Do Natural Remedies Work for Colds?

You have a cold -- a viral infection that medicine can’t cure -- but that doesn’t mean you have to be miserable as your body heals itself. Relief may be as close as your kitchen, where generations of mothers and grandmothers have soothed the sick with chicken soup, lemon juice and honey.

While these and other natural remedies won’t cure your cold, they can reduce your aches and pains, minimize congestion, suppress coughs and soothe your sore throat, allowing you to get the best treatment possible: Rest.

What Is a Cold?

A cold is a highly contagious infection of the upper respiratory tract by any one of more than 200 viruses that circulate among us, looking for hosts. Viruses are particles of genetic material inside a capsule, so small they can’t be seen by a standard microscope, and they can’t be destroyed by antibiotics, which target bacterial infections.

Unable to reproduce on their own, these particles seek other living organisms, including us. Once inside our bodies, they begin to replicate themselves in a process that can damage or destroy the host cell, leading to diseases, including the common cold.

Adults have four to six colds a year on average, leading to 40% of all work absences.

Treating the Symptoms

One to three days after a viral infection, you begin to feel symptoms such as:

• Congestion
• Sore throat
• Muscle and joint pain
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Headache

In most cases, symptoms are mild and will clear on their own in days or weeks. Along with over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants, antihistamines and cough syrups, the following tried-and-true home remedies can also make you feel better.

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup has long been THE comfort food for the ailing. It’s not so much the soup but the warm broth that brings so much comfort to cold sufferers. Warm liquids in general thin mucus and provide relief from runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness, according to one 2008 study.

The chicken itself is a protein that helps your immune system produce infection-fighting antibodies, and other additions like carrots, celery, mushrooms and onion contain antioxidants, which provide everyday immune support.

Fluids

The mucus flowing from your nose and throat when you have a cold is your immune system at work. Your nasal passages and airways are always lined with some mucus, which traps and removes bad stuff from the air you breathe. When you’re infected by a virus, your body increases mucus production, causing you to sneeze and cough, expelling the invader.

When you drink plenty of fluids, the mucus thins and becomes less sticky, making it easier for your body to expel. Extra fluids may also prevent dehydration, especially if your appetite is off or you have a fever.

Honey

Honey is sweet, thick and sticky. The first property makes it taste good. The next two may explain how it helps coat and soothe sore throats.

Previous research has established that honey reduces inflammation and can kill bacteria. Newer studies show it works as well or better than over-the-counter cold remedies, especially for reducing coughs. In some cases, it even reduced the duration of symptoms by a day or two.

You can take a spoonful directly but adding it to tea or another warm beverage doubles the comfort and helps you stay hydrated.

Salt

Another pantry staple that can soothe a sore throat is salt. When mixed with water and gargled, it has a hypertonic effect, which means it pulls water out of inflamed tissues in the throat, reducing swelling. It may also have these effects:

• Lubricating the throat, which reduces pain and irritation
•  Inhibiting the growth of some bacteria that may contribute to sore throats
• Loosening and removing mucus in the throat, making it easier to cough up
• Keeping the throat hydrated, which contributes to a healthy immune system.

To make a salt-water gargle, mix a half-teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. Gargle for 30 seconds, then spit it out. You can also buy a saline nasal spray (no prescription required) to relieve nasal congestion.

Cool Mist

When you breathe dry air, your nasal passages and sinuses become dry and their mucus lining gets thick and sticky, causing congestion. Keeping respiratory passages moist reduces congestion, and there’s nothing like a humidifier to accomplish that.

While there is no difference therapeutically between breathing warm and cool mist, the steam from warm-mist humidifiers poses a burn danger, making cool-mist machines safer, especially around children.

Rest

It’s easy to ignore mild cold symptoms and tough it out through the workday, but that’s not what your body (or your co-workers) need. Your immune system is working hard to fight off an invading virus. You can help by taking it easy – physically and mentally.

It’s probably the best thing you can do to help your body get over a cold.

A Word About Vitamin C and Zinc

Vitamin C and the mineral zinc both support the immune system and have devoted advocates who believe they prevent infections. The science doesn’t support that claim for either one.

Studies have found that taking a vitamin C supplement every day does not protect you from colds, and starting a vitamin C supplement after becoming sick doesn’t relieve symptoms --although it may slightly shorten the duration of illness.

Most of us get all the vitamin C we need through fruits and vegetables in our diet. So why not add a twist of lemon to your honey tea when you’re sick? It certainly won’t hurt.

Zinc, often taken as a lozenge, is a bit more problematic because of side effects that include nausea, mouth and throat irritation and, less commonly, other digestive issues. So while zinc supplements may cut the duration of a cold by a day or two, most healthcare experts do not recommend them.

When To See a Doctor

Despite the effectiveness of some natural remedies to reduce cold symptoms, there are times when professional medical care is needed. See your primary health care provider if your symptoms persist or worsen despite home management, especially if you have a young or weakened immune system or a chronic illness like heart disease, lung disease or a respiratory illness like asthma or COPD.

This content is not AI generated.