Cold and flu viruses spread easily, especially in the colder months or during stressful periods, and even the strongest among us can succumb to infection. If you feel unwell, this article explains how natural medicines can help you recover by supporting your immune defences. When taken long-term, these can help reduce your risk of getting sick in the future.

Click here to read about solutions supported by science, or read on to understand what happens within the body when we get a viral infection.

What Happens in an Acute Common Cold or Flu?

Viruses such as influenza (commonly referred to as ‘the flu’) and the common cold enter through the nose and mouth. These viruses can’t multiply without a human cell, so once they enter your body they immediately start the infection process, hijacking cells and turning them into virus-replicating factories.

They do this by injecting their genetic material into your cells. This provides a blueprint for how to make more viral particles, and forces your cells to create them. These viral particles then exit the cell and seek out new cells within your body to infect, continuing the cycle of infection.

Fortunately, your body doesn’t just accept this. It responds by stimulating the protective inflammatory response, which allows your immune system to fight back. It does this by sending your immune system's frontline soldiers, known as white blood cells, to the infected areas, which then lock on to viral particles and destroy them.

Interestingly, rather than being caused by the virus itself, the symptoms that make you feel terrible, such as a sore throat, chills, and aches, are actually a side effect of your immune system fighting off the virus. As such, the quicker and more effectively your immune system can get rid of the virus, the fewer days you will spend being sick, and the better you will feel.

Should I Take Antibiotics for a Viral Infection?

Viruses and bacteria are completely different organisms. Antibiotics are designed to destroy bacteria, so viruses are totally unaffected by them. Since antibiotic medications come with side effects, such as disrupting the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut, it’s worth speaking with your doctor about whether you really need them when you’re battling a viral infection.

Does Cold and Flu Medicine “Cure” Viral Infections?

In a word, no. Common cold and flu medicines contain decongestants, cough suppressants and analgesics which may provide relief of symptoms. This relief can help you ‘charge on’ while affected, but it’s important to understand that cold and flu medicine does not help your body recover from the infection.

Can Taking Natural Medicines Help Me Get Better Quickly?

The major advantage of natural medicines is they reduce uncomfortable cold and flu symptoms while also helping your immune system fight off viruses. Taking natural medicines at the first sign of infection means fewer days spent feeling miserable, less time off work or school, and more time to enjoy the things you love!

When taken on an ongoing basis, many nutrients and herbs can even help to reduce your risk of getting sick at the outset – good news for those of you who feel under the weather regularly.

To help you feel better sooner, here are three star players you can call on to support your immune system and get you feeling back to normal ASAP:

1. Andrographis (Andrographis paniculata)

Compared to a placebo, taking andrographis can reduce a sore throat by 56%, and speed up it's recovery two-fold.²

2. Medicinal mushrooms

3. Immune-Enhancing Probiotics

When taken daily over 12 weeks, probiotic strains L.plantarum (HEAL9) and L.paracasei (8700:2) can reduce the common cold happening by 30%.¹²,¹³ This combination can also reduce common cold symptom scores by 24%.¹³

4. Immune Boosting Nutrients

Getting all the nutrients you need from food alone isn’t always easy. That’s where a supplement like Meta Zinc With Vitamin C (plus vitamin D) can lend a hand. Together, these nutrients support your immune system and may help with:

• Supporting a healthy immune response in children and adults
• Preventing infection
• Reducing common cold duration and severity and
• Lowering the risk of zinc deficiency
  

Zinc and vitamins C and D are your immune system’s power trio. A 2022 review found they help fight off viruses, and without enough, you’re more likely to get hit harder.¹⁵

High-dose zinc alone has helped 70% of people shake off colds by day five (compared to just 27% without it).¹⁶ Backed by science, this combo is a simple way to help protect the whole household.

To explore our range of evidence-based supplements for symptom relief and immune resilience, click here so you can feel stronger, recover faster, and stay well.

What Else Can I do to Get Better Quickly?

Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to help yourself feel better and recover faster:

• Start your natural medicine regime as soon as you feel yourself getting sick – the quicker you get on top of the infection the better you will feel!
• Get plenty of rest and sleep, taking as much time away from work or school as necessary to fully recover
• Eat nourishing whole foods with plenty of vegetables and easily digested proteins, such as fish or eggs
• Consume plenty of fluids such as water, herbal tea and homemade chicken and vegetable broth
• Consume plenty of garlic (bonus points for raw!) and onion as they help boost immune function, and
• Try steam inhalations to reduce congestion so you can breathe easily again.

What Should I do if I Keep Getting Sick?

If you suffer from recurrent colds and flus, this could be a sign that your immune system needs some extra support - after all, prevention is better than cure. Long-term immune resilience often depends on what’s happening beneath the surface, discussed further in this article. Make an appointment with a natural healthcare practitioner for a personalised immune-boosting natural medicine program that fits your lifestyle.

References

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2. Hu XY, Wu RH, Logue M, et al. Andrographis paniculata (Chuān Xīn Lián) for symptomatic relief of acute respiratory tract infections in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0181780. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181780
3. Kumar RA, Sridevi K, Kumar NV, Nanduri S, Rajagopal S. Anticancer and immunostimulatory compounds from Andrographis paniculata. J Ethnopharmacol. 2004;92(2-3):291-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2004.03.004
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10. Dai X, Stanilka JM, Rowe CA, et al. Consuming Lentinula edodes (shiitake) mushrooms daily improves human immunity: a randomized dietary intervention in healthy young adults. J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;34(6):478-487. doi:10.1080/07315724.2014.950391
11. Chen SN, Nan FH, Liu MW, Yang MF, Chang YC, Chen S. Evaluation of Immune Modulation by β-1,3; 1,6 D-Glucan Derived from Ganoderma lucidum in Healthy Adult Volunteers, A Randomized Controlled Trial. Foods. 2023 Feb 3;12(3):659. doi: 10.3390/foods12030659.
    
12. Ahrén IL, Hillman M, Nordström EA, Larsson N, Niskanen TM. Fewer community-acquired colds with daily consumption of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 8700:2. A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Nutr. 2021 Jan 4;151(1):214-222. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa353.
13. Berggren A, Lazou Ahrén I, Larsson N, Önning G. Randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled study using new probiotic lactobacilli for strengthening the body immune defence against viral infections. Eur J Nutr. 2011 Apr;50(3):203-10. doi: 10.1007/s00394-010-0127-6.
14. Liu S, Hu P, Du X, Zhou T, Pei X. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation for preventing respiratory infections in children: a meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials. Indian Pediatr. 2013 Apr;50(4):377-81. doi: 10.1007/s13312-013-0123-z
15. Pedrosa LFC, Barros ANAB, Leite-Lais L. Nutritional risk of vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium deficiency on risk and clinical outcomes of COVID-19: A narrative review. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2022;47:9-27. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.11.003.
16. Hemilä H, Fitzgerald JT, Petrus EJ, Prasad A. Zinc Acetate Lozenges May Improve the Recovery Rate of Common Cold Patients: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017 Apr 3;4(2):ofx059. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofx059.