Is the Flu making its rounds in your household already, leaving your family members with a hacking cough that seems to linger for weeks, sinus pressure and pain, and other various maladies? It hit our house too, and here’s how we got rid of it in under 48 hours flat . . .
Mom’s Guide to Knocking out the Flu
First, let me preface this with a disclaimer, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv. I am a wife & a mom of two – I am a very busy lady and I don’t have TIME for the flu! Whether or not you choose to use this advice or ANY other advice you find on the internet is solely up to you and whatever happens to you is your own responsibility. There, with that said, here’s what I personally use and what I give to my family:
Last year while gardening I decided to plant two cayenne pepper plants, mainly because I found them, about a foot tall, for only a .25 and I couldn’t pass up a perfectly healthy plant at such a great price. Then, after harvesting these lovely plants, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I was going to do with ALL of those cayenne peppers, so I dehydrated a few pounds of them and I canned a few jars of them. Afterward, I started researching a few of my old herbal books and discovered that cayenne pepper works wonderfully on a host of health problems including the flu.
Cayenne Tea:
Finely chop 1 cayenne pepper, (remove seeds first) and bring it to a simmer in a pot of 2 c. of water. If you’d prefer a hint of sweetness add 1 T. of Honey while it’s still warm. If you tend to get an upset stomach, you can also add a small piece of crystallized ginger to the tea while it’s simmering. Cool, bottle and cap – Take 1 Tablespoon every 4 hours at the first onset of any flu symptoms. If you’d prefer not to taste the cayenne at all, see below for an alternative method!
Alternative Method: Cayenne Pepper Capsules
If you’re not really into the spicy tingly feeling cayenne leaves in your mouth (or the watering eyes), etc… you can take Cayenne Pepper Capsules as well. My kids prefer to take these over the Cayenne Tea I make for myself.
*UPDATE 2013*– I have followed suit with the rest of my family now that I’ve exhausted my own Cayenne pepper plants and we all use Cayenne Capsules.
For My Teen Sons & Husband– they take 1 Capsule (40,000 HU), twice a day along with a 1,000 mg Vitamin C at the onset of Any flu symptoms- sneezing, runny nose, coughing, fever, achy bones, etc.
Now- if you have a tendency to have a “reaction” to eating spicy foods the Next day, so to speak- you can prevent what we like to call “Bum Burn” by taking CapsiCool Capsules instead– which are a blend of Cayenne Pepper and Ginger. I bought these on Amazon for under $10 (with free shipping). However, since they were so mild on the stomach- I did increase the dosage to 3 capsules, twice a day with vitamin C. We prefer Natures Way brand because they work great, are fresh and are quite potent and very inexpensive at just a few dollars a bottle.
Important Notes You Shouldn’t Miss
A few notes that I deem extremely important- Do NOT under ANY circumstances take cayenne capsules on an empty stomach! You will Regret it. It will feel like a fireball burst in the middle of your chest, at least, that’s what my husband tells me- because he was the only fool in the house to try it, bless his heart. Also, it’s best not to take it with carbonated beverages, then again, if you have the flu, you should be avoiding sugar (it lowers your body’s immunity by as much as 25% for up to 5 hours!) ¹
In the morning, since I’m not really a “breakfast” person, I find that a couple of pieces of toast are more than sufficient to prevent any stomach discomfort.
Amazingly, for our family, the flu was knocked flat on it’s rumpus in less than 48 hours total, while several of our (slightly more stubborn- perhaps patient??) friends decided to try the old over the counter standbys – cough syrups, nighttime flu drinks, aspirin, heating pads, soup, tissues, tissues, and more tissues.
What I like most about this particular remedy is that in our experience it prevented severe sinus infections (aka Green Snot) and chest congestion. One side note, I did apply store brand vapor rub ($1.67 a bottle at Walmart) to the BOTTOMS of my sons’ feet (at night only) to prevent coughing. It takes about 15 minutes to take effect and works like a charm. To be perfectly honest, I applied it at about 3 am when I heard him cough the first night he had flu symptoms, but it stopped his cough and we both got a good nights sleep.
Sorry, I can’t make any recommendations for young children, all I can tell you is that I use this every winter on my teens (even when they were Tweens) and they’ve never missed a day of school due to “Flu”.
Contraindications:
- Cayenne Pepper is not recommended for use in individuals on ACE inhibitors, agents that reduce stomach acid, aspirin, blood-thinning medications, and herbs, and theophylline.
- People who are allergic to latex, bananas, kiwi, chestnuts, and avocado may also have an allergy to cayenne.
- Capsaicin lowers blood sugar levels naturally, if you’re diabetic, check with your doctor.
- If you have asthma and use an inhaler, be aware that regular use of cayenne can cause your body to absorb Theophylline (a med used to treat asthma), if you have questions or concerns check with a dr (preferably a naturopathic doctor who knows what he/she is talking about!)
References/Studies on Cayenne
- ¹ Sanchez, A., et al. Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Nov 1973;261:
1180_1184 - University of Maryland Medical Center: Cayenne
- Epicurious Food Dictionary: Cayenne Pepper
- Critical Reviews in Food, Science and Nutrition: Capsaicin and Gastric Ulcers
- Esophageal, Gastric and Duodenal Disorders: Chili Protects Against Aspirin-Induced Gastroduodenal Mucosal Injury in Humans
What remedies have you tried for your family?
omg, i have to tell you that this works and thank you so much! my son came down with the flu, sinus infection and was hawking up green loogies (sorry to be graphic). i remembered seeing this post a couple weeks ago and searched for it again.
i bought him some cayenne and it’s only been 3 days. He went from sounding like he was coughing up a lung with thick nasty mucus to clear sinuses and no cough! I’m giving him 2 capsules twice a day and I bought the cheap vicks stuff at the dollar store to put on his feet at night too.
I don’t know how long the regular vicks stuff lasts but I did notice for 2 nights that we had to reapply it about 4 hours later.
you rock lady! :worthy:
:goodpost: thank you! i too have to agree that this absolutely works like a charm. i woke up the other morning very congested with a sinus infection and coughing like crazy.
apparently i had kept my other half up for most of the night without realizing it. i picked up some cayenne pepper capsules and took 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon and 2 at night before bed with a couple pieces of toast each time. Eat a piece of toast, take the capsules, eat the other piece of toast. I guess you could call it a cayenne sandwich.
:Sandwich:
It REALLY works. My sinus infection is completely gone. I can’t believe they haven’t done studies on this.
I NEED to try this! I get sinus infections like crazy! However I also have reflux. Will try @ least 1 a day! Been eating spices to clear my sinuses anyway.
thanks so much for this! every (and i mean every) time the weather changes we have this problem. since my kids (6 ages 10-20) love spicy stuff this will be great!
i really wanted to try this and was going to order the capsules, because spicy and i don’t get along. i saw your warning about blood thinners. i had no idea cayenne interfered with blood thinners.
i’ve been on coumadin for about 6 months and this was the first i’d heard. So thanks for the warning!
thank you so much for posting this! :clap: if i bought empty pill capsules and filled it with the tea, or bits of the peppers, would it be as effective? i don’t really enjoy spicy stuff, but i can tolerate it.
would ground cayenne powder be an option ?
No, it is Not advisable. If you prefer powder, your best bet would be to take the capsules, imho.
Thank you! I’m up for whatever.
I’ve been sick for over a week.
i’ve heard about the medicinal uses of hot peppers/chilies for years. lots of scientific research that i don’t have or the links and such.
plus honey, if used, is full of antioxidants. wonder about using lemon??
and let’s face it, we all know ginger is beyond healthy.
but i have a question…does this remedy prevent the ‘green snotitis’ from sinus infections or only one that’s a secondary infection from the flu?
Hi MrsPaws! :news1: I went in and added a few links of supporting studies for those that prefer a little more info than, “I do it, so you should too”, lol. I spend entirely too much time reading naturopathic journals, studies and herbal books/articles. My kids groan when I come in from the fields carrying bundles of plants to dry . . .
To answer your question- it does appear to prevent the green junk as well. We’ve all been taking Cayenne off and on throughout the winter (since about Thanksgiving) and we all got nailed with the Flu- but it lasted less than 72 hours from start to finish and was considerably milder/less harsh than what we saw the majority of our friends go through this season.
My oldest has a tendency to get “snotitis”, as you put it, lol, and now when he starts feeling ANYTHING Sinus-related coming on he starts putting the old cayenne capsules Right to him. He takes as many as 6 per day if he has any sinus pressure. (2 per meal).
We’ve had people ask if they um.. hurt when coming out. But they don’t bother any of us at all.
this is awesome! i normally have sinus problems all of the time and almost live on decongestions and aleve. about three weeks ago i started taking the capsicool and let me share with you that after the third day i have not had one sinus pill nor have i had any of the headache pressure!
love the fact that this is healthy and wont hurt my liver. i was so worried that this week i was going to be down with a cold or the flu. i traveled by plane for a meeting last week and everyone around me was hacking and sniffling.
i actually got a sore neck from cringing everytime i heard a sniffle or cough. i was stuck on the plane for close to two and half hours each way. i take two pills in the morning and two pills in the evening and i have no sniffles and no cough!
i am a huge fan of the netti pot, personally. i use saline in my nose & also gargle with it when i start to feel something coming on. while you can’t do a nasal wash on small children a little on a qtip swabbed inside the nose will work.
its all pretty inexpensive & very safe ( no side effects)
some sickies just hit the house – gonna try this thanks so much :beaverhug:
any suggestions for small children? i have an 18 mo old and a 5 yr old. Also what dose on the capsules for a 10 and 14 yr old?
here’s something to try and it works also, if anyone in your household has the flu take an onion peel it and cut it in 1/2 or 1/4 and put one piece into a bowl. Place the onions in the bowl into your living room, bedroom or whatever room the sick person is going to be. The onion will pull the sickness out of the room so others don’t get sick.
This does work. I was sick and my husband did this and he didn’t get sick at all. When the onion gets to looking brown we just tossed it in the garbage.
I hope this helps others out as well. Thanks
I use comfrey once/year. It makes me sick for one day when I’m usually sick the whole year
My grandma used cayenne to ease cold symptoms when we were kids.
Easing cold symptoms
Combine the following:
1/4 teaspoon (tsp) of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of ground ginger
1 tablespoon (tbsp) of honey
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp of water
Mix well, then take the mixture by the teaspoon as needed.
If you’d like to Ease Sinus Issues
Mix 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar into hot water, making a tea, to clear the sinuses.