As spring warms up to summer, many of us think we’re safely out of reach of cold and flu season. But, while warmer temperatures and the increase in sunlight can do much to improve health and spirits, spring and summer colds can still come in and make life miserable.
Echinacea cold defense
Echinacea, in addition to a diet filled with fruit and vegetables, is one way that we might be able to reduce our risk of catching the common cold.
Echinacea is thought to help with the prevention of the common cold by stimulating white blood cell production. An increase in white blood cells decreases the chance that foreign bodies will infect cells in the body.
Some other potential benefits of echinacea include decreased inflammation and increased wound healing. Echinacea may also have some antiviral and antiseptic properties.
Summer Flash Juice
Try adding some echinacea to your juice at the first sign of a cold, and you’ll feel better in a flash!
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- ½ lemon
- small piece of ginger (1″)
- ½ small beet
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 apple
- 1 grapefruit
- for adding-in: ½ teaspoon echinacea powder
Instructions
Juice all ingredients together and pour into a glass. Stir in the echinacea and serve. Makes 2 servings.
