Colds
Natural Remedies

10 Cold and Flu Home Remedies

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.

Black Elderberry Syrup

4 User Reviews
5 star (4) 
  100%

Posted by Cindy (California Dessert) on 01/25/2020
★★★★★

Try elderberry capsules or powder to avoid the cold that leads to the sinus infections. As a teacher I usually get many head colds. Two years running I have only had 1! I seem to still get that darn croup in spite of the elderberry. It's not tasty swallowed with water out of the nyquil med cups that aren't in use anymore-unless I add bilberry powder which I understand is good for my eyes. It also comes in syrup (the elderberry) which I sometimes add a cap full to the lemonade in my lunchbox. Cheers


Black Elderberry Syrup
Posted by Maxine (Havana, Arkansas, USA) on 11/13/2008
★★★★★

Flu and Colds: Black Elderberry syrup, this stuff was discovered by a doctor in isreal , it had clinical trials cuts cold and flu in half. I used this with great success. It also helped fibromyalgia pain, unusual side effect. It works for anything viral, and I read somewhere it would work for bird flu.


Black Elderberry Tea

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by mr black (Ontario) on 07/16/2023
★★★★★

Make a tea with black elderberries to help with colds, about 2 tablespoons of berries, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cinnamon to 2 cups water combine everything bring to boil reduce to low simmer for about 10 minutes. I heard you need to cook the berries well because it contains some harmful compounds which are neutralized by boiling.


Black Tea With Lemon

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Michelle (Chicago)
★★★★★

This has been a cure my mother has been touting for years and she has given us from the time we were kids. I give it to my kids, but I have to admit there are times I lapse out of my "healthy" habits and depend too much on medications, etc.

Recently I caught a very bad head and chest cold. Since I am pregnant, I prefer not to take OTC medications, so I began taking tea and lemon. Immediately I could breathe and felt better. However, after a day or two, I stopped when I shouldn't have, since apparently I was not completely cured. Not only did the cold get worse, but turned into a nasty sinus infection. I suffered miserably for over a week. Then I remember the tea. After drinking one cup, immediately my mucus became thinner and the pressure eased up. I am hopeful to be fully cured in a few more days!

When you make the tea, you should let it steep for several minutes so it turns a nice dark color, and you should use a lot of lemon, like 1/4 to 1/2 of a lemon (fresh juice is the best, but you can substitute bottled). I actually like the taste of it this way, very tart. But, you can add honey to it to make it sweet if you like.


Cayenne

6 User Reviews
5 star (6) 
  100%

Posted by Delila (Tel Aviv, Israel) on 10/18/2014
★★★★★

I just came back from a trip and I felt a cold coming on, my whole body was aching and I had a sore throat so I started drinking and gurgling with cayenne pepper, approx. teaspoon in a cup of hot boiling water, a very small amount of black pepper and sipped it throughout the day, and every now and then gurgled the drink and spat out. Make sure to drink plenty of liquids, otherwise the hotness of the chile might cause stomach problems and you will be running to the toilet. I am sure that the hot chili helped kill all the germs and viruses, and didn't give a chance for the cold to settle in. By the following day, I felt much better and the cold had completely gone away, although you have to continue this regime for an extra day until completely well. You should take hot chili as soon as you feel a cold coming on and try to catch it while it is on track before it develops into a heavy cold.


Cayenne
Posted by Alex (Los Angeles, CA) on 02/14/2009
★★★★★

Hi, the recipe that worked for me was : boil water , squeeze lime and thown it toguether with it, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and, add a table spoon raw honey. felt better after few hours.


Cayenne
Posted by Leota (Los Angeles, CA) on 01/21/2008
★★★★★

ok. so the first time i really found out cayenne pepper could cure sickness was when my ex put it in tomato soup when i was really sick with bronchitis. the first day he put it in i didn't taste it and the second day i finally did. i took no antibiotics. just cayenne pepper in tomato soup. healed myself in a matter of 4 days so now, i make cayenne pepper beans and soups to protect myself from getting sick. ill eat it when i'm tired and feel like im coming down with a cold. It works, it's like it burns the germs away.


Cayenne
Posted by Barbara (Baltimore, MD) on 12/26/2007
★★★★★

From infancy through childhood, teenage years, young and middle adulthood I have always been blessed with excellent health -- with one exception. I suffered from one cold and sore throat after another. While none ever progressed to pneumonia, I would recover from one and then two weeks later feel the start of the next cold. Yet I have never smoked and have had excellent health habits. For whatever reason, about 15 years ago I started to take two to four cayenne pepper capsules a day. A miracle occured. Since then, I rarely contract a cold -- maybe one a year and not as severe as the ones I used to experience. I can't laud the properties of cayenne enough. Be sure to swallow the capsule with enough liquid and you'll have no uncomfortable effect.


Cayenne
Posted by Rani (Brookville, Ohio) on 11/29/2007
★★★★★

I will have to try the ACV, but I have found cayenne to be fantastic for many things. Energy definitely. And also good for colds and sinus. For really bad colds and sinus, I like to mix, garlic, cayenne, lemon juice, a little honey and a little orange juice with some boiling water and it does miracles!!


Cayenne
Posted by Ted (North Las Vegas , Nv )
★★★★★

Cure for Common Cold. Take as much as can of cayenne pepper while have a cold or flu at least a tsp. A day. Cold will last only 2 days. Ted


Coconut Oil

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  100%

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 04/19/2018
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

There are plenty of things I typically use for a cold, but I have finally streamlined the process for at least on of my children to simply coconut oil, since it seems to work especially well for him.

My 19 year old was starting with cold symptoms and simply doesn't have time to be sick between work and school. He is not home enough to easily dose with frequent vitamin C and vinegar tea, etc.

I just gave him 1 tablespoon of coconut oil morning and night. He readily takes it knowing how it helps him. The cold lost the wind in its sails quickly and I only dosed him for a few days.

I turned his morning dose into bulletproof mocha coffee but he took the evening dose off the spoon.

Here is how I make mocha bulletproof coffee for him:

  • 1 cup hot coffee
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Blend in vitamix.

~Mama to Many~


Coconut Oil
Posted by Alexandra (Wayne County, Ohio) on 01/30/2008
★★★★★

Since I started cooking with coconut oil, I have noticed that if I do catch a cold, it lasts maybe half as long and the symptoms are milder.


Cold Killer

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Edwin (Cincinnati, Ohio) on 07/24/2007
★★★★★

Three lemons & piece of ginger root, wash & chop. Put in blender (do not remove peel from lemon). Add water to blender & blend. Take contents & strain. Use liquid, discard pulp. Use four tablespoons to a cup of warm water. After the fourth cup cold will be gone. It will break up phlem & stop a runny nose. Use this for years. Please keep liquid in glass container in refrigerator


Cold Showers

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Tim (NSW Kitchener, Australia)
★★★★★

I decided to finish every normal 'hot shower' with a blast of totally cold water, after reading a book by an old healer by the name of Jethro Kloss. Anyway, I am a bad asthmatic, and used to get sick around 6 times per year. When I got sick it really affected my chest, with huge amounts of mucous, and real bad asthma.

Now I rarely get sick (it boosts the immune system as well as circulation), and if I do it's usually just a mildly sore throat. I wish I could better explain the massive difference this has made. Even if you feel sickness coming on, a cold shower will often stop it in its tracks.


Colloidal Silver

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  100%

Posted by Art (California ) on 01/10/2017 2325 posts
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I consider myself to be a silver nanoparticle enthusiast and I make my own so I know what I am taking, but I have never had much luck fighting a cold by taking colloidal silver orally at any dose up to a quart per day of 20 ppm colloidal silver nanoparticles, even when I took a quart per day for a month straight. In the middle to second half of that one month run, I eneded up catching a cold and it pretty much played out as colds usually do for me despite being primed with silver nanoparticles well before I caught it. The silver nanoparticles taken orally just did not do much to fight the cold that I could tell.

More recently I have switched to using an ultrasonic humidifier for short durations several times per day inhaling directly near the output port. I chose the ultrasonic humidifier because it delivers a considerable amount of silver nanoparticles directly to the areas that are most affected by a cold in an amount that is effective and probably quite a bit more so than a nebulizer can deliver in the same amount of time. This is important because of the huge surface area of the lungs which is said to be 80~100 square meters or about the size of half a tennis court. A nebulizer will take a lot longer to deliver what the humidifier can deliver in minutes and because of that huge lung surface area, that is a very important point.

https://www.reference.com/science/surface-area-human-lungs-ffc6ae1756c2f2e

If I start at the first hint of a cold, the symptoms have gone within 24 hours or less. If I am unable to start right away, the cold is usually gone in about three days or less and symptoms are greatly reduced from what I have come to expect as my norm. Normally if I don't try to stop a cold, it drags on for weeks and often times settles into my chest in which case I have gotten a cough that lasted over a year and that has happened at least 4 times that I can remember. So as far as oral silver nanoparticles for a cold......not effective for me, but delivered via an ultrasonic humidifier......A+.

I only put a small amount of 40 ppm silver nanoparticles (about 4 ounces) in the humidifier and breathe the vapor in deeply as it comes from the output port of the humidifier for about 7 minutes three times during the day for a total of about 21 minutes per day. Usually symptoms are gone the first day, but I might continue for one day after the symptoms have gone. Throw away whatever is left in the humidifier when I am done.

In any case, it is the ultasonic humidifier that makes all the difference in the world for me when using silver nanoparticles to fight a cold. Just 4 ounces compared to quarts taken orally that had little to no impact on my cold.

Art

Replied by Timh
(Ky)
01/12/2017
2048 posts

Good observation, Art. I experience much the same. I have been drinking 2 cups?? concentration C.S. for several yrs to fight the chronic infections. I too have noticed an immediate improvement of symptoms nubulizing C.S. So this method is effective beyond killing mycoplasma in the lungs. Back to the oral; lately I have added one dropper of 99% DMSO to one cup C.S. with much better results. I have yet to experiment with C.S. absorption & utilization by adding maybe one spoon of Glycine and one spoon of Lecithin; maybe you can try this. Are you familiar with LET method of nutrition & drug delivery? The above recipe may be effective but may also need sonicating. You may also try Zapping fallowing the C.S. Bob Beck must have come to the same conclusion as you concerning oral administration, so he added zapping and swears this combo can kill all pathogens. You can also bubble ozone in a cup of C.S. but must drink quickly. H2O2 will stay in solution but I find it abrasive.

Replied by Art
(California)
01/12/2017
2325 posts

Hi Timh,

I have not experimented with CS and lecithin or glycine. The CS I make is capped, so I think that will pose a problem with those two. The capped CS will withstand stomach acid easily, allowing the CS to reach the intestines where the capping agent is broken down and the CS can then do its thing. Try putting uncapped CS or ionic silver in a mixture of hydrochloric acid and salt to try and simulate the stomach and they do not fare very well. I have tried to do lypo experiments with a sonicator, but it was way too under powered and I eneded up with problem mixes that didn't hold together consistently or seperated in a relatively short period of time. I also could not tolerate the taste of the lecithin mixes so those experiments only lasted about a few weeks before I threw in the towel. The lecithin also seemed to be hard to clean up afterword......it's like it "clings" to everything!

Bottom line, I have no idea of what I actually made in terms of a "real lypo mix" or not. With ozone bubbling in CS, I would think you better be able to drink it down super duper fast!!

Art

Replied by Timh
(Ky)
01/14/2017
2048 posts

Chill the C.S. first, then ozonate and drink for best results. But back to nebulization or humidification like you do. Lately my circulation is going bad as of the chronic infection getting worse. I take a dose of Lipo-C and 500mg Lysine and occasional Hawthorn, BUT I seem to be getting best results nebulizing C.S. This method must deliver directly to the infection which clings to the artery walls. Lungs, nose, throat, arteries, all must benefit from the C.S. vapors.

Replied by Art
(California)
01/14/2017
2325 posts

Timh,

Yes, I find the ultrasonic humidifier quite effective and more than capable of delivering an effective dose in just minutes. The oral method is great for going after blood born pathogens, but colloidal silver needs to come into contact or "very close proximity" to pathogens in order to be effective so oral intake is not likely to be very effective for many respiratory issues, but it may be helpful in some cases where pathogens are increasing beyond the respiratory system in which case both methods applied at the same time may be a better option. One problem with an ultrasonic device is that it can cause CS to agglomerate so only small amounts at a time may be a useful thing to do and throw out whatever isn't used.

For people who are using antibiotics, but are having minimal effect or the effects are diminishing, there are quite a few studies suggesting that CS may have synergy with certain broad spectrum antibiotics and in some cases may reverse "resistance" that has developed to a specific antibiotic. Here is a link to an abstract of this type of study:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26970828


Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2016 Jun 1;142:392-9. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2016.03.007. Epub 2016 Mar 4.

Silver nanoparticles strongly enhance and restore bactericidal activity of inactive antibiotics against multiresistant Enterobacteriaceae.

Panáček A1, Smékalová M2, VečeTMová R3, Bogdanová K3, Röderová M3, KoláTM M3, Kilianová M2, Hradilová Š2, Froning JP2, Havrdová M4, Prucek R2, ZboTMil R2, Kvítek L2.

Abstract

Bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics is currently one of the most important healthcare issues, and has serious negative impacts on medical practice. This study presents a potential solution to this problem, using the strong synergistic effects of antibiotics combined with silver nanoparticles (NPs). Silver NPs inhibit bacterial growth via a multilevel mode of antibacterial action at concentrations ranging from a few ppm to tens of ppm. Silver NPs strongly enhanced antibacterial activity against multiresistant, β-lactamase and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae when combined with the following antibiotics: cefotaxime, ceftazidime, meropenem, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin. All the antibiotics, when combined with silver NPs, showed enhanced antibacterial activity at concentrations far below the minimum inhibitory concentrations (tenths to hundredths of one ppm) of individual antibiotics and silver NPs. The enhanced activity of antibiotics combined with silver NPs, especially meropenem, was weaker against non-resistant bacteria than against resistant bacteria. The double disk synergy test showed that bacteria produced no β-lactamase when treated with antibiotics combined with silver NPs. Low silver concentrations were required for effective enhancement of antibacterial activity against multiresistant bacteria. These low silver concentrations showed no cytotoxic effect towards mammalian cells, an important feature for potential medical applications.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

--------------------------

The following abstract suggests that similar synergistic effects are likely in animals as well:

Vet J. 2016 Mar;209:174-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.10.032. Epub 2015 Oct 22.

Enhanced antibacterial effect of antibiotics in combination with silver nanoparticles against animal pathogens.

Smekalova M1, Aragon V2, Panacek A3, Prucek R1, Zboril R1, Kvitek L1.

Author information

Abstract

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a serious health risk in both human and veterinary medicine. Several studies have shown that silvernanoparticles (AgNPs) exert a high level of antibacterial activity against antibiotic resistant strains in humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effects of a combined therapy of AgNPs and antibiotics against veterinary bacteria that show resistance to antibiotics. A microdilution checkerboard method was used to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations of both types of antimicrobials, alone and in combination. The fractional inhibitory concentration index was calculated and used to classify observed collective antibacterial activity as synergistic, additive (only the sum of separate effects of drugs), indifferent (no effect) or antagonistic. From the 40 performed tests, seven were synergistic, 17 additive and 16 indifferent. None of the tested combinations showed an antagonistic effect. The majority of synergistic effects were observed for combinations of AgNPs given together with gentamicin, but the highest enhancement of antibacterial activity was found with combined therapy together with penicillin G against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. A. pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida originally resistant to amoxycillin, gentamicin and colistin were sensitive to these antibiotics when combined with AgNPs. The study shows that AgNPs have potential as adjuvants for the treatment of animal bacterial diseases.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

------------------------------

I am curious as to what type of colloidal silver you are using and if you are making it or buying it? What color if any could you compare it to? Is the CS crystal clear even if it has color? How many parts per million is it? Is it capped?

Thank you!

Art

Replied by Timh
(Ky)
01/17/2017
2048 posts

Art, back again after another ordeal, and on topic with infection in my left shoulder. This is a recurrence from about two months ago. My big Magnet applied for about an 1 hr for two or three days usually puts the infection back for months. This time it appears that my acidic condition once again took on radiation which worsened the situation dramatically, leaving the entire blood & body trying to defend against the potent infection. Two nights without LDN was a big mistake. More Magnet, Zapping, and Heat Pad have me temporarily stable but more needs to be done. I am considering heating C.S. and saturating a washcloth to be place on the shoulder, and try diffusing Ozone into the cloth, or adding DMSO.

I have always wondered if C.S. could be used in combo with synthetic antibiotics, so thanks for the info. Yes I make my own C.S. and to a lightly milky color but don't have a ppm gauge. In time it turns a golden color; is this bad? Mine is an open half-gallon mason jar in which I cook for about 3 hrs. The great thing about C.S. is that oxygen has an affinity to it just like Iron. The C.S. plus oxygen is way more potent than either alone. Try a few drops or up to a dropper of DMSO in a cup of C.S. and you will feel the difference as the combo of Silver, Sulfur, and Oxygen are fantastic.

Replied by Art
(California)
01/17/2017
2325 posts

Timh,

The gold color indicates that some of the ionic silver is reduced to colloidal silver and or possibly closer to 40 to 50 ppm. A higher ppm will generally be darker. When I make 320 ppm batches, they look like dark coffee after full reduction.

Similar to this color on the left:

http://www.cdn.sciencebuddies.org/Files/4691/6/colloidal-silver_img.jpg

When I dilute it to 40 ppm it turns to a light amber color similar to the second jar from the right..

A crystal clear ionic solution that looks like the distilled water that you started with would be ideal before reduction though.....similar to the jar on the far right side. After reduction, a colloidal silver color similar to crystal clear baby shampoo would indicate a nice particle size range that is likely to be very effective and in the 20 ppm area......a color and clarity similar to the middle jar.

If you cap it, the color may darken slightly and can vary depending on what you use to cap it. For me, clarity is important and should be as clear as the distilled water you start with no matter what type of silver you are making or ppm. The parts per million can be determined if you are using a "constant current" controlled generator based on the length of the run and the voltage used during the run along with the amperage. There are quite a few variables that can affect the quality and strenth of what you produce such as the depth of your cathode, the spacing between the cathode and anode, current, run time, voltage, the type of electrolyte you use, the stabilizer you use, the water temperature and whether you use stirring to name some of the variables.

As far as your shoulder infection, it seems to me that I remember reading in your posts that you have used DMSO? If so, have you ever used a combination of DMSO and iodine topically? I can't remember if you have mentioned doing this before and if so, how did it work for you? Sometimes, if it has been quite awhile since I used something effective, I forget about some things that have worked for me in the past.

Art



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