Home Remedies for the Cold/Flu

by Meenakshi Verma · Published January 12, 2019 · Updated January 25, 2019

Being sick, even when you’re home in bed, isn’t fun. The combination of body, aches, fever, chills, and nasal congestion can be enough to make anyone miserable. There are plenty of home remedies that can alleviate your symptoms and get you back to normal. If you still feel sick after a few weeks, make an appointment with your doctor. If you have trouble breathing, have a rapid heartbeat, feel faint, or experience other severe symptoms, get medical help sooner. Keep reading to see what cold and flu remedies you can conjure up at home.

1. Saline Drops

Saline drops can help promote mucus drainage and clear the nasal cavity. While kids may not tolerate using a Neti pot to flush out the sinuses, they may be accepting of a few drops of saline in each nostril.

2. Chicken Soup

Chicken soup may not be a cure-all, but it’s a incredible choice when you’re debilitated. Investigate proposes that getting a charge out of a bowl of chicken soup with vegetables, arranged from scratch or warmed from a can, can moderate the development of necrophiliacs in your body. They offer assistance ensure your body from contamination. When they’re moving gradually, they remain more concentrated within the ranges of your body that require the foremost recuperating. Chicken soup was successful for diminishing the indications of upper respiratory disease in specific. Low-sodium soup moreover carries incredible wholesome esteem and makes a difference keep you hydrated. It’s a great choice, no matter how you’re feeling.

3. Sipping Fluids

Drinking plenty of fluids can help prevent dehydration and may thin mucus. Water is the best bet when it comes to staying well hydrated. Other liquids such as juice are also acceptable. Tea with lemon and honey and other hot drinks may help break up congestion and ease a sore throat. Hot soup, especially spicy soups, may promote nasal drainage and make breathing easier. People who have a cold should avoid alcohol, which can contribute to dehydration.

4. Steam

Breathing in steam from a hot shower may decrease nasal congestion and sinus pressure, at least temporarily. An alternative to a hot shower is filling a pot with boiling water, placing a towel over the head and breathing in the steam. Steam soothes the tissues of the nose and throat and to make steam inhalation even more effective, people can consider adding eucalyptus, which is an essential oil. We should add 3 to 7 drops of eucalyptus oil to boiling water and inhaling the steam through the nose.

5. Vitamin C

It appears that for the most part taking vitamin C won’t help the average person prevent colds. However, taking vitamin C before the onset of cold symptoms may shorten the duration of symptoms. Vitamin C may provide benefit for people at high risk of colds due to frequent exposure — for example, children who attend group child care during the winter.

6. Mixture of Lemon, Cinnamon and Honey

Another effective home remedy for common cold and cough is a mixture of lemon, cinnamon and honey. This syrup effectively cures cold and cough.

How to make syrup: In half spoon of honey, add a few drop of lemon and a pinch of cinnamon. Have this syrup twice a day to cure common cold and cough.

7. Gargle with Warm Salt Water

It moistens your sore or scratchy throat and brings temporary relief. Try a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water four times a day.To calm the tickle in your throat, try a gargle made from tea. Or use one that’s got honey in it.

8. Honey

Honey has a variety of antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Drinking honey in tea with lemon can ease sore throat pain. Research suggests that honey is an effective cough suppressant, too. In one study, researchers found that giving children 10 grams of honey at bedtime reduced the severity of their cough symptoms. The children reportedly slept more soundly, which also helps reduce cold symptoms.

9. Try an neck support pillow

Do this at night once you rest to assist diminish congested nasal sections. In case the point is as well cumbersome, put the pillows between the sleeping pad and the box springs to make a more progressive slant.

10. Humidifier

A humidifier or cool mist vaporizer can decrease cold symptoms, such as a sore throat, cough, and congestion. Caregivers can place a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier in the child’s room to add moisture to the home. People should be sure to change the water daily. Also, cleaning the unit as instructed by the manufacturer prevents the buildup of mildew and mold.