Any NATURAL remedies for a cold?

Question

Wow- thanks everyone!! All suggestions were fantastic (except the person who doesn't believe in natural cures, and would rather trust the FDA:)

Answer 1

vitamin C
echnichiea (sp)
licorice to cleanse the lungs of congestion.
zinc supplements


aromatherapy: eucalyptus, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen to open the nasal passages.

Answer 2

As a homoeopath, I would select from about 150 remedies for a cold! There's lots of scope & if you get the correct remedy, you'll see results within hours & no symptoms at all within 24 hours. Those who say otherwise, are not wise in the ways of homoeopathy - it's a difficult practice to perfect & some of it is down to the patient giving the right information. Questions I'd ask is how the cold started & what was going on before, the nature of any aches & pains, any additional symptoms (headaches, appetite changes etc), whether the patient feels hot or cold, wants to be covered or have open air, what side their throat is / was sore, if they have a cough & a full description of any expectorant, what time of day is worse or better, how they are sleeping, what is the colour & consistency of their nasal discharge, how their mood is affected by the cold .............. only then would I begin to prescribe a remedy that fits all of this & more! There's more to homoeopathy than a remedy for this & a remedy for that; it's a remedy for the symptoms that a person has & how it fits them.

Answer 3

The best treatment for a cold is prevention.

Because essential oils have strong antimicrobial properties, they can be diffused to prevent the spread of airborne bacteria and viruses. Antivirual essential oils (such as basil, hyssop, rosemary, tea tree. oregano and thyme) are very effective as preventative aids in avoiding colds as well as helping the body defenses fight colds, once an infection has started. Young Living's ImmunPro tablets are a powerful immune stimulant that can increase infection resistance. I also like Thieves Antiseptic Spray and Thieves Lozenges, which contain essential oils.

Most over the counter medications do nothing more than mask symptoms. Those that reduce fever may prolong the duration of a cold.

All the best,

Answer 4

Try these natural home remedies for the common cold!
* Start the day with the honey-pepper mixture : grind 7 black pepper balls and mix with a teaspoon of honey, turning the spoon 108 times clockwise.
* The roots of the bitter gourd plant are used in folk medicine to cure a cold. A teaspoon of the root paste, mixed with an equal quantity of honey or tulsi leaf juice, given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent medicine for colds.
* Garlic, as well as onion, is sometimes taken for the relief of congestion and minor infections. They are good in helping reduce the amount of mucous in the nasal cavities too. Garlic is also said to aid in the cleansing of the body's blood. And, true or not, it has been said that if you cut several onions in half and place them around your home, you and your family will not get any more colds.
* Take hot water in a bowl and put some Vicks vaporub. Place your nose over the vapors and inhale, covering yourself with a towel.
* Use kava kava as a gargle for soothing and analgesic pain relief. Helps insomnia cause by coughing and sore throat.
* You can also purchase a bottle of colloidal Silver nasal spray at your local health store. It is most beneficial in moisturizing and soothing dry nasal pasages, and thus helping to ward off the common cold virus.
* Take Vitamin C and Zinc lozenges this can help stop the cold from going through the entire process.
* Chicken soup has been used for treating common colds at least since the 12th century. It may really help. The heat, fluid, and salt may help you fight the infection.
* Yarrow is one of the best diaphoretic herbs available to us and has become a standard remedy for aiding the body in dealing with fevers. For colds it is best combined with other herbs such as peppermint and elderberry. Yarrow is easy to grow and plants are freely available - so grow your own. Make a standard infusion with 3 - 6 teaspoons fresh herb, or 1 - 2 teaspoons dried herb. Take one cup three times a day
* During the acute stage of the cold, when fever is present, the patient should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fruit and vegetable juices, diluted with water.

Answer 5

I an afraid xenon is 100% correct.

Only one researcher, now deceased, produced any work which suggested that vitamin C helps colds. His name was Professor Linus Pauling. He did useful work in many other scientific fields but his work on vitamin C and colds was repeatedly demonstrated to be bunkum!

Echinacea was used in a controlled cross over study to see if it had either a therapeutic or protective effect on the cold. The Echinacea group got more colds, that lasted longer than the placebo group, effectively confirming that it was absolutely useless!

Both aromatherapy and homeopathy have failed to demonstrate any useful effects on colds and whilst honey and lemon etc may be soothing they have no effect on either the virus or the symptoms.

There are some antiviral drugs that have been shown to shorten the duration of colds, they are however so expensive, that they cannot be justified.

Take paracetamol or ibuprofen ( If no contraindications ) for the fever and aches and pains, and possibly a decongestant. Neither of these 2 things affect the virus, or the duration, but they do alleviate some of the symptoms.

Answer 6

Go to Boots and find their own brand Vitamin C tablets. You dissolve 1 in water every day to boost your immune system (1 tablet is 1g of Vit c). If you've got a cold it's best to take 2-3 tablets a day. The duration of your cold will be reduced by this increased vitamin c intake!

Answer 7

There are lots of natural remedies for a cold.... unfortunately, none of them work. Rest a little, eat citrus fruits like oranges or mangoes, keep your head warm and in a few days it will be history.

Answer 8

A mixture of honey and lemon or lime juice works well when taken 3 times per day before meals.

Also Kyolic (aged garlic) and zinc have been very effective for bad colds.

Answer 9

one thing on top of lots of vitamin C for strenghtening the body for fighting infection (fresh is best but tablest are also good, but avoid the ones with asparmate or artificial sugars as that stuff is lethal) & echinacea drops or tablets which build the immune system naturally,
this works for me:
I warm the room I want to sleep in, then I take a hot shower or as warm as I can stand it, then I quickly get out of the shower, got o bed & sweat it out by morning..usually it works for me!

PS> taking a multi-vitamin would also be good, as it would help your body to get stronger! 7 Seas multi-Bionta is good, as it also has probiotics which is very helpful espcially after you have taken anti-biotics.

Answer 10

yes there r natural remedies for a cold.. u can try some mint or eucalyptus leaves.. if u can get a hold of them.. crush them into a fine powdery solution and put a little of them on a piece of clean cloth.. u can use this cloth to inhale thru.. helps a lot to clear out ur respiratory system.. also.. try steam inhalation.. and gargling with warm water after adding some salt to it, if u have a bad throat or cough with ur cold.. get well soon.. :)

Answer 11

All suggestions great so far!!
Try also Horehound cough drops/syrup. Chicken with Garlic and ginger soup. Menthol rub on chest for congestion. Steam nasal inhalation with peppermint and eucalyptus drops.Good luck:)