Coughs and colds can leave you feeling miserable—and so can the over-the-counter drugs being peddled to treat them. So the next time a bad cold or cough hits, put down the blister packs and bottles of colorful pills, and head to your kitchen instead. Healing foods full of anti-inflammatory compounds and natural antiviral compounds can work wonders without the side effects of drowsiness, jitteriness, and all-over funkiness.
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| Home Remedies for common cold Image Source : Google |
Home remedies are popular due to the natural ingredients used, and the ease of administering these remedies. In general, home remedies are the same for people of all ages. Slight differences in ingredients or methods used, are observed within different groups, e.g., infants, toddlers, adults, and pregnant women. Following are the remedies for each group. The remedy has been elaborated, where the conditions differ between groups.
Home Remedies for Cold in Infants
- Lots of rest - Resting conserves energy in the body. Infants, when allowed to sleep well, are able to activate their immune system to tackle the infection.
- Drink lot of fluids - Babies younger than 6 months should drink breast milk/formula. No water should be given since it may create an electrolyte imbalance in the body. An oral electrolyte solution, designed for infants, may be given.
- Saline nasal drops - A saline solution can be sprayed or used as drops in the nose to clear out the mucus in the nasal passages, and thus relieve congestion. (Homemade saline nasal drops: 1 cup of warm water + ½ tsp salt. Use within 24 hours to avoid bacterial contamination.)
- Vapor rubs - May be used for massaging on the neck, back, and chest in infants older than 3 months. Baby-safe balms such as eucalyptus, petrolatum and other oils can be used for infants less than 2 years of age.
Home Remedies for Cold in Toddlers
- Lots of rest
- Drink lots of fluids - Warm milk, water, diluted juice
- Saline nasal drops
- Honey for cough - Honey can be given to children older than 12 months. Half a teaspoon can be given to children between 2 and 5 years of age, 1 tsp for children of 6-11 yrs of age, and 2 tsps. for children older than 12 yrs.
- Resting with head elevated - This is done for children older than 12 months. When children sleep in a slightly, inclined, raised position, it clears the nasal passage by improving mucus drainage. Children can breathe easily and sleep better. Towels can be rolled up and placed below the mattress, to provide an incline.
- Salt water gargling - Children, older than 4 yrs, can gargle with salt water as a remedy for sore throat. (Homemade salt water for gargling: 1 glass of warm water + ½ tsp salt. Squeezing a bit of lemon juice adds to the soothing effect.)
- Nose blowing - This can be done in children, older than 2 yrs, to clear out the nasal passage. A bulb syringe may be used when the child is unable to blow on his/her own.
- Use of humidifier/vaporizer/steamy bath - A humidifier or vaporizer creates humidity in a dry room. The nasal passages become moist and mucus starts to clear away, making breathing easier. Addition of menthol to a steamy bath has a similar effect. Children should be kept in a steamy bath for 15 minutes to experience the soothing effect on the nasal passages
- Vapor rubs - Camphor or menthol may be used in children older than 2 years of age. Natural vapor balms such as aloe, beeswax, herbal oils and other essential oils may be used.
Home Remedies for Cold in Pregnant womens
- Lots of rest
- Reclining position
- Steam inhalation - Helps clear out the nasal passage.
- Drink lots of fluids - Vitamin C juices (e.g., orange juice), decaffeinated liquids, broths, etc.
- Salt water gargling - Very effective for sore throat. (Homemade salt water: 1tsp salt + 1 cup of warm water)
- Prenatal vitamins - Zinc in vitamins fights germs while vitamin C stimulates the immune system. The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) recommends 40 mg of vitamin C per day.
- Use Humidifiers in the room.
- Use light clothes and covers.
- Eat fresh garlic - Garlic has anti-viral properties. Cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves have similar anti-viral properties and should be used in cooking.
Home Remedies for Cold in Adults
- Drink plenty of fluids to help break up your congestion. Drinking water or juice will prevent dehydration and keep your throat moist. You should drink at least 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water daily. Include fluids such as water, sports drinks, herbal teas, fruit drinks, or ginger ale. Your mother's chicken soup might help too!
- Inhale steam to ease your congestion and drippy nose. Hold your head over a pot of boiling water and breathe through your nose. Be careful. If the steam burns your nose, breathe in more slowly. You can buy a humidifier, but the steam will be the same as the water on the stove. Moisture from a hot shower with the door closed, saline nasal spray, or a room humidifier is just as helpful to ease congestion.
- Blow your nose often, but do it the proper way. It's important to blow your nose regularly when you have a cold rather than sniffling mucus back into your head. But when you blow hard, pressure can carry germ-carrying phlegm back into your ear passages, causing earache. The best way to blow your nose is to press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other.
- Use saline nasal sprays or make your own salt water rinse to irrigate your nose. Salt-water rinsing helps break nasal congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose.
Ginger for common cold
Ginger acts as a potent natural anti-inflammatory herbal agent. Most people use ginger tea as a way to soothe their painful throats, although fresh ginger from the produce section of your local supermarket is also good.
1 cup boiling water + 3-4 half-inch slices of ginger + 1 stick of cinnamon + a squirt of lemon +sugar to taste. Should be consumed twice a day.
Black Pepper and Honey
Place 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper in a teacup, fill with boiling water, cover with a saucer, and let steep for 15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of SueBee Honey, and drink the peppery tea. The black pepper stimulates circulation and doubles as a decongestant. The mildly antibiotic honey soothes the throat and relieves coughing.
Honey, Olive Oil, and Lemon Juice for cough
To make homemade cough syrup, mix 1 cup of Honey, ½ cup of Olive Oil, and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in a saucepan and warm over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir vigorously for several minutes until the mixture attains the consistency of syrup. To relieve a cough, take 1 teaspoon of the formula every 2 hours. Store in an airtight container.
Chicken soup
Eating chicken soup helps you stay hydrated, improves your immunity, provides antioxidants that your body needs to help fight the virus, helps clear mucus from your system, and reduces inflammation. In a study by researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, chicken soup reduced the movement of the neutrophils in blood, which they think lowers activity that causes inflammation and cold symptoms in the respiratory tract.
Garlic
This natural antifungal and antibacterial can help kick almost any illness to the curb. Garlic loses its potency when cooked, so it’s best taken raw during times of sickness. Try a garlic shot: 1-2 cloves of very finely minced garlic in a very small glass of water and drink it quickly in one sip.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice, to a glass of water helps to alkalinize the body. Creating an alkaline environment helps kill bacteria and viruses. Start drinking it at the first sign of illness and repeat several times a day until the symptoms subside.
Jeera / Cumin seeds
What makes jeera such a good home remedy for treating colds is its combination of anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Additionally, it has nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin A and iron which strengthen your immunity, making you more capable of fighting infections. If you have cold, you can try the remedy mentioned here -
- Boil one tablespoon of jeera seeds in two cups of water.
- Add a small piece of crushed ginger to the boiling water.
- Once it boils, and all the nutrients of jeera and ginger is absorbed by the water, you should strain the preparation so that the jeera seeds are left out.
- Consume this water based preparation as often as you can for relief.
- This simple-to-prepare solution will not only help relieve cold, but also help with your digestion, boost your metabolism and help flush out toxins from your body.
Kashayam
This is a South Indian home remedy that has been in practice for generations together. Since common cold is a viral infection, the best known treatment is to flush it out of the body by drinking ample fluids. If you or some known in your family is suffering for a longer period of time, it is best to contact your family care physician. This drink will work for regular running nose and sore throat but if there is a medical emergency, please contact your doctor.
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| Kashayam Image source: monsoonspice.com |
Kashaya or Kashayam (Sweet and spicy herbal drink made using selected aromatic spices based on the ancient Indian health science of Ayurveda)
Ingredients: (For Kashaya Powder)
1 cup Dhania/Coriander Seeds
1/3 cup Jeera/Cumin Seeds
¼ cup Saunf/Fennel Seeds
1-2 heaped tbsp Black Pepper Corns (Adjust as per taste)
1-2 cm Dry Ginger (Optional)
Ingredients: (For Kashaya Drink for one)
1 heaped tsp Kashaya Powder
¼ cup Milk (Add more or less based on your preference)
1 cup Water
½-1 tbsp Jaggery/Brown Sugar/White Sugar (Adjust as per taste)
A pinch of Cardamom or Turmeric Powder (Optional)
Method:
To Prepare Kashaya Powder
- Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns separately for a 1-1½ minutes on a low flame till the heady aroma of roasted spices fills your home! Make sure that you don’t over do it and burn the spices.
- The coriander seeds will take about 1½ minutes while the fennel and cumin seeds will not take more than 1¼ minutes for roasting.
- Spread the roasted spices on a wide plate and let them cool down completely. This is an important step and make sure that you cool the roasted spices to room temperature.
- Grind all these roasted spices along with dry ginger root if using to medium fine powder. Store this aromatic Kashaya Powder in an air tight jar.
- It stays fresh at room for about a month and a half. You can pop in a fridge and it will stay fresh for around 2 and half months.
To Prepare Kashaya Drink
- Take 1 cup of water in a sauce pan and bring it to boil. Once the water comes to boil, mix in 1 heaped tsp of Kashaya Powder and jaggery or white/brown sugar to taste.
- Let it boil for half a minute and mix in ¼ cup of milk along with cardamom/cinnamon/turmeric powder if using. Switch off the flame and let it rest for 1 minute for the flavours to infuse.
- Strain the Kashaya through fine sieve and drink it while hot. Enjoy this cup of goodness at any time of the day!
Remember, prevention is always the best remedy. If you notice symptoms lingering or worsening, be sure to check with your health care provider to rule out any serious illness.
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