See also: Common
Cold/Sore Throat, Sinus Congestion, Sinusitis
Prepare yourself to fight the flu. Each year the flu hits
millions, sometimes lingering for days, sometimes weeks. According to research or other
evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful:
Manage your symptoms
Use over-the-counter pain relievers to treat fever, headaches, and
body aches
Check out vitamin C
Take at least 100 mg per day to reduce your flu risk
Give echinacea a go
Take 3 to 5 ml of liquid formulas or 300 mg of powdered root
supplements three times a day to help clear symptoms faster
Try black elderberry
Taking 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of this herb a day may speed
recovery; use 2 tablespoons (30 ml) for children
Talk to your doctor
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and amantadine (Symmetrel) may help ease flu
signs and symptoms
These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace
the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. Continue reading the full influenza article for more
in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins, herbs, and dietary and
lifestyle changes that may be helpful.
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About
Product ratings
Symptoms
Other therapies
Vitamins
Herbs
Holistic options
References
About influenza
Influenza is the name of a virus and the
infection it causes.
Although for most people the infection is mild, it can be severe and even deadly in those
with compromised immune systems, including infants, the elderly, and people with diseases such
as cancer and AIDS. In the past, huge
epidemics of influenza have caused millions of deaths. Some nutritional and herbal
recommendations for maintaining healthy immune
function are also applicable for treating influenza.
Product ratings for
influenza
Science Ratings
Nutritional Supplements
Herbs
Vitamin C
Echinacea
Elderberry
Green tea catechins
(gargling, for prevention)
Asian ginseng
Boneset
Eleuthero
Goldenseal
Meadowsweet
Thuja
Wild indigo
See also: Homeopathic Remedies for Influenza
Reliable
and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit. Contradictory, insufficient, or preliminary studies
suggesting a health benefit or minimal health benefit. For an herb, supported by traditional use but minimal
or no scientific evidence. For a supplement, little scientific support and/or minimal health
benefit.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of influenza include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Other
symptoms include headache, chills, dry cough, sore throat, pain when moving the eyes, sneezing, and runny nose.
The onset of symptoms is often rapid and intense.
Other therapies
People with flu symptoms are commonly advised to rest and drink plenty of fluids.
Vitamins that may be helpful
Dockworkers given 100 mg of vitamin C each
day for ten months caught influenza 28% less often than did their coworkers not taking vitamin
C. Of those who did develop the flu, the average duration of illness was 10% less in those
taking vitamin C than in those not taking the vitamin.1 Other trials have reported
that taking vitamin C in high amounts (2 grams every hour for 12 hours) can lead to rapid
improvement of influenza
infections.23 Such high amounts, however, should only be used under
the supervision of a healthcare professional.
Are there any side effects or interactions?
Refer to the individual supplement for information about any side effects or interactions.
Herbs that may be helpful
Echinacea has long been used for colds and
flu. Double-blind trials in Germany have shown that infections associated with flu-like symptoms clear
more rapidly when people take echinacea.4 Echinacea appears to work by stimulating
the immune system. The usual recommended
amount of echinacea is 3–5 ml of the expressed juice of the herb or tincture of the herb
or root, or 300 mg of dried root powder three times per day.
The effect of a syrup made from the berries of the black elderberry on influenza has been studied in a small
double-blind trial.5 People receiving an elderberry extract (four tablespoons per
day for adults, two tablespoons per day for children) appeared to recover faster than did
those receiving a placebo.
In a preliminary study of elderly nursing home residents in Japan, only 1.3% of those who
gargled with a green tea extract three times a
day during the winter developed influenza, whereas 10.4% of those who gargled without the
green tea extract developed the disease (a statistically significant difference). The presumed
active ingredients in the extract were a group of flavonoids called catechins, which were
present in the extract at half the concentration as that in green tea.6 It is
possible, therefore, that gargling with green tea itself might also be effective for
preventing the flu.
Asian ginseng and eleuthero (Siberian ginseng) have immune-enhancing
properties, which may play a role in preventing infection with the influenza virus. However,
they have not yet been specifically studied for this purpose. One double-blind trial found
that co-administration of 100 mg of Asian ginseng extract with a flu vaccine led to a lower
frequency of colds and flu compared to people who just received the flu vaccine
alone.7
Boneset has been shown in test tube and
other studies to stimulate immune-cell function,8 which may explain it’s
traditional use to help fight off minor viral infections, such as the flu.
Wild indigo contains polysaccharides and
proteins that have been reported in test tube studies to stimulate the immune system. The
immune-enhancing effect of wild indigo is consistent with its use in traditional herbal
medicine to fight the flu.9 However, wild indigo is generally used in combination
with other herbs such as echinacea, goldenseal, or thuja.
While not as potent as willow, which has a
higher salicin content, the salicylates in
meadowsweet do give it a mild anti-inflammatory effect and the potential to reduce fevers
during a cold or flu. However, this role is
based on historical use and knowledge of the chemistry of meadowsweet’s constituents; to
date, no human studies have been completed with meadowsweet.
Are there any side effects or interactions?
Refer to the individual herb for information about any side effects or interactions.
Holistic approaches that may be helpful
Because family stress has been shown to increase the risk of influenza infection,10 measures to relieve stressful
situations may be beneficial.
References (To view, roll mouse over the "References" heading; to hide, click on the heading)
1. Renker K, Wegner S. Vitamin C-Prophylaxe in der Volkswertf Stralsund.
Deutsche Gesundheitswesen 1954;9:702–6.
2. Klenner FR. The treatment of poliomyelitis and other virus diseases
with vitamin C. South Med Surg 1949;111:210–4.
3. Pauling L. Vitamin C, the Common Cold and the Flu. San
Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Company, 1976 [review].
4. Braunig B, Dorn M, Limburg E, et al. Echinacea purpurea radix for
strengthening the immune response in flu-like infections. Z Phytother
1992;13:7–13 [in German].
5. Zakay-Rones Z, Varsano N, Zlotnik M, et al. Inhibition of several
strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract
(Sambucus nigra L) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama. J Altern Complement Med
1995;1:361–9.
6. Yamada H, Takuma N, Daimon T, Hara Y. Gargling with tea catechin
extracts for the prevention of influenza infection in elderly nursing home residents: a
prospective clinical study. J Altern Complement Med 2006;12:669–72.
7. Scaglione F, Cattaneo G, Alessandria M, Cogo R. Efficacy and safety of
the standardized ginseng extract G 115 for potentiating vaccination against common cold and/or
influenza syndrome. Drugs Exptl Clin Res 1996;22:65–72.
8. Woerdenbag HJ, Bos R, Hendriks H. Eupatorium perfoliatum
L—the boneset. Z Phytother 1992;13:134–9.
9. Beuscher N, Kopanski L. Stimulation of immunity by the contents of
Baptisia tinctoria.Planta Med 1985;5:381–4.
10. Clover RD, Abell T, Becker LA, et al. Family functioning and stress
as predictors of influenza B infection. J Fam Pract 1989;28:535–9.
The information presented in Healthnotes is for informational purposes
only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical
experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not
necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with
prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor,
practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or
before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires June 2009.
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Reliable
and relatively consistent scientific data showing a substantial health benefit.