When a fever happens you feel miserable and want quick relief. Many times people reach for OTC (over the counter) medications which isn’t always a good idea. OTC medications can be harsh on your body making it harder for your immune system to do its job.
Whether you’re battling the common cold, flu or viral infection, it can be counterproductive to suppress a fever using conventional OTC treatments. You might get some temporary relief, but if a fever is suppressed, you lose the benefits from your body’s natural defense system, and to make things worse the illness may last longer.
What Does A Fever Do?
Fevers play a vital role in fighting illnesses, a lot of times they are one of the first signs of illness. Fevers are your body’s natural response that’s needed to stimulate your immune system. Actually, a fever is a good indicator that your immune system is working properly and attacking unwanted pathogens which could flourish at normal body temperatures. A fever also enhances your body’s ability to eliminate toxins.
How Do Herbs Help Your Fever?
One of the easiest and tastiest ways to take herbs is in a tisane. Tisanes, also known as herbal infusions have medicinal benefits and have long been used for health. Herbal teas aren’t teas in the sense there isn’t any dried leaves from the Camilla senensis tea plant. Instead the leaves, seeds, flowers and stems from plants are steeped in boiling water for 20 – 30 minutes. Hard plant material like barks and roots are made into a decoction first, then the other plant material is added to the decoction and steeped.
Benefits of Herbal Infusions (Teas)
When you’re chilled, achy and have a fever, herbal teas can warm and stimulate your body. The hot tea warms your body, increasing your body temperature and stimulating herbs work to increase circulation in your body. Peppermint, cloves, coriander, ginger and garlic are examples of stimulating herbs.
A fever causes sweating in an attempt to cool off your body and maintain a lower temperature. This sweating also detoxes and cleanses your body releasing any toxins such as bacteria and pathogens. Diaphoretics are fever inducing herbs including yarrow, thyme, bee balm and ginger.
When you have a fever its key to stay hydrated. Dehydration poses a big risk when you’re sick. Drinking water, herbal teas or bone broth helps keep you hydrated.
Some herbs such as willow and black cohosh contain salicylic acid which helps relieve pain and inflammation. Other herbal teas offer relief from congestion, sinus pressure, headache, digestive upset and other unpleasant symptoms that often accompany a fever.
Medicinal Herbs for Reducing Fever
Herbs such as willow, meadowsweet, black haw, cramp bark, birch, black cohosh and Indian pipe contain some derivatives of salicylic acid, and are often called “herbal aspirins”.
White willow (Salix alba) bark is the original aspirin and tends to be milder on your stomach lining than synthetic aspirin. This herb has been used for eons for natural pain relief, reducing fever and inflammation.
Salicylate glycosides are the active compounds in white willow. These compounds work as an effective anti-inflammatory by interfering with pain transmission in the nervous system and treating the cause of inflammation. Willow bark can be taken as a tea or tincture.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is excellent for reducing fever and provides relief from rheumatism pain. It’s an excellent source of salicylic acid and unlike aspirin, meadowsweet is gentle on the stomach. Meadowsweet contains active compounds that can reduce inflammation, treat fevers, colds and diarrhea.
Some herbalists consider this herb to be one of the best herbal remedies for digestive ailments.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a diaphoretic herb, meaning it induces sweating. It’s also an expectorant, dispels gas, stops bleeding and it’s astringent, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic, stimulant and emmenagogue. It also makes a bitter tonic that stimulates digestion
Yarrow is a standard herb used to promote perspiration, eliminate toxins and reduce fever. It contains salicylic acid and induces sweating by opening the pores.
As an herbal tea remedy for fever, it combines well with elder flower, peppermint, boneset, cayenne and ginger.
Black Elder (Sambucus nigra) elder flowers are highly regarded as a natural treatment for colds, flu and to reduce high fevers. The elderberry flowers have expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. They’re often used to treat respiratory system ailments.
Elder flowers aid the process of soothing a fever by relaxing capillaries, opening the pores of your skin and relieving congestion. The flowers or berries help eliminate toxins by promoting sweating. They fight inflammation of mucous membranes in the nose and throat.
The tea, tincture or syrup is very valuable for treating fever in children. I sell elderberry syrup in my online shop.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is an excellent herb for soothing a fever because the menthol in peppermint imparts a cooling effect and thins mucus and eliminates phlegm.
A strong tea made from peppermint is beneficial for the digestive system and it’s a nervine that eases anxiety and tension.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) root promotes sweating and its antibacterial and anti-viral properties make it effective against fever, cough, and other cold and flu symptoms. Sipping ginger tea boosts your immune system and soothes a sore throat. Ginger tea helps reduce congestion and inflammation.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is used to treat fever, aches and pains associated with the flu. Boneset has the ability to reduce fever and promote sweating, which can help your body eliminate toxins. It’s used to boost the immune system, to help reduce fevers and to help clear congestion. You can take this as a tea or tincture. It’s a bitter herb so if you take this as a tea, adding honey helps it be more palpable.
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) can help promote sweating and eliminate toxins from your body, speeding the healing process and reducing inflammation. It’s an anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, relaxant, antiseptic and digestive bitter. It has a long history of use in the treatment of fever, migraines and arthritis. It also was known as “medieval aspirin” or the “aspirin” of the 18th century.
Echinacea (Echinacea Angustifolia; Echinacea pallida; Echinacea purpurea) is one of the most common herbal treatments for infection and fever. It’s valuable as an anti-viral, anti-microbial and immune-stimulant herbal treatment that can be used for all ages including children. Echinacea is widely used to prevent and treat colds, infections and flu. It helps relieve symptoms like coughs, high fever and sore throat.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) acts as a mild sedative, helping to calm your body and promote relaxation. This herb is used as a cold and flu remedy because it has a strong diaphoretic quality that promote your body’s natural cooling mechanisms. By inducing sweating, catnip may help lower body temperature and break a fever. It’s anti-inflammatory properties help reduce inflammation throughout your body.
Getting some rest, will help your body heal and recover more quickly. Drinking herbal teas will help you stay hydrated and the sweating the teas can cause will expel toxins from your body.
Boost your immunity so you have a strong immune system. In addition to the herbs listed above, taking elderberry syrup and rose hips for vitamin C will support your immune system.
And lastly, drink bone broth it has gelatin and cartilage which support a healthy immune function.
This post may contain affiliate/referral links. Read my full Disclosure/Disclaimer Policy.
