This week, Joe & Terry invite listeners to share their favorite home remedies for colds. No one expects to shorten the period of cold weather, perhaps in one or two cases! But for many, relieving symptoms may help people feel better for a few hours. you can call your suggestion 888-472-3366 Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
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Home remedies for cold symptoms:
What do you do if you start coming down with a cold? Many people reach for acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Especially if you are running a mild fever. It’s a good idea to save your painkillers for when you’re in pain and welcome the heat. It’s your body’s way of fighting infection and you shouldn’t need treatment unless it gets really high. Does your family have a pile-on-quilt treatment designed to actually run heat through cold victims? Some people turn to hot liquids to warm up when they’re cold.
Chicken soup and golden milk:
All over the world, people rely on chicken soup when they have a cold. Inhaling the steam from a bowl of soup can help temporarily relieve congestion. Making soup with a lot of thyme can reduce cough for a while. In China, grandmothers often make chicken soup with astragalus root. Because it has a reputation for strengthening the immune response.
Of course, vegetarians avoid chicken soup, but some embrace golden milk. This traditional Ayurvedic cold treatment has the yellow spice turmeric mixed with warm milk and sweetened with honey. Like chicken soup, those who grew up with this remedy will feel real comfort when the weather is bad. Researchers have discovered that curcumin, an important component of turmeric, has distinct antiviral activity (moleculeJuly 8, 2022).
Some types of tea:
I have my favorite types that I like to use if I feel like I’m coming down with a cold.
Ginger tea for cold symptoms:
Ginger tea is a nice way to deal with both cough and congestion. It can be made from dried ginger, but I believe it is made by grating fresh ginger root and soaking it in hot water. If desired, it can be sweetened with honey. Some people like to add a little chili pepper to make an already spicy drink even more useful.
Thyme tea for cough:
When we start coughing, we rely on a cup of freshly brewed thyme tea. Use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves with a tea infusion spoon to steep 6 ounces of hot water for about 5 minutes. This is delicious when you add lemon (and honey!). You will find that it immediately calms your cough for several hours. There aren’t many studies of this herbal treatment, but one randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial in children with asthma found that thyme syrup reduced activity-induced cough (Allergologia et ImmunopathologiaJanuary 2024). These young people have asthma, so it cannot be applied directly to people who are coughing due to a cold. Still, that suggests there’s some activity.
Elderflower tea:
Extract of the dried flowers of the elderberry shrub (also known as elderflower tea) contains high levels of polyphenols (Journal of Agricultural and Food ChemistryFebruary 11, 2015). Some scientists are interested in developing medicinal compounds to treat respiratory infections based on elderberry components (moleculeJune 22, 2024). Traditional herbalists recommend elder flower tea for coughs associated with colds. Have you tried this approach?
sambucus Elderberry fruit has been having a moment lately. A systematic review of its use for viral respiratory illnesses found that it did not appear to stop the common cold, but may reduce its duration and severity (BMC complementary medicine and treatmentApril 7, 2021). As with almost all remedies, more research is needed.
Sage tea for sore throat:
Speaking with Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, she frequently recalls how, as a child, her grandmother would prepare sage tea when there was a cold in the household. Rather than consuming it as a hot drink, young people used it as a gargle to cool it down and relieve sore throats.
What about vitamin C?
When it comes to vitamin C, is it a pro or a scam? The benefits of this vitamin against the common cold have been highly controversial for decades. Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling was a fan, but many doctors are skeptical, to say the least. A recent review shows that high doses of vitamin C can prevent colds and reduce cold severity by about 15% in people who engage in strenuous physical activity (Polish Archives of Internal MedicineJanuary 13, 2025). Considering that vitamin C often causes side effects, it seems worth a try. The author suggests self-experimentation using 6-8 grams per day starting from the first hint of cold symptoms. Some people experience diarrhea at that dose and need to lower it due to personal protocols.
Does zinc help with sore throat?
In 1979, a girl with cancer refused to swallow the zinc tablets she was supposed to take. She sucked it for hours instead. Amazingly, the cold symptoms she had been having disappeared. Subsequent research confirmed that zinc has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects (European Journal of Clinical NutritionApril 2023). Have you tried zinc lozenges to treat your cold symptoms? Please tell me how you did it.
Should I take quercetin for a cold?
The flavonoid quercetin is available as a dietary supplement. It has a reputation for fighting viruses, perhaps because studies have demonstrated that it can inhibit the early stages of viral infections and reduce inflammation (Phytotherapy sesearcH, January 2022). Perhaps this helps explain the popularity of onion syrup as a cold remedy. Many listeners have reminisced about this, and it seems to be widely popular. Have you tried it?
Vicks Vaporub:
No discussion of cold remedies is complete without mentioning vicks. It was actually developed (more than 100 years ago) to specifically help with coughs from upper respiratory tract infections. The usual approach to using Vicks is to apply it to the chest, but many listeners have found that applying it to the soles of the feet is also very effective for nighttime coughs. . Wear thick socks to keep the sheets from getting greasy from the petrolatum. Menthol, which contributes to its distinctive aroma, helps explain why it works for coughs.
Listen to the podcast:
A podcast of this program will be available on Monday, January 27, 2025, following its broadcast on January 25. You can stream shows and download podcasts for free from this site.
