27 Nov A brief history of how to beat a cold naturally

Our ancestors were very savvy when it came to understanding how to beat a cold with herbal cold remedies. Brigitte Gallagher explains how echinacea has been used as a herbal medicine for colds for centuries, and how you can benefit too – without having to forage through the hedgerows!

How our ancestors beat a cold

The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, is often cited as being the father of medicine as he was one of the first people to demonstrate that disease wasn’t caused by supernatural forces.

Despite his pioneering work, many societies continued to believe that common illnesses such as colds and flu were caused by external forces for generations. For example, many mediaeval Britons believed that the Black Death was caused by the wrath of God!

Bloodletting, known as phlebotomy, was a common medical practice right up to the eighteenth century, and was used to treat everything from a sore throat to the plague, with some barbers even listing it as a service along with haircuts and shaves!

In fact, the everyday medical inventions that we take for granted today such as vaccinations and antibiotics are less than 300 years old.

Herbal cold remedies from history

A less extreme way that people could beat a cold or flu with limited resources was to turn to herbal cold remedies made from the plants that grew in the fields, or that they cultivated in herb gardens.

Our ancestors would have used natural herbal medicinal plants such as echinacea to support their health and beat a cold – in much the same way we take a trip to the chemist or an appointment with a doctor today.

They used products made from herbal botanicals to help them maintain their health or deal with the symptoms of common diseases such as colds and flu, based on an understanding of traditional use, rather than scientific knowledge.

How to beat a cold naturally today

These days, many people find that naturally-derived herbal cold remedies in tablet form are a convenient and effective way to beat a cold or cough. And, of course, we now understand much more about the science behind those herbal cold remedies that our great-great-grandparents used.

Herbal medicines in the UK today

The definition of a herbal remedy is any medicine with active ingredients derived from plant parts such as flowers, roots and leaves.

Today, most people are reluctant to gather herbs themselves when they want to beat a cold. In addition to being very time-consuming, it would be easy to do yourself more harm than good as there is a risk that you could ingest a plant that had no medicinal herbal properties or –  even worse – which could even be toxic.

We would rather know that anything we put in our bodies has been tested and is safe for us to take, as well as getting a therapeutic level of the herb through concentrated extracts.

That’s just one reason why herbal cold medicines in tablet form, such as our HRI Cold and Flu echinacea and HRI Coldcare with vitamin C and zinc are so popular.

As well as being the most convenient way to benefit from herbal remedies for colds, you also have the reassurance that they are safe for you to take.

To make sure you only take exactly the herbs you expect, it’s wise to look for the traditional herbal registration scheme (THR) logo on the packaging before you buy.

This shows you that the herbal medicine you’re taking for your cold or flu and immunity complies with safety and manufacturing quality standards and, crucially, provides clear directions for use and explains any contraindications for circumstances where it shouldn’t be taken.

Echinacea as a herbal medicine for colds

Echinacea continues to be one of the most popular tried and tested herbal medicines for colds and flu, with people regularly using it to beat a cold naturally and to reduce the severity and duration of the symptoms if they do catch one.

Echinacea flowers look a bit like giant pink daisies and grow naturally in countries like Mexico and Canada. These flowers have been harvested for centuries by communities such as the Indigenous Americans to relieve cold and flu symptoms.

As our scientific understanding has developed, our understanding of why echinacea endures as a popular herbal remedy for cold and flu.

With our contemporary scientific understanding of herbal medicines, we now know that the power of echinacea is thanks to the natural plant compounds it contains which stimulate the immune system, slow down oxidation and help to reduce inflammation.

Something that our forebears knew, but didn’t fully understand.

How is HRI Cold & Flu Echinacea different?

Our licensed HRI Cold & Flu Echinacea herbal tablets contain extracts from the root or rhizome of the echinacea plant, providing you with the equivalent of  338-450mg of the herbal medicine, Echinacea purpurea.

These easy-to-swallow tablets are less than 10mm in diameter and can be taken continuously to build up immunity and help to prevent colds and flu, or when symptoms arise to speed up recovery.

HRI Coldcare has the recommended daily dose of vitamin C and zinc you need to boost your immunity and reduce the likelihood of catching a cold or flu.

Each echinacea tablet contain 56 mg of echinacea root, which is equivalent to 338-450mg of Echinacea purpurea, plus 29.3mg per tablet of vitamin C and 3.3mg of Zinc.

Why not stock up on one of our natural herbal cold remedies with echinacea today so you’re ready to fight off any colds or flu?

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