Common Cold Home Remedies

Common cold is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and normally last for 3 to 10 days. The causes for common cold might varies from exposure to virus and cold, low vitality, sudden changes in temperature and irritating inhalations such as dust. You might experience sneezing, mild fever, watery eyes, coughing, sore throat, runny nose or achiness. Most people opt for home remedies when having cold as it is safe for the body as compared to antibiotics.

Here are some useful and effective home remedies for common cold:

Honey Lemon Juice: Lemon is high in Vitamin-C which can help in reducing harmful toxic in our body and also increase body resistance. To make honey lemon juice, extract the juice of a lemon and dilutes with a glass of warm water. Then, add 1 teaspoon of honey to the diluted lemon juice. Take once or twice daily.

Garlic Soup: Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties. The oil contained in garlic helps to open up the respiratory passages. To make garlic soup, boil 4 cloves of chopped garlic in a cup of water. Drink the soup once daily. It will help in flushing out toxins and thus reducing fever.

Ginger Tea: Ginger is good for treating colds and coughs. Cut about 10g of ginger into pieces and boil in a cup of water. Then, add in tea leaves to make ginger tea. Strain the tea and add ½ teaspoon of sugar and drink immediately when hot. Take twice daily.

Lady’s Finger Decoction: Lady’s finger is rich in mucilage which allays irritation, swelling, and pain. It is good for treating dry cough and throat irritation. To make a decoction, cut 100g of lady’s finger and boil in 500ml of water. Inhale the steam once or twice daily to relieve throat irritation and also dry cough.

Turmeric Milk: Turmeric is good for treating colds and throat irritations. To make the turmeric milk, pour 30ml of warm milk to ½ teaspoon of fresh turmeric powder and boil under low heat. Drink once or twice daily. To cure a running cold, you can try to inhale smoke from the burning turmeric to get quick relief.

Tamarind-Pepper Rasam: The steam from this hot rasam can clear the nasal blockage by flushing away the nose and eyes water. To prepare it, dilute 50mg tamarind in 250ml of water. Boil the tamarind water with 1 teaspoon of clarified butter and ½ teaspoon of black pepper powder for a few minutes. Inhale the steam from the hot rasam 3 times daily.