Effective, Natural Cold Remedies that Really Work!

Note: If your cold involves coughing or a sinus infection, learn about cough home remedies and sinus infection home remedies.

• Garlic...lots and lots of garlic.^2,3,5 Chew 2-3 cloves of raw garlic 4-6 times/day. If you can't stomach that much garlic, or you just don't want to stink (because if you eat that much raw garlic, you WILL stink) then I have had great success with using Deodorized Garlic Capsules. A typical clove of garlic contains around 25-50 mg^c alliin (which converts to allicin) so aim to get around the equivalent of 2-3 cloves each time you take garlic supplements. In my experience, taking enough garlic really WILL cure the common cold. It is the most effective of the best natural cold remedies I have tried. Learn about the many ailments garlic cures.
• Vitamin C: The most gentle form is sodium ascorbate powder. While I have not found Vitamin C by itself to be effective in curing the common cold, it is an important player in the battle against the cold. Some studies suggest taking mega-doses of vitamin c. If you feel comfortable going that route, visit The Vitamin C Foundation to learn about taking mega-doses of Vitamin C.

  Personally, I stick to around 8-10 g/day when I am fighting a cold, and 2-5 g/day for my kids (more for the big one and less for the little ones of course). Learn about Vitamin C and Vitamin C Foods.

• Zinc The recommended dose is 50 mg a day.. However, note too much zinc can be toxic, so do not continue at that dose for longer than 3 days.
• Apple Cider Vinegar Apple Cider Vinegar thins mucous and helps expel it. Drink 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with water 4-6 times/day. Add a tablespoon of honey to make the drink more palatable. Honey offers its own benefits as well. These natural cold remedies are sure to help you feel better faster. Learn more about apple cider vinegar and honey.
• Vitamin D Most colds happen in the winter, when many people are notoriously vitamin D deficient. Increasing Vitamin D3 intake is very effective. Dr. John Canell of the Vitamin D Council suggests 1000 mg/25 lb of body weight. Learn more about vitamin d deficiency symptoms.
• FluGo relieves the symptoms associated with colds and the flu. Get more info on FluGo - Homeopathic remedy temporarily relieves symptoms of the flu or cold including cough; runny nose; fever; sore throat and fatigue.
• For prevention of those nasty winter bugs, I like ImmunityPlus. Get More Info on ImmunityPlus for a Stronger Immune System.

Using the combination of natural cold remedies listed above, I have been able to kick a cold flat on its back. This past winter, I believe my longest lasting cold was around 24 hours! Not bad, considering that conventional wisdom states that a cold lasts 7 days if you treat it and a week if you don't! I haven't had as much success in treating my kids' colds, but then my kids aren't as willing to subject themselves to foods like raw garlic or apple cider vinegar the way I am. However, I definitely HAVE noticed their colds are less severe and of short duration than they were before we started this regime!

Here are some more natural cold remedies you might want to try:

• Chicken Soup Yes, it really does help. Homemade is far superior to canned as the benefits are in the broth. Save those chicken bones and make your own broth.
• Elderberry Extract Elderberry extract has been shown to decrease a cold's duration. Combine one tablespoon of Elderberry Extract with two oz. of water. ² Learn more about elderberry benefits.
• Echinacea is of the most popular natural cold remedies. The recommended dosage is 200-300 mg of Echinacea Capsules three times/day and continue this for 2 weeks. However, do NOT take echinacea long-term, it may weaken your immune system ² Do take echinacea at the first sign of illness, as it won't be effective if taken once your cold is full-blown. ² Learn more about the benefits of echinacea.
• Fenugreek helps expel mucous. Drink Fenugreek Seed Tea three times a day, or take 2-3 capsules, three times a day. Learn more about fenugreek tea and fenugreek herb.
• Goldenseal Goldenseal is another of the great natural cold remedies. It has very potent antibiotic properties. The dosage is one 500-mg capsule three times a day, between meals. Goldenseal works very well in combination with echinacea. ^2,5 Take Echinacea Goldenseal for a powerful cold-fighting punch. Learn more benefits of goldenseal.
• Sage Tea Many herbalists feel that Sage Tea is even more effective than goldenseal and echinacea. Drink 1/2 cup of sage tea twice a day, between meals ², but take care not to drink this for longer than two days, as sage has a very drying effect. Learn more about the sage plant.
• Combining a few drops of tea tree oil with a few drops of coconut oil ¹ or olive oil. Warm a washcloth or rag, and apply this salve to the chest. Learn more tea tree oil uses.
• Cayenne Powder will clear your sinuses, so spicy food might be just the thing to feed you cold!. ⁵ Or, you can take Cayenne Capsules Learn more about the health benefits of cayenne pepper.
• Horseradish Powder can be added to honey. The honey and horseradish will both fight bacteria, while the horseradish will help clear the mucous. ⁵ Learn more about the benefits of honey.

Turmeric will help ease a sore throat, so sprinkle a bit on your food.⁵ Learn more about how turmeric benefits you.

• Take ginger capsules or brew ginger tea. This provides sinus relief. ⁵ Learn more health benefits of ginger.
• Anise seed, lemon balm and thyme are all wonderful natural cold remedies. Sprinkle the herbs on liberally when fighting a cold.⁵

Warnings: Do NOT take fenugreek if pregnant. Use caution if taking garlic while pregnant as there are some studies showing large doses of garlic might cause preterm contractions. Garlic might interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications so consult with your doctor if you are taking prescription medications, especially blood-thinning medications ^c Do not take large doses of Vitamin C if in the first trimester of pregnancy. Extremely large doses of Vitamin C might cause miscarriage in the first trimester. Do not drink sage tea if breastfeeding. Sage is well-known for it's damaging effects on milk supply. Echinacea is related to ragweed, so do not use if a ragweed allergy is present.²

Kid Tips:
Unfortunately kids (and some husbands) tend to be very resistant to taking these natural cold remedies. Not many children are willing to chow down on raw garlic. I have had great success giving my kids garlic supplements. My older two will just eat the capsules. With my toddler, I cut the capsule open and mix the contents with food, or I just put it on my finger and quickly swipe inside his mouth. Vitamin C powder can be easily mixed with drinks or foods like applesauce or yogurt. Vitamin D drops are very easy to get into kids; it's just one little drop. I still haven't come up with a way to get my kids to drink/eat apple cider vinegar...so I'm open to suggestions on that!

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