Home Remedies for Cold – Treatment of Cold – Cause of Cold – Cold Relief

Home remedies are Best for your cold

Knowing the home remedies for cold is helpful to treat it with natural substances around us without any side effects. It is a very common infection of upper respiratory tract. The famous proverb for cold is “If you treat cold it will subside in 7 days, if you don’t it will take one week”. There are a number of home remedies for cold for betterment.

Cold

Common cold is a viral infection. It is a natural healing process of the body by expelling out all the mucous and phlegm from the body through cough and sneezing. The high temperature associated with cold is to kill the microbes which entered in the body. Home remedies for cold are best for treatment of cold, as antibiotics are not effective.

Home remedies for cold

As it is a viral infection, home remedies for cold works better than antibiotics.

Fluids as home remedies for cold: Staying hydrated is one of main home remedies for cold. One should take enough of warm water, or clear soups, coconut water, juices or rice water as a home remedies for cold.

Food: Opt for easily digestible simple warm food as home remedies for cold. Kichdi, barley gruel, rice gruel or broken wheat gruel are the best home remedies for cold.

Rest: It is one of the inevitable home remedies for cold. Sleep as needed, don’t exert or exercise while having cold symptoms.

Decongestions: Homemade saline drops are very good for the treatment of cold to clear the nose. Blow nose regularly.

Steam inhalation: Inhaling steam five to six times a day helps to clear mucous and phlegm. It gives a lot of relief and it is one of the easy home remedies for cold.

Garlic: It is another well known home remedies for cold.  Crush 5 to 6 garlic and eat raw or with yogurt. The allicin in the garlic is a strong anti-viral agent. Garlic is very good to relieve stubborn coughs by clearing mucous from the lungs.

Ginger coffee: “Chukku kappi” the one of the well known home remedies for cold.

Prepare this by adding quarter tea spoon of crushed dry ginger, crushed coriander seeds, crushed fenugreek seeds, a pinch of coffee powder and pepper powder and 7 to 8 tulsi leaves to a glass of boiling water. Sweetener can be palm jaggery, normal jaggery or honey. Drink this warm coffee four to five times a day for treatment of cold.

Ginger tea: It is one of the very common home remedies for cold. Add half spoon of grated ginger, one spoon of lemon juice and one table spoon of honey to warm water to prepare ginger tea. Drink it several times a day as treatment of cold.

Cinnamon: Consuming a mixture of half spoon cinnamon powder in one table spoon honey 2 to 3 times a day for 3 days works as the best remedy for cold.

Honey: Use of honey in home remedies for cold is very common. One table spoon of honey and one table spoon of lemon juice in half glass of warm water works as a best treatment of cold.

Hot Cayenne Pepper: In a cup of boiling water add one table spoon of honey, half tea spoon of Cayenne pepper powder and dip a tea bag. It works as the best home remedies for cold.

Oranges: orange juice is one of the good home remedies for cold if prepared at home.

Herbal and green teas: They contain enough of anti viral agents and considered as good for the treatment of cold. They are best benefitted as home remedies for cold if taken with honey.

Tulsi: Holy basil is the main ingredient of home remedies for cold.  Prepare black tea by adding 5 tulsi leaves. Enjoy warm tea slowly inhaling the vapors simultaneously as treatment of cold.

Apple cider vinegar: A warm drink prepared by mixing 2 table spoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 table spoon of honey and a table spoon of lemon juice works as one of the best home remedies for cold.

Turmeric: Intake of two tea spoons of turmeric powder mixed in a glass of warm water works as one of the easiest home remedies for cold.

Common cold is a very disturbing one to children. It creates a lot of uneasiness especially in small babies. Common home remedies for cold does not work for small babies. They require home remedies for cold which are easily suitable for them.

 Home remedies for cold – Babies up to six months

Breast milk: It is the perfect food for babies under six months. As it is loaded with all nutrients for the baby it is sufficient enough. So increase the feeding frequency while the baby is having cold.

Nasal saline drops: Half a teaspoon clean salt dissolved in eight tea spoon of distilled water makes a homemade nasal drop. Apply one drop of this each nostril at a time. It is one of the best home remedies for cold related nasal blocks in babies.

Garlic and ajwain pouch: Dry roast 2 big garlic cloves and one table spoon of ajwain. Make a warm pouch in cloth. Keep the pouch near to baby’s nose, so that the smoke will enter in to the nose while breathing.

Coleus aromaticus: Use of patta ajwain is one of the proven home remedy for cold in kids. Heat its leaves and place the same on the forehead of the baby.

Massage with mustard oil: Garlic and ajwain seeds infused in mustard oil, is one of the well known home remedies for cold in kids. Heat mustard oil with chopped garlic and ajwain. As the garlic turns brown remove the oil from heat and massage the warm oil in the chest and soles of feet.

Kesar tilak: Make a paste of a few strands of saffron and apply this to baby’s forehead and soles at night as one of the home remedies for cold.

Clothing as per climate: Make sure clothing is proper to keep the body warm. In hot climates it should be comfortable and not to feel stuffy.

Sanitize baby’s hands: Care should be given to sanitize the hands of both mother and the baby with antibacterial wipes regularly.

Keep the head elevated: Pay attention to keep the baby’s head elevated while sleeping.

Use humidifiers: Usage of humidifiers is one of the home remedies for cold. It keeps the air moisturized and eases breathing.

Home remedies for cold – babies above six months  

             

1. Liquids: While considering food as home remedies for kids, all the warm clear soups like chicken/tomato/vegetable soups or rasam are advisable in addition to breast milk.
2. Simple food: Warm simple food like kichri/rice kheer/rice gruel are best for treatment of cold.
3. Palm candy crystals: Panam kalkkandu is one of the well known home remedies for cold in kids. It can be suckled to clear throat as well as it keeps the body warm.
4. Steam inhalation: It is one of the easiest home remedies for cold in kids to clear nose.
5. Saline drops: They are also safe home remedies for cold in kids to clear stuffy nose.
6. Coleus aromaticus: Patta ajawain is one of the commonly accepted home remedies for cold in kids. Half teaspoon of patta ajwaine juice mixed with same quantity of honey serves as the best treatment for cold.
7. Ajwain and garlic pouch as best home remedies for cold: Make a warm pouch of dry roasted garlics and ajwain. Press this pouch against the chest and back of the child. It can be kept near the nose to breathe comfortably.
8. Black jeera pouch as home remedies for cold: Make a warm pouch with dry roasted jeera. Make the child to inhale the smoke of the pouch comfortably.  It is an effective treatment for cold.

What are the symptoms of common cold?

Signs and symptoms of cold vary from person to person. General symptoms of cold include;

• Stuffy and runny nose
• Sore throat
• Sneezing
• Cough
• Congestion
• Low grade fever
• Slight body aches
• General uneasiness

Why home remedies are preferred in cold than going for medicines?

Most of the ingredients of home remedies for cold is available in the house and they are natural. They are free from all side effects of prescription medicines. Home remedies for cold are the best to control common cold in a healthy way.

How we can prevent frequent cold attacks?

There are preventive home remedies for cold.

Improve immunity: Improving immunity by adopting a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables are the main preventive home remedies for cold.

Warm turmeric milk: Regular intake of warm turmeric milk serves as one of the best preventive home remedies against all infections.

Dates and sesame: Including two dates with one table spoon of roasted til in daily diet is a authentic preventive home remedy for cold according to Ayurveda.

Rasnadi choorna: Applying a pinch of rasnadi choorna on the head at the point of anterior frontanelle every day after bath is advised as preventive home remedies for cold by ayurvedic practitioners. One can use bhasm or talcum powder as a substitute for this.     

Does drinking alcohol relive cold?

Drinking alcohol only makes the patient sleepier. It has nothing to do with the healing process.

Which are the situations to seek medical attention?

Normally the common cold improves with home remedies and rest. If it is not improving within five days adults and having the problems like;

• Fever greater then 38.5⁰c or 101.3 F
• Fever lasting more than five days and returning after a fever free period
• Severe sore throat
• Wheezing
• Breathing difficulties
• Headaches or sinus pain

For children

If the cold doesn’t improves within five days with home remedies for cold and the child is having the following difficulties like;

• Fever more than 38⁰c or 100.4 F
• Rising fever or lasting more than five days
• Symptoms gets worsen
• Wheezing
• Severe headache or cough
• Ear pain
• Lack of hunger
• Extreme fussiness.