Colds and Tea

I haven’t tried any teas that are specifically designated as soothing for colds, but when I’m sick I tend to gravitate toward green teas and herbal blends (which I let cool before drinking). Among the herbals, I go for things with lemon or mint in them as those seem to be particularly soothing. I could also see going for a creamy chamomile for the mouth feel.

I avoid smoky teas, teas with bite to them, and teas that are best served at high temperatures, as I find all of those to be irritants. This basically cuts out a lot of black teas.

Uh, so this isn’t really a “tea” per se, but a Korean remedy that my friend imparted to me when I was in the midst of a really awful cold one year. It’s best to drink it when you have little to no sense of taste remaining, because it is… kind of strange. I’m not even sure I’d call it an acquired taste. I’ll just list the ingredients here:

- Fresh ginger, cut up into small rounds
- Jujubes, one to two, depending on size (I’ve used medjool dates to the same effect. I think any type that isn’t sugared or dry will do the trick).
- Scallions, chopped. You don’t need a ton of it, but it needs to be in there.

Add all this into a tea pot with water and bring to a low boil for about thirty minutes. Your resultant liquor should be slightly reddish from the dates. I cook up a batch whenever I feel a cold coming on, and it is pretty effective most of the time. It helps with your throat, too, which appears to be your main problem. For my part, I usually have a lot of pressure/clogging in my ears, and this does wonders for it.

Not a ‘tea’ as well, but I like to put lemon slices in hot water/tea. Ginger/Honey are also great additions. Lemongrass maybe if you’re really brave- it’s very aromatic. If you go to asian grocery markets, most will carry something that’s like lemon or ginger or other things suspended in honey-substance that you’re supposed to put in hot water.

One of my friends has a tea she got while in china which was basically dried lemon slices covered in tea bits. I never cared for it, it didn’t taste as good as with fresh lemons IMO.

Cinnamon sticks are also great added to hot water, but I tend to disflavor the cinnamon/lemon combo.

I tried Echineacia Elder Tea by Traditional Medicinals once when I was in college. It claimed to ‘boost your immune system’. I don’t know about that, but it didn’t taste horrible. They also sell some ‘cold care’ teas. I can’t attest to any of those, but they’re all on Amazon if you want to check them out.

I hope you feel better!

Ginger and honey will do you good. If you have any maple syrup (actual maple syrup, from trees, not the flavored stuff) have some of that too. No real specific teas though, I think that teas in general are good for your throat, with the hot water plenty fluids for your sickness and whatnot.

Ginger and honey, or lemon and honey. If you can’t taste, then drink down some teas you feel bad about throwing out, but don’t really like. :)

I was just reading today that zinc is better than vitamin C, so maybe there’s a tea that has lots of zinc?

Get a good Manuka Honey that is active and add some to your tea. I’ve heard of people rave about the wonders of manuka honey.

David’s Tea has Cold 911, and I’ve used it in the past. It’s got peppermint, juniper berries, orange peel, and eucalyptus oil. It’s quite pungent, but it really clears out your sinuses and makes your throat feel good, especially if you add a little honey. Here’s the Steepster page for it: http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/18154-cold-911-organic

Traditional medicinals gypsy cold care always does the trick for me. Unlike the yogi tea this one is more minty than licorice

I also drink traditional medicinals. My fav for a chesty cold is breathe easy. It works as well as mucinex to releive congestion. And tastes wonderful.

If you’re just starting to feel the onset of a cold, enjoy 3-4 cups of green tea daily. Stay away from breads, pastries, peanuts, fried foods, and dairy now to save yourself some misery later. =)

At the cold stage it now depends on your symptoms.

Chamomile tea – for general coughs and cold. This tea is great for the respiratory system, especially when you start to feel the ‘cold’ settle in the chest area.

Ginger Tea – expectorant for colds and chest congestion. Enjoy this with lemon juice and raw honey for additional benefits.

I hate ginger tea so I’ve been putting it off, but am at the point where I’ll likely pick some ginger up since I know it will work for me. Also, I use slices of young ginger, or chop it up and put it in a tea basket to steep.

If your main issue is a sore throat, stock up on lemon and honey. Even cough drops with lemon and honey in it will help you. I won’t add anything else since you specified teas.

Good luck! I’m about half-way through my current cold (at least I hope I am). Most of my issues are with congestion in the sinus and chest area. Hopefully you are just feeling a little under the weather and can still fight off the onset of a full blown cold.