Home Remedies for Colds and Flu

There are many ways we can catch a cold or face a seasonal flu. Around us, there are at least two hundred viruses that can cause simple colds or more serious illnesses that can keep us bedridden for days on end.
Just as numerous are the home remedies that you have probably heard of at least once and wondered if they really work or if they remain at the level of legends. From the classic chicken soup to onion tea, you have likely questioned many of the time-honored methods as natural alternatives to pills, syrups, or injections promoted by the pharmaceutical industry.
We have gathered the most well-known of these remedies, which we present to you below, of course, with the corresponding explanations and the final verdict on whether they fall into the category of myths or are 100% true.
Vitamin C Helps You Recover from Colds Faster
We start with a piece of information that you should embrace as soon as possible, namely that a healthy diet is the secret against flu and colds. Not necessarily for combating them, but especially for preventing these ailments that can disrupt your normal life rhythm. Without a balanced diet that contains all the vitamins and minerals our body needs to function perfectly, the body’s immunity can decrease, making us easy victims to viruses and bacteria.
If your menu does not contain enough vitamin C, it is necessary to supplement the amount you get from fruits and vegetables with effervescent tablets or the classic ones from the pharmacy. However, it is good to know that vitamin C will not help you as much as you might think, as it will not reduce your risk of getting sick nor will it alleviate your symptoms, but it can shorten the time you spend with a stuffy nose, fever, and general malaise by up to 8% in adults and 14% in children.
Do not forget, however, that it is almost impossible to eat enough fruits and vegetables to reach the ideal amount of vitamin C in your body, so use the ace up your sleeve and provide your body with the nutrients it needs, which you can take from a simple multivitamin tablet, taken once a day.
Thus, vitamin C will not protect you from colds, but it can shorten the duration of the illness.
Garlic and Onion Keep Viruses at Bay
Many who try to find a miracle cure for treating colds and flu say that garlic is the most powerful natural antibiotic that can help us fend off seasonal ailments. Undoubtedly, you have heard of the method where many boast that they haven’t caught a cold in months by eating a whole clove of garlic every day, or that they got rid of annoying coughs with tea made from onion leaves.
It is true that garlic contains a series of nutrients, along with vitamins and minerals, but also phytochemicals that viruses seem to avoid. Garlic juice is an excellent remedy against colds, flu, or respiratory viruses, which are often encountered especially during seasonal changes. Additionally, garlic helps clear the bronchi and combats infections, while also keeping streptococci at bay.
Onion, on the other hand, has many benefits, including reducing inflammation in the respiratory tract and soothing coughs. Moreover, this vegetable, rich in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, vitamin B6, and magnesium, has an effect that most people are not aware of. It is the best natural sleep aid, with no side effects and no risk of addiction. Onion is an excellent antiseptic that fights bacteria and toxins in the body.
So, garlic and onion are reliable allies in the fight against seasonal colds.
Warm Milk Relieves Sore Throat
Milk, an excellent source of calcium and vitamins, especially for children who absorb nutrients from food more quickly, has been a long-debated home remedy over the years. Probably, anyone who did not receive warm milk with honey and a raw egg in childhood has never caught a cold. It seems that this alternative treatment has persisted to this day, and it is good that it has, because indeed, warm milk alleviates the soreness in the throat that you may feel when you have a cold.
Of course, it cannot treat the cause of the unpleasant sensations you have due to the presence of the virus in your body, but it can help improve, at least for a while, your sore throat. Be careful, however, to ensure that the milk you drink is not hot, but just a little warmer than room temperature. Sip it slowly and let the liquid flow gently down your throat until you feel the burning sensation subside.
Potato Slices Heal Sore Throat
Who hasn’t sat at least once with slices of potatoes soaked in rubbing alcohol around their neck? This home remedy, though very common in our lands, seems to be a true mystery of medicine. Or at least that’s what those who resort to this remedy believe, because the secret actually lies in the amount of medicinal alcohol in which the potato slices are heated.
Rubbing alcohol is a suitable remedy for reducing fever, pain, or burning sensations, so you can use it confidently for rubbing when you feel unwell or have a temperature. As for the potato, it seems that the starch has miraculous powers over inflamed areas, which is why the juice from this vegetable is often used to treat gastrointestinal issues or tonsillitis.
In other words, potatoes soaked in rubbing alcohol can help reduce fever and throat inflammation.
Vinegar Foot Bath Reduces Fever
Socks soaked in vinegar or rubbing with the same substance are among the oldest remedies in the world, with which you may have treated yourself as well. These methods seem ideal for lowering fever and shortening the period during which cold symptoms give you a hard time.
The secret lies in mixing three to four cups of apple cider vinegar with warm water, but not hot, calculating one measure of water to one measure of vinegar, in which to soak your feet for a few minutes. Vinegar has the effect of alleviating inflammation, so it will help you reduce fever and improve your general condition in just a few minutes.