Can tea remedy cold and flu? If you’re as much of a tea addict as I am, you would naturally say yes. For tea lovers around the world, a chilly morning is never quite complete without a hot cup of tea. Tea is unmatched in its special ability to take those “under the weather” blues away. It is one of the popular natural home remedies for sore throat and cough. But is there more to it than just warmth, flavor, and aroma?
Cold remedy tea can add to your medicine
That’s right. Hot tea can keep those flu-like symptoms, aches, and pains at bay. Does that make tea a wonder-drug? No, but at the very least, a cold remedy tea will help you stay hydrated, cozy, and warm when you need it the most. A number of specially formulated flu and cold care teas are available today; they can make for a great addition to your pharmacy shopping list.
What tea is good for colds? 
First of all, keep in mind that most of the statements regarding the health benefits of tea are based on holistic and alternative medicine practices and not confirmed by any rigorous scientific studies. Nevertheless, tea has been a treasured elixir in traditional medicine for centuries. A hot cup of tea proved to be a great pick-me-up for the moments when you’re down with the sniffles.
Green tea, with its antioxidants and moderate caffeine content, serves as an energizing yet soothing brew.
Black tea spiced with lemon or ginger with a dash of honey is also a great fix.
Despite popular misconception, caffeine’s diuretic effect does not lead to dehydration. However, you might not want to consume too much caffeine during the day when you’re down with a cold or flu. In this case, your best bet is caffeine-free herbal teas for cold and cough enhanced with holistic botanical ingredients such as ginger root, cardamom, cloves, lemon, peppermint, chamomile, or turmeric. Specially formulated herbal teas for colds are available for the purpose, bringing you some beneficial antioxidants and vitamins.
Easy guide to best herbal teas for colds
Herbal “cold and flu” teas are crafted with natural ingredients that soothe the throat, support unobstructed breathing, provide essential warmth, and promote a healthy immune system. These properties, coupled with a dash of spicy flavoring, make these teas the perfect natural remedy to last you through the flu season. Let’s take a quick look at some common varieties of hot tea for cough, colds, and flu.
- Best tea for cough and sore throat. Honey, lemon, ginger is the common remedies that specialize in soothing sore throats. These ingredients are often featured in hot teas for cold and flu. Honey-lemon-ginger tea is so easy to prepare at home. Just add hot water to thinly sliced ginger and lemon and let it brew for 5-10 minutes, then add honey to taste. If you are plagued by sore throat and cough during the cold season, also look for potent throat soothers such as licorice root, echinacea root, or cherry bark in your cold care tea.
- Best tea for congestion. Some cold remedy teas are specially formulated to aid in respiration. Their base ingredients have characteristic aromas and include flavorful ingredients such as peppermint, eucalyptus, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. The teas for the stuffy nose are easily identifiable by an abundance of aromatic warming spices.
- Best immune support tea. Created using natural botanical ingredients with immunity-boosting properties, flu and cold-fighting teas can ease typical symptoms such as fevers, chills, and runny noses. Tulsi basil leaf is a powerful ingredient in these teas, as are elderberry, blueberry, feverfew, and astragalus root. Cold remedy teas formulated with these herbs have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They can also be accompanied by a slice of lemon for an added shot of Vitamin C.
- Best anti-inflammatory tea. Cold care tea with anti-inflammatory properties is an effective natural remedy for congestion, chronic joint pains, sinusitis, and other inflammations. Common ingredients in these teas include turmeric, goldenseal, and echinacea root.
- For multiple health benefits and ultimate immunity boost, try CBD teas.
- When it comes to flu and cold remedy tea, the sheer variety of ingredients and spices open up a world of endless possibility. There is a number of soothing and healing tea blends artfully created by reputable brands. Find a cold remedy tea with a blend of medicinal herbs that best suit your condition and palate and enjoy any season in all-natural health.
8 best hot teas that help with colds to buy online 
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Isabelle is a freelance writer, self-taught tea nerd, and tea blending enthusiast. She is a herbalist with a strong interest in Ayurveda. Each year Isabelle travels extensively, returning with tea samples from around the world. She is a big fan of handmade teaware and Japanese green teas.