The Skinny
You’re home and you’re sick, sniffling, sneezing, coughing and just plain miserable. Relief can come in many forms, but why not try some tried-and-true at-home remedies for that cold? Sure, these aids may not be foolproof, but nothing really is when it comes to dealing with nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis, acute coryza (the technical terms for this very common problem). There’s not much to lose. Besides staying hydrated, resting and sipping warm liquids, the following at-home remedies have been pretty successful in fighting colds for hundreds of years. Just ask your local herbalist or grandma.
The Slate
Yes, what else would be at the top of this list but chicken soup. It may not be able to mend broken bones or a broken heart, but research backs up folklore here in supporting the notion that chicken soup can fight colds. The soup helps a body concentrate powerful white blood cells called neutrophils, making them more effective at battling infection. Chicken soup is particularly effective in fighting upper respiratory infections. Besides tasting good, it also helps keep people hydrated.
Ginger has been touted as a healer for centuries and now science agrees. Ginger roots dropped into boiling water makes a concoction that can ease a cough and sore throat and fight off the nausea that can accompany a cold or flu.
Vampires aren’t the only things that garlic can fight off. It’s imbedded compound of allicin has antibacterial and antifungal properties that can do a number on colds. One research project even found that people taking a garlic supplement cut their risk of getting a cold in half. Apparently, allicin is most effective when garlic is consumed raw in any form. If that’s not an option for all sorts of reasons, it can also be consumed in pill form.
This sounds like a remedy straight out of Our Town or Little House On The Prairie. Doesn’t matter, the quaint sounding fruit from the elder tree is apparently loaded with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that work well in fighting colds. Research shows elderberry syrup (not sure about elderberry wine) can also relieve sinus infections.
Honey can come in handy for someone who is under the weather. When mixed into tea, it can ease sore throats and help suppress coughs. It can also make it easier to sleep, which speeds recovery periods.
Cinnamon’s benefits extend beyond its great taste. It is loaded with antifungal and analgesic properties that some medical professionals report works will well in treating bronchitis and colds in general. Anyone under the weather should consider drinking two or three cups of cinnamon tea a day. Very easy to make at home.
When either used as a tea or rubbed directly on skin, peppermint can help bring down a fever. The herb’s antimicrobial and antiviral properties are not only effective, cinnamon’s great taste makes it easy to give to children.
Andrographis usually doesn’t get a lot of play from the uninformed. But this herb is chocked full of immunostimulatory properties that attack viruses of all sorts and build up a body’s immune system. Found in leaves and supplements, Andrographis can also fight fevers, decreases inflammation and stop viruses from reproducing
If chicken soup is an old standby for fighting colds, so is Vitamin C. It can be grabbed from red capsicums and oranges as a natural source of the vitamin. It is also available in supplements. Doesn’t matter how it is consumed, Vitamin C can reportedly cut a cold’s duration in half for an adult and by at least a day for children.
Apple cider vinegar is finding its way into all sort of medicinal uses these days. And while not all of its reputed health benefits have received scientific backing yet, a tablespoon in a glass a warm water is believed to battle back colds and flu by leaking more alkaline in the body.
Eyes Up
Do you have something to take the chill out of the common cold? Let us know at info@wellwellusa.com
