Flu is no fun! No likes to be down with flu or up at night with kids who have it. First off, don't fear. There are many effective home flu remedies you can keep on hand that will drastically lessen the severity and length of flu. They can even help with prevention!


1- Get Elderberry. It cuts flu recovery time from 6 days to 2. Health food stores have it in many varieties since a flu study came out a few years ago. I double the dose of most products for my own family if I suspect flu. I recommend Dr. Christopher's Elderberry Extract and use 1-2 dropperfuls every hour in a drink. Elderberry prevents the virus from getting into healthy cells.

2- Get a high quality essential oil. I rub it on the bottom of my children's feet. Essential oils are potently anti-viral. Oregano is the strongest infection fighter, but it's also the hottest. So dilute a few drops in some olive oil or other carrier oil (even vegetable oil will work). Doterra has a quality immune blend called On Guard. It smells amazing and it works. I give 2 drops with honey in some herbal tea for a painful, sore throat. I rub another blend called Breathe (diluted), on the neck and chest for congestion.

3- Push fluids. Give your child lots to drink: water, or fruit juices as long as they don't contain white sugar or corn syrup (these feed bacteria and suppress immunity). Peppermint tea is a "kid cure-all" at my house. I put this tea in bottles, sippy cups, or a glass with a straw. Kids need to stay hydrated, and peppermint has long been used for fevers, flu and calming tummy trouble.

4- Include echinacea. I make echinacea tea, add the mild tasting glycerin extract to other fluids, or squirt it straight in my child's mouth. Echinacea fights infection indirectly, by stimulating the body's own immune system to ramp up the fight. I use glycerite from Dr. Christopher.

5- Get Dr. Christopher's Antispasmodic formula. I rub this liquid on my kids' throats, and it immediately relaxes the muscles and stops dry coughs which sometimes accompany flu. This herbal preparation has rescued me from late-night discomfort, sleeplessness and even agony many times. It's effective.

6- Give a ginger bath. Baths help keep kids hydrated, help with fevers, and relax achy muscles. Put 1 Tablespoon ginger in the bath, or in a muslin tea bag in the bath. Run the water hot at first to infuse the ginger into the water, then adjust to the highest comfortable temperature for your child. Working up a sweat in a hot tub helps sweat out infection.

7- Get some Vitamin D3. I'd take 2,000-4,000 IU a day unless a true epidemic hit. Then I'd triple the dose. Vitamin D quiets the immune system's response to invading viruses in the respiratory tract. It can prevent the overproduction of inflammatory substances that can lead to fluid buildup and more severe symptoms. This may just be the most dangerous part of more severe flu strains like the swine flu. I use the RX brand. It's a bit pricey, but for me it's worth it (for this brand the dose is only 1 drop).

8- Make garlic toast. We know garlic fights infection. For kids, press a clove of garlic into some butter or olive oil, spread it on whole wheat bread, and toast it in an oven or toaster oven. Have your child eat some as is or with some honey added. Raw honey has natural infection fighting compounds. Four cloves of garlic are equal to an adult dose of penicillin.

9-If all comforts fail, try Motrin. For the temporary headaches, body aches and discomfort caused by the flu, ibuprofin is an easily attainable, fast acting remedy for kids. I save over-the-counter remedies for temporary, extreme conditions, and when symptoms are the worst, I'll use it.

10-Read up on flu drugs and vaccines before you try them. Did you know you can get flu from the vaccine? They are poorly tested, and have not been proven safe. Also, there are many reports of side effects of the drugs, especially in children.

Dr. Kent Holtorf, expert on infectious disease calls the Thimerosal-Mercury that can be found in Flu Vaccines "a proven neuro-toxin. It has 25,000 times the level of mercury that would be considered toxic if it were a food or water. Negative long-term effects are unknown and pose much higher risks than the flu itself. So, what's your next step?

May I suggest that you obtain some of these home flu remedies for your medicine cabinet, so you're ready when the need arises. You can find many of these tools online or at your local health food store.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor (that would be my husband), and it is not my intent to diagnosis or prescribe. These are things I do in my own family, and represent my personal experiences.