The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Guaicum, Peppermint, Echinacea
Posted by Katie (Wrexham, Wrexham) on 01/14/2009
★★★★★
Catarrh, Colds, Coughs, Flu:
I use the following for myself and my son, with reguarly great success-
I make an decocation / infusion of a mixture of
1.guaicum - helps so much with coughs (it the herbal form of guaifeisin often used in cough medicine)
2.peppermint ('menthol'also found in cough medicines)
3.echinaecea
(about 1 tsp of each)
i also add chamomile often for added pain relief, relaxation. i think it may help with fever too.
Other herbs I may add also for extra support include:
Liquorice
Hawthorn Berries
Elderberries
Salt Water (1/4 tsp per 250ml if i remember correctly), is also excellent for clearing the nose-
it can be bought ready made as saline drops, or made at home.
It can be squirted up in a dropper, used as a nose bath, or in a neti pot(ceraminc perferably).
A neti pot is excellent for cleaning the nose out, you have to get it in the right position though for it to work, and for it to work without hurting!
Also-
Putting a few drops of either
eucaplytus
olbas oil or similar
a couple of menthol crystals
in hot water, and inhaling this (a towel over the head helps too) helps clear the nose well too.
I also make my own 'vicks vapourub', by diluting eucalyptus oil or olbas oil or similar in some grapeseed oil, and rubbing on the chest, neck etc.
I'm so glad I have these remedies- transforms a persistent repetative cough to an occassional or zero cough, to no cough at all.
Often after drinking the tea, my parents have doubted that my son had been ill at all, even though a hour or so earlier he had been coughing so much!
Without guaicum, the peppermint etc tends to last a few hours, with guaicum, it can last up to a whole night, I find- so we drink it every 6-8 hours until infection is cleared.
Guaicum, Peppermint, Echinacea
Posted by Rosy (Orlando, Fl) on 01/14/2009
I googled guaicum and couldn't find any other information on it. I was curious, does this have another name? I know some herbs have many names, and I wanted to know more about this one.
Organic White Tea
Posted by Vicstor (Scranton, USA) on 09/17/2008
★★★★★
Organic White Tea with Raw Honey and 1 Slice of Organic Lemon (eat the lemon, peel skin), preferrably with 16 oz. of Hot Distilled Water, cures and prevents colds. Have it for breakfast, it will prevent you from having a cold, if already have a cold, drink at least 3-4x a day. I used to get the worst colds ever during the fall and winter months, but I don't anymore.
Mountain Tea
Posted by John (Whitby, ON) on 05/04/2008
★★★★★
Mountain Tea is very effective against the common cold. Drinking tea made out of the Mountain Tea flowers is remedy that has been in my family for a long time. We find it very good in relieving congestion and shortening the length of a cold. The tea itself is very light and has slightly citrusy flavour. One drawback is that the tea it is generally difficult to find. It is primarily imported in limited quantities from Greece. There is a good article about the health benefits of Mountain Tea on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_tea. I'hope this helps.
Mountain Tea
Posted by Mary (Toronto, Canada) on 05/07/2008
[Yea] First, let me say that this is a great website! Thank you so much to everyone for sharing. I was surprised to see someone write about Mountain Tea! This tea is very popular in Greece, but I have never seen it for sale in Canada. This tea is supposedly very good at killing cold germs (at least that is what my mother says). I rarely get the opportunity to drink it, but as a tea lover, I must say that Mountain tea tastes amazing, and does seem help you get over a cold. Usually, my relatives bring it back with them when they come home from holidays in Greece. Does anyone know where to get it in Toronto?
Mountain Tea
Posted by Drew (Toronto, Canada) on 05/12/2008
Funny, we have been drinking the tea for years but its only now getting popular - I was just in Germany where its pretty popular now. Our Mom make the tea for us everytime we had a cold or allergies. Though we are a Greek family, I know the tea is also popular in Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey. Though we get ours from back home as well, I have actually seen it in Toronto at the Big Carrot (www.thebigcarrot.ca), sold in the tea aisle by a company called teas by voudou or something. Good luck.
Mountain Tea
Posted by Aginto (Toronto, On) on 12/31/2010
You can get Mountain Tea all over Greektown, on The Danforth. We get ours at The Friendly Greek butcher, in a big bag as the whole herb, it's very inexpensive! I can imagine the selection at The Big Carrot would be pricey
Wake Up the Dead Juice
Posted by Ray (New York City) on 03/31/2008
★★★★★
Wake up the dead juice: When I was younger I used to get a lot of fatigue, loss of appetite, and body aches as a result from a cold. It would be those types of colds that just basically gave you those symptoms. It would have none or very little fever, coughs, stuffiness and sneezing. So I used to say to myself i would go to school if I had the energy. That's when I started drinking "Wake Up the Dead" juice.
There are a few ways to make this. You can either boil some water and add sliced onions to it. Or boil water and add chopped garlic to it. I usually mix both onion and garlic to the hot water. I leave the chunks inside. You can remove them if you wish. Drink that water as hot as you can take it. Another way people do it is by mixing about 2 cups of cold water and 1 chopped onion and/or some garlic chunks all in a blender. They can either drink it hot or cold. But drinking it hot is better. It is extremely important that you drink this as soon as you get up on an empty stomach. One cup is fine and 2 is better. The more onions and garlic you put in it the better it is. It tastes very disgusting but it will give you one hell of a boost. It will last anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. Then you have to drink it again. You should only drink it twice a day.
Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Norm (Melbourne, Australia) on 08/23/2008
I'm inclined to think it's more likely the symptoms of the cold or possibly even an inner ear infection as well. I've had H2O2 put into my ears since being a small child, although generally for wax build-up, and never experienced dizziness or biliousness. I've also suffered vertigo from a middle ear infection and your symptoms mirror that problem.
Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Lisa (California) on 10/13/2015
The same happened to me. I tried H2O2 in the ears and the next morning woke up to some distressing vertigo. Room would spin every time I lay on my side. I swabbed my ear out the evening after and it got better. Since I've had many colds in my life, and this is the first time trying hydrogen peroxide in the ears, I'm inclined to think it's the hydrogen peroxide that caused the vertigo. It may have something to do with the temperature of the fluid, as another poster suggested.
Tonic Water
Posted by Wilma (Murrieta, CA) on 03/11/2008
★★★★★
.. I also drink Tonic Water around the cold/flu season to divert an oncoming cold.
Tabasco Sauce
Posted by Alyssa (Cranston, Rhode Island) on 01/01/2008
★★★★★
I've been sick for about three days. I try to avoid medications and doctors visits because I don't really have the money to spare, and I'm not a fan of over the counter medicines like DayQuil (nature never intended anything to be that orange!) Today is my last day of vacation before I have to return to school, sad story, I know. And my boyfriend is home from college so I want to see him, only natural. But the last thing I want to do is get him sick, or feel crappy while I'm with him. I usually just wait out a sickness, let my body fight it off. I don't have time to waste in bed any more though. So I came to Earth Clinic and read about the Cayenne Pepper but I don't have any of that. Then I read about TABASCO! Funny thing was while I was sifting through the medicine cabinet I looked at the bottle and though "I bet that would clear my sinuses" but I didn't want to irritate my throat. So I mixed it with hot water, lemon juice, and honey. It's sweet with a nice spicey kick I love it and in five minutes I can breath out of one side of my nose and my throat doesn't hurt anymore! I really hope that this helps long term as well but if you need instant relief, try this!
Msg (!)
Posted by Roman (Chicago, IL) on 12/12/2007
★★★★★
This is under the cold remedies cure catgory. Anytime I feel the slightest hint of a cold coming-on, I eat something that has MSG. flavored potato chips,and drink a glass of red wine,or a glass of orange juice. Monosodium-glutamate is also found in canned soup,not all of them use it,you need to read the label. This sounds funny-but it really works. When there was a rash of cold and flu outbreak at my workplace, I made this suggestion, but no-one took me seriously. But I never got sick.
Garlic
Posted by Patricia (Missouri City, Texas) on 01/25/2008
The comment for Garlic AND COLDS 11/08/2007: Esther (lores at epix.net) from Lymanville, Pa was the one I tried and I agree it is better to take than chewing it raw.
Hot and Cold Foot Baths
Posted by Gusztav (Veszprem, Hungary) on 10/04/2007
★★★★★
Dear EC, I would like to post an effective treatment on cold. I learned this cure from a healer.
1) Prepare a basin of HOT water (as hot as your skin can just tolerate).
2) Prepare another basin of COLD water (as cold as possible - from the tap, is usually enough).
3) Put your two feet in the basin containing hot water, keep them in it for 2 minutes, then quickly put them in the other basin and keep them in it for 10 seconds, then back again in the hot water.
4) Repeat these steps for about 15 minutes.
5) Repeat the whole procedure 2-3 times a day. After 1-3 days, you'll definitely get better.
I have applied this treatment for almost 10 years now: it always helped me get rid of cold. Also, I got the positive feedback of some people who I told this.
I hope everyone suffering from cold will find this treatment useful.
Serbian Remedy: ACV, Garlic, Honey and Warm Water
Posted by Dragica (Edmonton, Canada) on 09/18/2007
★★★★★
One of the best remedies for colds, and to boost your immune system is apple cider vinegar, chopped garlic, honey, and warm water. Mix all the these ingredients together and drink it. Instantly you will feel better. This recipe is from my Serbian grandmother. I have been drinking since I can remember, and I have never taken any medication for colds.
Honey
Posted by Alex (Nottm, United Kingdom) on 09/06/2007
★★★★★
honey has hydrogen peroxide in it. Having suffered from bronchitis boils carbuncles tonsilitis sinuvitis. Started taking honey 28 years ago, cut out the sugar totally. My drinks all have a spoon of honey-put a spoonful at back of the throat first thing morning last thing night total intakeone and half pound a week takes 3 to 9 month to take effect -subdues the streptocci, no coughs, no colds, no infections.
Garlic and Cayenne
Posted by Shannon (Moncton, Canada) on 05/28/2007
★★★★★
When I feel a cold coming on, I usually take the following: 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice. I recommend taking it like a shot, and chasing it with water. You should feel it working within a minute.
Another thing I do to stop colds is eat raw garlic. But it's difficult on the stomach, so I'll often toast a piece of bread, butter it, and slice some garlic. I lay the garlic on half of the bread, fold it over, and eat it. It tastes like intense garlic bread.
Oregano
Posted by Ahmad (Calgary, canada) on 03/07/2007
★★★★★
I would like to enlighten you with one of my ancient arabic cures for the common cold and a congestion in the chest in nasals. Oregano is the cure. You take water and boil it then you add some organic oregano to the boiling water and inhale the steam for as long as it stings and then you drink the water with honey. I give it my double money back guarantee (as long as the oregano is a natural strong scented one and not commercially produced).
Oregano Oil, Echinacea, Golden Seal
Posted by Liz (Chandler, AZ) on 01/31/2007
★★★★★
I recently got a natural cure for the cold and or flu. Our amazing chiropractor let us in on this secret. When you fist start to feel sick, ie: sore throat, runny nose, etc., take this remedy morning and night after you eat. Get empty gel capsules, the small size. You will also need the liquid form, with droppers, of OIL OF OREGANO and ECHANACHA with GOLDEN SEAL. Put 8 drops of each liquid in capsule and take with a full glass of water. NOTE - you may burp this up a little when you first start, but it just tastes like you ate pizza. Also DO NOT take if you are vomiting! Good Luck. This will make you fell better!
Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Stephen (Oceanside, CA) on 01/04/2007
★★★★★
so far seven times i tried putting three drops in each ear until it crackles for a few minutes each. the reason is i had been experiencing the onset of a common cold. my immune system is compromised probably by my diabetes and i easily catch colds from sick persons in my vicinity. each of these seven times my scratchy throat running nose and coughing disappeared within one day.
Gargling With H2O2
Posted by Uvaid (Fort Myers, Florida, Usa) on 09/20/2012
Your body produces hydrogen peroxide naturally through a process called photo-oxidation. Photo-oxidation occurs when the melanin in your skin is exposed to sunlight. This process is your body's first line of defense against disease all over your body including you ear, nose, and throat. There is a direct correlation between available sunlight hours and the occurrence of colds, flu, and ear infections. During the summer months your body produces enough hydrogen peroxide to keep you free of disease but during the winter months the process of photo-oxidation diminshes. In addition, a study under the direction of Dr. Cindy Dunn has found a significant reduction in bacterial colonies on human skin including the ears and nose after exposed to 365nm light.
Supplements, ACV, Vitamin C
Posted by Glenda (Coos, Bay, OR) on 11/27/2006
★★★★★
but why aren't more clinical studies being done in the USA? ..... it boils down to one thing: MONEY
If we all used all natural remedies and never had to go to the doctor, well....their probably wouldn't be any. So in my opinion, they don't want us to know about all of the natural remedies. Plus most of them tell you you're nuts for even trying them. I had one once about 3 years ago tell me to quit taking all the supplements I was taking that I didn't need them. Well, I beg to differ. They made me feel better and if I quit taking them I started feeling horrible again. So I kept right on taking them. I take supplements, Apple Cider Vinegar in herbal tea with honey, ginger and lemon and I feel pretty good. Haven't been sick in a long time. If I even have an inkling of a cold coming on I take [a commercial vitamin C supplement]. I swear by it! I read the instructions wrong though and took two tablets each time instead of one, I think that helped knock it out even faster.
