You can easily catch a cold in the winter, but thanks to these 10 home remedies that help with a cold, you can get rid of it in no time. You don't have to take any medicines, because all home remedies are natural and you can make your own.
Every person has had an average of 200 colds during their lifetime. Coughing, a runny nose and pain in the extremities will quickly leave you exhausted and tired. Unfortunately, medicines don't help with this and for most people there is no other option than to just get sick (and be fed up!). Fortunately, we still have access to well-preserved home remedies from Grandma that can help us get back to normal in no time.
1. Chicken broth – the home remedy par excellence
You may remember that every time you had a cold, as well as the flu, your grandmother stood at your bedside with a bowl of homemade chicken stock. Not so surprising, because fresh homemade chicken stock is a horse remedy. It contains the following active and beneficial substances:cysteine, an important building block of glutathione with which the cells are strengthened, inflammation is inhibited and viruses are stopped, ideal for every cold and flu. Vital substances including zinc and calcium also strengthen the immune system.
2. You fight headaches with peppermint
Who does not know it:your cold announces itself in the form of a strong headache. Only one thing helps against that and that is peppermint essential oil. Mix 2-3 drops of the essential oil with some coconut oil and spread this mixture on your forehead and temples to reduce the hammering pain in your head. The idea behind this is that the blood vessels expand and contract during a headache attack, but the cold of the peppermint oil interrupts this process.
This remedy also helps with migraine attacks, I (unfortunately) know that from experience. However, migraines are separate from having a cold and have different symptoms. There is often a relationship between migraine and nutrition, but other things can also play a role in triggering an attack.
3. Chamomile helps with cough
Chamomile is an all-round beneficial herb that can be used widely for our health. It is also indispensable during a cold that is accompanied by a cough. The plant contains essential oils and flavonoids that, according to numerous studies, not only destroy bacteria and viruses, but can also kill fungi and reduce cramps.
To combat the cough, it is best to put a few drops of chamomile essential oil in a diffuser. Inhale the vapor for at least 10 minutes, three times a day. A cup of chamomile tea can also help. CAUTION:allergy sufferers should be careful when using chamomile as they belong to the composite family.
4. Fight fever with wraps
There is nothing more annoying than a fever, which makes you even less capable. Although fever is a natural reaction of the body to fight illness, (high) fever should not last too long. You can make wraps to combat a fever above 39˚C. To make the wrappers you need:a bucket, lukewarm water, vinegar, at least three towels and a blanket.
Fill the bucket with lukewarm water and add a good splash of white vinegar. Dip two towels in the water, squeeze and wrap one towel around each leg. A dry towel is wrapped over the wet towels. Place the blanket over this. As soon as the wrapper has become warm, they are exchanged. With these wraps you can reduce the temperature by 1˚C on average.
5. Treat hoarseness with cottage cheese wrappers
We were just talking about vinegar wraps that are a perfect home remedy for a fever, now we're going to make cottage cheese wraps that you can use to combat hoarseness. To do this, take a cotton cloth and spread a finger-thick quark on it. Place the cloth from ear to ear around your neck and let it stimulate your body's own immune system and reduce the pain.
6. Fight colds with a foot bath
A particularly effective remedy from the list of 10 tips that help with a cold is taking a foot bath. It is important to start with this home remedy at the first signs of a cold. Foot baths stimulate the blood circulation in the nasal mucosa, since the blood vessels of the feet and the airways are connected.
For the foot bath, take a bowl that you fill to knuckle height with water that has a temperature of 35˚C. Add a few drops of thyme essential oil to this and put your feet in it. Leave your feet in the bath for at least 15 minutes. Slowly top up the water until it has a temperature of 39 to 41˚C. Then leave your feet in the water for about 5 minutes. Pull out of the water quickly, dry well and lay directly under a blanket. A boon for the body!
7. Reduce limb pain with a bath
A pretty annoying side effect of a cold is pain in the extremities. To reduce this pain, it is best to take a bath. Add essential oil such as rosemary, menthol or eucalyptus. These oils promote blood circulation, so that the sore muscles will be less cramped after the bath. The best water temperature is 38˚C. PLEASE NOTE:do not take a bath if you have a fever, as this could put an extra burden on your body.
8. Fighting earaches with an onion compress
A stuffy nose can quickly lead to severe pain in the ears. Fortunately, there is also a home remedy for this, something that most people already have at home. In the onion we find various essential oils, sulphur-containing amino acids and flavonoids that often work better as antibiotics. The onion ensures that the tension on the eardrum decreases and the pain decreases significantly. The onion is a commonly used home remedy.
To make an onion compress, chop an onion into small pieces and wrap it in a cotton handkerchief. Then place the pieces of onion wrapped in the handkerchief on your ear. In order not to have to hold it all the time, you can use a headband or a bandana.
9. Less sore throat thanks to pineapple sage juice
Sore throat, cough and cold, it seems like a trinity. To get rid of this, it is best to make a juice from pineapple and sage. The bromelin in the pineapple ensures that the large proteins are split. This allows the lymphatic fluid to drain better, causing the swelling in the throat to return. The polyphenols active in sage also have an anti-inflammatory effect. For the juice, boil the sage and mix it with freshly squeezed pineapple juice. Throughout the day you can take small sips of the pineapple-sage juice.
Reading tip:Sage, a medicinal herb
10. Milk and honey for sleeping problems
Milk and honey should of course not be missing from the list of 10 home remedies that help with a cold. Traditionally, both warm milk and honey have been the remedy for sleeping problems. Warm milk is sleep-inducing, while honey is anti-inflammatory. If you do not find it helpful to drink this mixture, you can also opt for a cup of tea. An equally effective tea is ginger mixed with lemon and honey. If these drinks really don't help, see if you can benefit from these 5 tips to fall asleep faster
