Fight Off The Flu With These 4 Essential Ingredients

With cold and flu season on the way, it is important to make sure you know how to keep your immune system strong and how to combat the flu. While there are many vitamins and herbs that you can take, there are a few essential ones. If you are planning on getting a mixture to make into a flu remedy drink, then you should look for it to contain most, if not all, of these. Here are the important vitamins, minerals, and herbs and how they help with combating the flu.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is well known to help with colds and immune strength. However, if you are looking to fight off the flu, it will take more than a little glass of orange juice. What you are looking for are "mega-doses." There are studies that have shown that people who have developed flu symptoms had excellent results when they were given "mega-doses" of vitamin C. So, it is important that you make sure your flu remedy drink contains vitamin C. If you want to supplement your drink with extra vitamin C, then you can get separate vitamin C pills and take them in addition to the drink. Some concoctions might have all the other important herbs but be a bit lacking in vitamin C, so an easy fix is to just add some extra vitamin C pills throughout the day.

Slippery Elm

Slippery elm is an herb that handles one particular symptom of the flu: sore throat. It works by coating the throat (and digestive tract, which is why it is also used by people suffering stomach ailments). It's often found in lozenges, but it is also in most flu remedy drinks. The slippery elm needs to be mixed with a liquid (the lozenge uses your mouth's saliva) to create the "slick" coating on your throat.

Echinacea

This beautiful plant is one of the most common remedies for the cold and flu. It is made into a tea and also taken by pill. It acts as a general immune system tonic. There have been studies that have found that people who had early stage flu symptoms (and who drank echinacea tea) got better sooner than people who did not.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that helps with the flu and cold. It is one of the most important minerals to have in your body when you are fighting off flu. You should avoid supplementing with plain zinc, since it can have serious side effects (such as copper deficiency) when you take too much. Instead, choose a flu remedy formulation that has zinc in it. Unlike with vitamin C, you should not go out and buy more zinc and take it throughout the day. Just stick with what is in the drink.

Check out a company like Norse Eir to find flu remedy drinks.