When colds and flu are rampant, it’s good to have a few herbal remedies handy that can provide comfort for congested airways. One reader wrote that she uses linden blossom tea for this purpose. Elder flower tea is also helpful to calm a cough.
Linden Blossom Tea:
Q. My husband and I drink linden blossom tea for nasal and chest congestion. It is the only way we can sleep soundly when we have a cold. We are both very sensitive to most medications, but we’ve never had side effects with the tea, only relief.
This tea is popular with Germans and eastern Europeans. We buy it at a German delicatessen. Other readers may benefit.
A. Tea made from the dried flowers of linden trees (Tilia cordata) have traditionally been used in Europe to treat colds, sore throats and coughs. The tea is also reputed to relieve headaches and insomnia. Recent publications confirm its popularity in folk medicine in places as far-ranging as Serbia and Algeria (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Dec. 4, 2015; Dec. 24, 2016). Its use for upper respiratory infections may reflect empirical acknowledgment of its immune-modulating activity (Manuele, Ferraro & Anesini, Phytotherapy Research, Nov. 2008).
Aside from occasional allergic reactions, side effects appear very uncommon. Herbal experts warn that people with heart conditions should not drink linden blossom tea on a regular basis, though we are not quite sure why.
Elder Flower Tea:
Tea made from the dried blossoms of the elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is also a popular cough remedy during cold season. Traditional elder flower beverages are rich in polyphenols (Mikulic-Petkovsek et al, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Feb. 11, 2015). Elderberry has long been reputed to have anti-viral activity. New research supports this contention (Akram et al, Phytotherapy Research, Jan. 22, 2018). If you aren’t lucky enough to have an elderberry bush in your yard so you can collect and freeze the flowers in the early summer, you might want to look for elderberry extract such as Sambucol.
Revised 1/25/18
