Natural Cold and Cough Relief
It seems like a lot of people have the sniffles these days, and this looks like it could be a long cold and flu season. With a growing interest from most people to have more natural foods, cleaning products, and household products, it is natural to look at cold remedies as well. I should also add that this should not be taken as medical advice and if you are very ill, you should seek professional advice. Here are some natural tips that I use whenever I feel a cold coming on:
–Prevention — obviously, avoiding a cold or flu would be the preferred option. Hand washing does work, as do hand sanitizers. If you want to try your hand at homemade sanitizers, keep in mind that a very high alcohol content is required to be effective. In addition, the best things to keep your immune levels strong are the things grandma reminded us of: eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep. Having yogurt with live probiotics is helpful for some people.
–Natural cough expectorants — believe it or not, a substitute for the expectorant (not the supressant) in cough medicine is to drink water, lots of it. Consuming lots of water will thin mucous secretions and make them easier to expel. I did not believe this until my last bout of flu about 3 years ago.
–Other cough remedies — honey seems to be the leading favorite among the natural remedies. In a recent study, honey seemed to outperform dextromethorphan in children.
–Easing congestion — steam helps to loosen congestion, and hot showers followed by vigorous back patting often helps. Sleeping with the shoulders and head elevated (multiple pillows) is usually more comfortable than the normal fully reclining position.
–Chicken soup — it turns out chicken soup does have some anti-inflammatory properties and lots of B vitamins that may help to alleviate cold symptoms. My preferred chicken soup for a cold includes fresh ginger and garlic for an extra boost.
I would love to hear your ideas for cold remedies
shared at Works for Me Wednesday
Great tips! I read that gargling with salt water is a great preventative too…it can kill the virus in your mouth before it has a chance to get further. Worth a try!
Thanks for the tips! I’ve been using a homeopathic remedy–C-Plus cold tablets, and I am a big fan of grapefruit seed extract.
Kara, thanks for the reminder on the salt water, that’s one I meant to post.
Brandi, I’ve not tried grapefruit seed extract, will have to look in to it.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Extra vitamin C! Also, I like to add fresh lemon juice and honey to hot water…you can also add some fresh ginger. Very soothing.
Lemon, honey, ginger, mmm, maybe I’ll try this even when I’m not sick.
Thank you for these much needed tips!
To clear a stuffed-up head, mix ginger and honey into boiling water (powdered ginger will do if you don’t have grated fresh ginger root) and lead over it breathing the steam. When it’s cool enough, drink it slowly.
I’ve found that eating plenty of raw garlic can help to prevent a cold from turning into a sinus infection. It’s pretty extreme, but if you mix in into spaghetti sauce (heat the sauce, then add the garlic right before eating) it tastes pretty good!
Lisa, thanks for visiting.
Becca, great suggestions, I love garlic.
This is great.
Thanks for sharing this. I have a cough that won’t go away. I’ve had it for about three months, and it came from my allergy cold about three and a half months ago. So, this is gonna be awesome.