Natural Than Cold and Flu Remedies from the Garden

Did you know the average adult gets two to four colds per year, and kids get as many as six to eight? That’s a lot of sick days. Fortunately, there are two ingredients sitting right inside your garden that can boost your immune system, reduce your chance of getting sick in the first place, and ease your symptoms if you do get sick.

Those ingredients are oregano and garlic, and they're good for so much more than flavoring your food. When combined, they create a powerful tincture that can keep you healthy this cold and flu season.

Both oregano and garlic have antimicrobial and antiviral properties, and they’re packed with antioxidants. Here's a simple, three-ingredient herbal tincture recipe that you can throw together and use as a natural cold and flu remedy this winter.

Medical Disclaimer

I'm a gardener, not a doctor or a certified herbalist. Please be aware this is my personal recipe that I have used in my personal experience. As always, check with your trusted health care provider before starting or stopping any treatments, herbal or medicinal.

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Health Benefits of Oregano

I've always loved growing oregano in my garden, but I first started thinking about using oregano medicinally during COVID. I have asthma, and I'd read concerning articles about how people with respiratory issues are more susceptible to contracting COVID and likely to have more serious health outcomes. So I started looking into things I could do to protect myself. That's when I found some articles about the power of oregano — how it can build up your respiratory system and protect you from viruses. I started putting oregano on everything I ate and using oregano oil.

Oregano has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. It's rich in antioxidants and potentially healing compounds like carvacrol, thymol, and terpinene. This herb has a long history of being used to promote respiratory health. And studies seem to back this up. A 2011 study found that oregano oil inhibits human viruses in vitro, particularly respiratory viruses. A 2013 study noted that oregano oil reduced pain in rats, suggesting its analgesic effects might be helpful for treating painful flu symptoms like body aches and sore throats.

Nowadays, you can purchase an oregano supplement or oregano essential oil or make an oregano tincture to treat cold and flu symptoms.

Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is ideal for enjoying during cold and flu season thanks to its antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Compounds in garlic have been shown to improve our immune systems by boosting the disease-fighting response of our white blood cells when they encounter viruses like the ones that cause the common cold and flu.

In one study, 146 participants were given either garlic supplements or a placebo for three months. Among those who took garlic, there were 24 reported cases of the common cold, while the placebo group had 65 cases. The length of time to recover from the cold was, on average, one day shorter for the garlic group, which the researchers considered insignificant. (I'll take one less day of feeling terrible!) Other studies have found that garlic lowers your risk of becoming sick in the first place, and if you do become sick, it reduces both the severity of symptoms and the duration of the illness.

In addition to using garlic in this tincture, it's recommended that you enjoy garlic as a regular part of your diet during the coldest months. Decreasing our sick days is totally worth walking around with major garlic breath all winter long, am I right?

Garlic Oregano Tincture

Ingredients

1 cup dried oregano leaves
garlic cloves, separated and peeled, from 1 full bulb
1 cup vodka

How to Dry Oregano Leaves from the Garden

Harvest oregano stems in the morning, when the leaves contain the most oils. Remove the bottom leaves from each stem. Tie small bundles together with twine and hang upside down in a dark, dry, and cool spot. Leaves are fully dried after two to three weeks, when they crumble easily between your fingers. Strip the leaves from the stems and store them in an airtight jar.

Directions

Add oregano leaves, garlic cloves, and vodka to a glass jar. Make sure the liquid fully covers the leaves and cloves. Put the lid on the jar and label.
Store the jar in a cool, dark place. Give the jar a good shake every 3 to 4 days.
After 6 weeks, strain out the oregano and garlic, reserving just the liquid.
Pour your tincture into an amber-colored dropper bottle (amber is ideal to protect the mixture from light). Label your tincture and take as needed.

Keep This Herbal Tincture Recipe on Hand

Whenever you're beginning to feel under the weather, take a couple drops of your herbal tincture, put them right under your tongue, hold for a few seconds, and then swallow. Repeat throughout the day. (Consult your pediatrician before giving a dose to a child.)

That's your natural way to fight off cold and flu without taking a bunch of supplements from the store. Look, those supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, so who even knows what's in them? But you know exactly what's in your homemade tincture. It's got oregano, garlic, and vodka — that's it!

Here's to fewer sick days thanks to these incredible plants from the garden!