Pneumonia home remedies can be used along with conventional
medicine to relieve the pain and discomfort of painful lungs,
breathlessness, coughing, fatigue and fever. The best pneumonia home
remedies focus on providing good nutrition, rest and specific
immune-boosting supplements.
Supplements
Vitamin
C is one of the better known pneumonia home remedies. Vitamin C boosts
your immune function by stimulating the production of interferon - a
natural microbe killer. When an infection starts, take 500-1000mg of
vitamin C every hour for several hours (or until you get loose stools).
Zinc
stimulates antibody and T-cell production and helps fuel circulation of
white blood cells. A zinc lozenge or dose of liquid zinc every 2-3
hours is recommended.
Vitamin A will help heal inflamed mucous
membranes and strengthen the immune system. This dose can be taken
safely a couple of times a day. If you are pregnant keep your dose below
2500 IU.
Herbs
Garlic
Taken fresh,
either raw or lightly cooked, garlic is one of the most accessible
pneumonia home remedies. For those who dislike the taste of garlic, 2-3
capsules or tablets a day will do the trick.
Flu buster tea
This
tea is one of the most potent antiviral and antibacterial pneumonia
home remedies. Drink throughout the day to relieve symptoms:
1 heaped teaspoon Fenugreek
1 cm ginger root, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 lemon, squeezed
Seep
solid ingredients in hot water for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice before
serving. If desired a teaspoon of natural honey (Manuka Honey is best)
can be added.
Other herbs
Liquorice, Marshmallow, Horehound,
Coltfoot are natural cough relievers. Drinking warm or hot water and
sucking on lozenges can help.
Infection fighting foods
There
are many foods with antiviral and antibacterial properties which act as
fantastic pneumonia home remedies. Most of these foods have high
antioxidant levels. Some of the hotter foods have expectorant and
decongestant properties.
Here's some foods to include in your
diet: Onion, garlic, green or red peppers, chilli, cabbage, cauliflower,
mustard (especially horseradish), Shitake mushrooms, turmeric, ginger,
ginseng, pineapple, lemons, blueberry, raspberry, plum, tea (black,
oolong or green), natural yoghurt and chicken broth (high in cysteine
which thins mucous). Good quality protein foods are also important to
help rebuild the cells.
Other pneumonia home remedies
- Stay warm, rest, get plenty of sleep and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to rehydrate the body.
- Gargling with a teaspoon of salt in warm water can help relieve a sore throat.
- A steamy shower or Epsom salt bath can help relieve nasal congestion and help you feel better.
- A steam inhalation where you breathe in the steam over a bowl of hot water (cover your head with a towel) can soothe inflamed membranes and drain mucous. The addition of a few drops of eucalyptus, tea tree or pine can help.
- A vaporiser or humidifier at night can moisten the mucous membranes and help you sleep.
- A chest rub with a menthol or camphor rub can open breathing passages.
- Don't go back to work too early. Give your body a chance to heal.
These simple pneumonia home remedies can help a great deal in alleviating your symptoms.
