10 Cold and Flu Home Remedies

Hydrogen Peroxide Sniffing Method!

Posted by Kym (Niagara, Ontario) on 05/26/2008
★★★★★

I woke up with a horrible head cold this morning and was desperate for relief. I tried the ACV remedy and putting peroxide in my ears and it helped a little bit but then I tried the peroxide sniffing method! WOW it is AMAZING! It burned a bit when it hit the irritated areas and my eyes watered like crazy but I had INSTANT relief! My stuffed up nose was immediately gone and I could breath normally again and the awful itchyness in my nose and ear passageways was almost gone! I will definitely recommend this to anyone being tortured by cold symptoms!!

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 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 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.

Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears

Posted by Susan (Springfield, Missouri) on 03/31/2008
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

I tried using the Hydrogen Peroxide in my ears for my Cold. As I was waiting for it to bubble holding my head sideways - the room started spinning. I couldn't wait the 5 minutes suggested so I just drained it and tried the other ear. Again the spinning started so I endured as long as I could. I ended up getting very dizzy and queasy and lost my dinner. It's now the next day and I'm still feeling horrible. Not sure why it affected me like this - is it my cold or the procedure??

Eucalyptus Oil

Posted by Marie (New Providence, NJ) on 11/27/2006
★★★★★

I used to get a sinus infection with every cold I got. then I would take an antibiotic and it would go away. for the last 3 years, I have taken 2 drops of essential oil of eucalyptus directly on my tongue at the first sign of a cold. As a result, I have not had the sore throat and stuffy nose that usually came with my colds AND they have not turned into an infection. I haven't had any antibiotics in 3 years. I recommended this to my sister in law who suffered from the same ailments and she swears by it too.

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.

Turmeric

Posted by Anj (UK) on 10/06/2006
★★★★★

Mum always used this when the cough/cold would not go away. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with 1 teaspoon of turmeric and couple of drops of water to make this into paste. Wrap cotton wool around your finger or toothbrush and put the paste on the cottonwool and try and paint the inside of your throat as deep down the throat as possible.

Lemon Juice, Fresh Ginger and Onion Juice

Posted by Anj (London, UK) on 10/06/2006
★★★★★

Equal amount of lemon juice/ fresh ginger juice/ honey/ fresh onion juice mix everything to-gether have a tablespoonful every hour for two to three days. This cures a cold/ cough/ sore throat. Mum used to keep a bottleful in the freeze and you had to make an effort do drink about six to eight times a day, has a nice taste. People who don't like onions can make it without.

Baking Soda and Zinc

Posted by Bill (Cottonwood, AZ)
★★★★★

As soon as you feel a tickle or sensation in your throat. Take 1/2 to 1 tsp. of baking soda in a glass of water followed by a zinc lozenge under your tongue and you will never get a cold. My family has been doing this for years and it works. One night I was lazy and didn't do it; sure enough, next morning had a cold.

Black Tea With Lemon

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.

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.

Garlic

Posted by Nixa (New York, NY) on 04/03/2006
★★★★★

Garlic tea cured my severe cold with a constant irritating cough. I had an annoying cold that wouldn't go away. I got a recipe for a garlic tea from a coworker. Cured my cold in a couple of days. Garlic Tea Recipe: Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a mug. Add 2-3 cloves of smashed garlic. Let it sit for a min or two. Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey and stir. Trust me. It doesn't taste as bad as it sounds. The honey helps a lot!

Garlic

Posted by Jim (Magnolia, TX) on 09/17/2006
★★★★★

Garlic for colds. When a cold first starts, place a whole clove between the cheek an teeth. It will shorten the effects of the cold.

Garlic

Posted by Jane (Los Angeles, California) on 04/07/2007
★★★★★

I noticed that when I came down with a cold - I would always start to crave raw garlic. So I thought I would try it the next time before the cold took hold. It worked like a charm! Now I use it every time I feel a cold or flu coming on. It has to be raw garlic. I chop a few large cloves (as much as I can handle) finely and sprinkle it on buttered toast or in my food. You should be sure to chew the garlic to release the essential oils. I continue this once or twice a day until i'm better - could take a few days to completely get well - but I have managed to fend off every cold since I discovered the "garlic cure." (this is good for colds and flus except if you are coming down with a stomach bug - in which case it could aggravate your stomach.

Mouthwash

Posted by Tony (Miami, FL) on 02/15/2006
★★★★★

The next time that you feel as if you are coming down with a cold, gargle Scope or Listerine, diluted with a little water, for one minute when you wake up in the morning. It can prevent you from even coming down with the cold, and will entirely prevent you from having a soar throat if you do catch the cold. These mouthwashes will kill all of the viruses in your throat, before they can cause any havoc.

Vitamin C

Posted by Kate (Vancouver) on 01/28/2006
★★★★★

Ester-C brand vitamin C taken 3x daily for 3 months and then once daily for the rest of the year builds up your immune system so that colds are less frequent and less in duration. Gel capsule form absorbs the fastest into the bloodstream.