With flu season well underway, I thought it would be a great time to share some of my favorite most effective home remedies for colds and stuffed noses. They’re all but guaranteed to help with your most uncomfortable cold symptoms in a natural way. Just keep reading to check them out!
Natural Remedies For Colds And Congestion
We all know that having a cold is really annoying. The headaches, the stuffed noses, the non-stop sneezes. You feel your energy almost gone, and you can’t even enjoy your food because it tastes like nothing.
After many years of taking over-the-counter cold medicines, I know they do very little to help. Now that I am a mom, I am even more careful in giving those medications to my kids. The side effects can be very dangerous and many studies have shown that they are not effective at all.
So, what do you do? Here you will find my favorite Effective Home Remedies For Colds And Stuffed Noses. Get rid of the symptoms associated with the common cold in a natural way and also reduce the time you are sick. Natural remedies are REALLY effective!
10 Effective Home Remedies For Colds And Stuffed Noses
Just a few quick notes before we dive into my favorite cold remedies. First, this is NOT medical advice. I legally can’t guarantee that they’ll work for you (no one can make medical claims like that without FDA approval), but I can tell you that they almost always kick even my most stubborn cold symptoms to the curb.
Second, this post contains affiliate links. The products linked are the products I use and recommend. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but we will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated.
That’s it! Let’s dive in! We’ll start with home remedies using stuff you probably already have in your kitchen. Then, we’ll look at a few natural remedies that may require a trip to the store (or a quick jump over to Amazon), but that are still definitely worth trying.
1. Salt Water
As simple as it sounds, gargling with salt water is an effective way to soothe a sore throat while also helping to clear mucus from the throat. Put a quarter teaspoon of salt in an eight-ounce glass of warm water and let dissolve – gargle at intervals throughout the day to help relieve a sore throat. Younger children will have difficulty doing this so avoid it unless they are over the age of about 6 years.
2. Honey
Back in 2007, a Penn State University study found that honey offers parents a safer alternative to OTC children’s cough medicines. According to their findings, “A single dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime provided the greatest relief from cough and sleep difficulty compared with no treatment and an over-the-counter cough medicine in children with upper respiratory tract infections.” Honey isn’t just a great cough remedy for kids, though. I use raw honey for coughs and colds all of the time for everyone in my family.
3. Ginger
Add this to everything! It is well used in Chinese medicine and known as a warming blood tonic. Ginger will pep up your circulation which keeps everything moving. It’s analgesic and also has strong anti-inflammatory properties which can help relieve some of the discomfort caused by flu and colds. Pop it into your water each day or for the braver, straight-up chew a two-inch piece every day. You can also make your own ginger ale with my easy recipe!
4. Chicken Soup
Back in 2000, the American College Of Chest Physicians vindicated grandmothers everywhere when their study proved that chicken soup really does ease cold symptoms. During the last 20 years since then, countless additional studies further confirmed the validity of this classic home remedy. There are so many easy recipes to make your own, too! I like this one from Herbs and Flour.
5. Cayenne Pepper
Clear your sinuses up and give your favorite recipes a bit of a kick by adding cayenne to the mix. Cayenne has a ton of other health benefits as well, so you’ll be helping your whole body while zapping those nasty cold symptoms. Just make sure you choose a good non-GMO organic brand, like this one.
6. Chocolate
Yep, you read that right! I’ve said it before, chocolate is the best natural cure for sore throats! Research also shows that the theobromide in it may also be more effective at relieving coughs than traditional OTC medicines. Just make sure you’re eating real dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the more theobromide it has in it.
7. Elderberry
Back in 2019, science finally caught up with thousands of years of folk medicine and proved that elderberry really is an effective remedy against the worst of the season’s woes. According to the University of Sydney, “Compounds from elderberries can directly inhibit the virus’s entry and replication in human cells, and can help strengthen a person’s immune response to the virus.” You can make your own, but it’s kind of time-consuming. Besides, it’s easy to find good organic elderberry syrup on Amazon now, thanks to its exploding popularity as a cold remedy.
8. Echinacea
Stop colds before they even start – This is a herbaceous flowering plant that belongs to the daisy family and has been shown to work by improving the immune system to bugs helping avoid more common infections or chest infections. Take it as drops
every day leading up to the woeful winter months and you could avoid being prey to some of those nasty germs floating about.
9. Ivy Thyme
It’s a combination of Ivy and Thyme leaves – It works by soothing spasms in your respiratory tract. The ivy relaxes the bronchial tubes, which stops that awful hacking. Thyme loosens the mucus. Take about 15 drops in water. Or you can just buy the syrup online.
10. Pine Buds
Apparently, Native Americans used a natural syrup made from fresh pine buds to help with respiratory infections during the winter months. It helps reduce bronchial spasms and thins out any mucus lying on the chest. Available at health stores, this will help hugely for anyone with a nasty cough (Children or adults with persistent coughs or breathing difficulties should see their GP first) Spruce buds also have strong antiseptic and antibacterial effects which can also help lungs expel any gook that may be irritating them. You can also get pine needle tea
which is particularly soothing this time of the year.
These remedies are mostly geared towards adults but check with your health care provider or holistic practitioner about the dosage for children as they are all-natural. I also have a pretty good tip for little ones when they are congested. Check out my Steam Baths To Get Rid Of Stuffy Noses And Coughs and Detox Baths posts for more information on natural remedies that really work.
Last update on 2022-11-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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