Home Remedies for Common Cold, Causes and Symptoms

The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. The upper respiratory system includes the nose, throat, sinuses, eustachian (pronounced yoo-STA-shuhn) tubes, trachea (pronounced TRAY-kee-uh), larynx, and bronchial tubes. More than two hundred different viruses can cause a cold. A group of viruses known as the rhinoviruses, however, causes about 30 to 50 percent of all colds. Almost all colds clear up in less than two weeks without complications.

Symptoms of a cold include sneezing, sniffing, running/blocked nose (often these occur simultaneously, or one in each nostril), scratchy, sore, or phlegmy throat, coughing, headache, and a general feeling of unwellness; they last between 3 to 10 days, with residual coughing lasting up to 3 weeks.

Some causes of common cold are psychological stress, allergic disorders, menstrual cycles and person-to-person infection etc. Common cold symptoms consist of soreness of throat, nose blocking, sneezing, headache, pains in the body and rise in temperature. Cold is basically a problem that starts in the nose and throat, but gradually tends to affect the whole body. So, take remedial measure at the right time so that it doesn’t become a big problem.

Home Remedies for Common Cold

Take 1 tbsp of pepper powder and boil it in a cup of milk. Also add on a pinch of turmeric to it. Put some sugar for taste. Drink it once in a day for about three days.

Prepare a tea by adding 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 shot of lemon juice, 1 shot of whiskey and little water. Sip it to relieve from cold.

Patient suffering from common cold feels restless and finds trouble in sleep. Chamomile tea with 2-3 tablespoon of jaggery sooths throat and stomach, and patient has a normal sleep. Sassafras tea is another home remedy that helps in a normal sleep for patient suffering from common cold.

Herbal tea: A combination of echinacea, peppermint and chamomile tea can be helpful. Make it strong; if it is too strong for a child, dilute the tea with rice milk, soy milk or almond milk. Echinacea boosts the immune system; peppermint dilates the bronchioles; and chamomile sooths the stomach and takes away congestion. This is a good first treatment in the early stages of a cold, and I usually recommend one cup 2-4 times per day.

There are several herbs and other plant products that may help you get rid of common cold symptoms. Herbalists still support the use of Echinacea, both for preventing and treating a cold. Some studies indicate that Echinacea can be toxic to the liver, when taken over an extended period of time. Andrographis paniculata, green tea, piperine, olive leaf, and turmeric all have clinical studies supporting their safety and effectiveness at boosting the immune system, possibly reducing the frequency of colds and other viruses.