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Top 15 Natural Remedies For The Everyday Common Cold
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Sooner or later it happens to all of us; one day you are fine, the next you start feeling that tickle in the back of your throat or you start sneezing over and over and before you know it, you have a cold. Although it’s true that there is no “cure” for the common cold, there are plenty of means of prevention and, better still, plenty of natural methods to relieve the symptoms and shorten the duration of a cold.
Below is a list of the top 15 natural remedies you can use to both prevent a cold and find some comforting relief if you should get a cold.
1. Spice Tea
This is an old Ayurvedic remedy to treat a cold. Make your own spice tea by using the following recipe:
Grind a quarter cup of coriander seeds, a quarter teaspoon of fenugreek seeds, and one half tablespoon of both cumin and fennel seeds. You should be able to find all these seeds at your local health food store.
Boil one cup of water and add 1.5 tablespoons of this mix of powdered seeds along with one teaspoon of raw, organic honey. Allow this mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, strain, and drink when it has cooled down a bit. Drink two cups of this spice tea each day until your symptoms subside.
2. Chicken Soup
This is an ancient remedy that your mother and grandmother probably gave you when you were sick.
Homemade chicken soup not only makes you feel better but it really will help speed up the recovery process because it contains powerful antioxidants that help improve your immunity as well as restore your body.
Use the bones and/or carcass from a chicken along with plenty of organic vegetables for the best cold busting soup ever!
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3. Vitamin D
This is one of the most overlooked, yet, the most effective remedy and preventative for the common cold.
Whenever the sun is out, be sure you get outside for some fresh air and healthy vitamin D, courtesy of the sun.
If you live somewhere that has very little sun in the winter, or if you feel a cold coming on, be sure to take about 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 each day.
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4. Cinnamon
The high level of antioxidants and antibacterial compounds in cinnamon make it a tasty way to kick your cold to the curb.
Try making some cinnamon tea using one cinnamon stick to one cup of boiling water.
Add a little raw honey and fresh lemon juice, and you have a major cold stopper in a cup.
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5. Chaga Mushroom
This mushroom is often referred to by the Siberian people as the “Gift from God”. Chaga mushrooms have so many health benefits they couldn’t possibly be listed here but one of them is its ability to really cut short the duration of your cold.
This mushroom also contains beta glucans, which improves the immune system. Simply boil a piece of chaga mushroom in water, add a bit of turmeric or cinnamon and honey to taste.
Drink two cups per day and watch that cold disappear, almost like magic. You might find yourself calling it the “Chaga Cold Killing Machine”
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6. Black Pepper
Black pepper contains a compound called capsaicin that can give you some relief from that congestion by thinning the mucus so you can expel it. Read more about black pepper health benefits.
Add a couple good doses of pepper to your food or gargle with a mixture of half a teaspoon of black pepper mixed in warm water.
Some people even just give their pepper shaker a good whiff or two during the day so that they sneeze and blow out that stuffed up nose.
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7. Garlic
There are so many ways you can use garlic to both make you feel better and kill that cold. Garlic has tons of antiviral and antibacterial compounds so use it before you get a cold to help stop it before it gets started or to cut an existing cold short.
You can slightly crush two garlic cloves and just swallow them (or chew them if you really love garlic) or you can add lots of garlic to your foods.
Another method is to make a type of garlic tea by boiling one crushed garlic clove, two teaspoons of lemon juice, one tablespoon of raw honey, and either a dash of black pepper or cayenne pepper.
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8. Raw Organic Honey
Be absolutely sure that you are getting raw, organic honey. You won’t find that on your supermarket shelf.
Go to your local farmers market or health food store.
Honey will improve your immune system, and treat your cold symptoms at the same time, but only as long as it hasn’t been subjected to processing or heat. Read more about honey benefits.
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9. Oil of Oregano
Not really good tasting on its own, but some people enjoy it because it will open up your sinuses like nothing else.
Each drop contains powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant compounds that will kill off those cold bugs wicked fast.
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10. Red Onion
There are many different ways that onions can kill off cold and flu bugs but if you were ever told to cut one in half and leave it to sit out to “absorb” cold germs, that’s bogus. Another folk remedy is to cut the onion in half and place one half on each foot of the sick person, and allowing it to sit there overnight to absorb the virus.
This one is questionable, but some people do swear by it. Still others swear that they get relief from major cold symptoms by making a type of red onion syrup. To make this, slice two or three red onions horizontally. Place one slice of the onion in a bowl and cover it with raw honey.
Continue to layer the onions and honey in this manner until the bowl is full or you are out of onions. Cover the bowl and allow to set for 24 hours. Discard the onions and drink one teaspoon of this syrup three times per day to stop sore throats, coughs, and open sinuses.
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11. Mullein Tea
Shorten the duration of your cold by drinking lots of mullein tea. This is a natural expectorant and when you can keep your sinuses clear, the end of the cold follows very quickly.
Place one tablespoon of dried mullein herb and allow to steep in a cup of boiling water for 5 minutes.
Strain and drink at least 3 times per day. Add some raw honey for flavor and extra healing compounds if you like.
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12. Salt Water
Gargling with salt water can do a lot more to lessen symptoms and shorten a cold than it gets credit for.
Add a teaspoon of sea salt in a glass of warm water and gargle four times per day.
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13. Ginger
Like honey, ginger has amazing properties to heal, along with powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. Ginger stops nausea, and can help cut a cold short.
It also warms the body, which is perfect for expelling toxins and making you feel better when you have the chills.
For a healthy tea that you will love mix some slices of fresh ginger in boiling water, along with some raw honey.
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14. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar will alkalize the body, which helps kill the cold virus which is acidic.
Mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with the juice of one lemon and some raw honey.
Try drinking this mixture twice per day. Your cold should disappear quickly.
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15. Vitamin C
You’ve probably heard that taking lots of vitamin C can shorten the average cold, and it’s true! This powerful immune booster is the perfect remedy for both preventing and treating the common cold.
Experts say that taking 2,000mg or more of vitamin C can kill the cold virus. If you decide to take supplements, spread them out during the day as the body does not store vitamin C and if you take it all at one time, you will simply pee it out and not get the full benefit.
Or you can combine some supplements with foods that are rich in vitamin C such as berries, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, peppers, kiwis, and leafy greens.
References:
Centers for Disease Control: ”Symptom Relief.” American Academy of Family Physicians: ”Colds and the Flu.” Charles B. Inlander, author, 77 Ways to Beat Cold and Flu.
