Hibiscus Tea and the Common Cold

Hey there Cool Healthy Lifers,

Remember a few articles ago when I kicked off the conversation highlighting why I love autumn so much?  Well, I failed to mention the pitfall of fall: the “back to school cold season.”

Blame it on the Children

Our sweet little loved ones.  They’re so cute and cuddly and we can’t imagine they would ever do anything to harm us … and then they come home from school with all those new germs they picked up from their new friends.  What begins as a runny nose for your precious princess translates into 48 hours of snot, head colds and phlegm sandwiches for you. Yuuuuuck!!

I know what you’re going to ask me, so I’ll preempt you:  Yes, we practice constant hand washing, coughing “inside your elbow,” and other helpful hygiene habits.  But these dang kids are like petri dishes for scientific germ experiments.  And at the end of the day, they normally end up with a runny nose and a few sneezes, while mom and dad are reaching for the NyQuil for a week!

Here’s the Situation

So our youngest came home with a runny nose from preschool a few weeks ago.  Fast forward 48 hours and her dad (that’s me if you have trouble following the story) is on the couch tossing and turning in discomfort, as he piles tissues into a brimming waste basket.  Side Note:  I actually think I’m a good sick patient, but according to someone in my household (her name will remain anonymous since I’m still hoping she’ll guest blog one day) I tend to have a flair for the dramatic.

What’s Better Than Mom’s Chicken Soup?

Prior to Cool Healthy Life, I probably would have bought a box of Theraflu, thrown in some Sudafed, had some of Mom’s chicken soup and felt better in a few days.  But aside from the chicken soup (Mom, I’ll still take some if you’re reading), do any of those pharmaceutical products actually fight my cold?  True, they might treat the symptoms, but are they on the front lines with my immune system attacking those nasty virus microbes? I don’t think so.

So what natural substance can help to boost your immune system in its fight to kill this preschool petri virus?  How about some hibiscus tea?  There are tons of natural remedies that fight against colds/flu, but for hibiscus tea I can provide a successful case study of two people: my wife and me.

Hibiscus tea comes from the rosselle flower, and is made as an infusion from the petals (or calyces) of the flower.  Hibiscus tea is filled with antioxidants and vitamin C, which is a key driver of enhanced immune performance. While the medical benefits of hibiscus tea are generally focused around cardiovascular health and reduction in blood pressure (pretty powerful in and of itself), Brittany and I made a cup of the tart-flavored tea part of our natural cold remedy. We definitely feel like it helped to provide our body with a bit more “oomph” in fighting our cold.

So next time you get a case of the pretty princess germ-laced head cold, try a warm glass of hibiscus tea and let me know if it helps you out!

Until Next time,

Brent

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Finding good hibiscus tea can be tough, and we’ve discovered there are a lot of bad imitations out on the market.  Below is the specific brand of tea we like to drink.