Howstuffworks "16 Home Remedies for Colds"

Headache. Stuffy nose. Cough. Fever. Itchy eyes. Sore throat. Muscle aches. If you're like most people, you know the symptoms of the common cold all too well. Although Americans spend billions of dollars annually on doctor visits and cold remedies (everything from tissues and vitamin C to over-the-counter decongestants and herbal teas), there is no cure for the common cold. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make your recovery easier. In this article we'll discuss all aspects of the cold, including home remedies, when you should call a doctor, and how to avoid passing on your cold to innocent bystanders. To begin, we will discuss the origins and causes of the common cold.

A cold is an upper respiratory infection caused by any one of hundreds of different viruses. Unfortunately, scientists haven't figured out how to wipe out these viruses. The body has to rely on its own natural defenses.

During a cold, virus particles penetrate the mucous layer of the nose and throat and attach themselves to cells there. The viruses punch holes in the cell membranes, allowing viral genetic material to enter the cells. Within a short time, the virus takes over and forces the cells to produce thousands of new virus particles.

In response to this viral invasion, the body marshals its defenses: The nose and throat release chemicals that spark the immune system; injured cells produce chemicals called prostaglandins, which trigger inflammation and attract infection-fighting white blood cells; tiny blood vessels stretch, opening up space to allow blood fluid (plasma) and specialized white cells to enter the infected area; the body temperature rises, enhancing the immune response; and histamine is released, increasing the production of nasal mucus in an effort to trap viral particles and remove them from the body.

As the battle against the cold virus rages on, the body counterattacks with its heavy artillery: specialized white blood cells called monocytes and lymphocytes; interferon, often called the "body's own antiviral drug"; and 20 or more proteins that circulate in the blood plasma and coat the viruses and infected cells, making it easier for the white blood cells to identify and destroy them.

The symptoms you experience as a cold are actually the body's natural immune response. In fact, by the time you feel like you're coming down with a cold, you've likely already been infected for a day and a half. Once you are infected, however, you can try to ease some of the aches and pains. In the next section, we will review some home remedies for relieving cold symptoms.

How Colds Are Spread

The cold virus can take many routes to its ultimate destination -- your cells. Most people are contagious a day before and two to four days after their symptoms start. Here are the typical ways a cold virus is spread:

Touching someone who has the virus (such as shaking hands) or something that contains the virus (such as touching a doorknob or grocery cart). The virus can live for three hours on skin and objects. Once the virus is passed to your skin, it's a simple matter for it to be transported to your own mucus membranes -- for example, when you rub your eye, eat finger foods, or touch your nose. That's why it's important to wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, especially before eating.

Inhaling the virus through airborne transmission. It may sound implausible, but if someone sitting next to you sneezes while you are inhaling, voila! It's likely you'll get a cold.

One study found that kids tend to get colds from more direct contact, while adults tend to get colds from airborne viruses (moms of young children can expect to get colds both ways). Research has also found that emotional stress, allergies that affect the nasal passages or throat, and menstrual cycles may make you more susceptible to catching a cold.

For more information on preventing and treating colds and flu, try the following links:

To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
The common cold is rarely life threatening, but it can really take the spring out of your step. Get your pep back by reading Herbal Remedies for Colds.
Learn safe, practical remedies for avoiding the flu at How to Prevent the Flu.
Home Remedies for Fevers provides tips for alleviating the discomfort of having a temperature.
For self-help for flu symptoms, read Home Remedies for the Flu.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Home Remedy Treatments for Colds

Many people believe the old adage, "Do nothing and your cold will last seven days. Do everything and it will last a week." (Actually, it's not uncommon for a cold to last a couple of weeks.) And, basically, it's true. But the following simple home remedies may help you feel more comfortable and help your body heal itself as quickly as possible.

Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids may help thin the mucus, thus keeping it flowing freely and making it easier for the body to expel, along with the viral particles trapped within it. Water and other liquids also combat dehydration. So drink at least eight ounces of fluid every two hours.

^©2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Fluids help thin the mucus, thus
keeping it flowing freely and making
it easier for the body to expel.

Rest. Doctors disagree about whether or not you should take a day or two off from work when you come down with a cold. However, they do agree that extra rest helps. Staying away from work may be a good idea from a prevention standpoint, too; your coworkers will probably appreciate your not spreading your cold virus around the office. If you do decide to stay home, forego those chores and take it easy, read a good book, watch television, take naps.

You should probably also skip your normal exercise routine when you've got a cold, at least during the days when you're feeling the worst. Again, let your body be your guide. If you're feeling miserable, the best advice is probably to just stay in bed.

Stay warm. While cold air doesn't cause colds, you're likely to feel more comfortable if you stay indoors and keep covered, especially if you have a fever. There's no sense in stressing your body any further.

Vaporize it. The steam from a vaporizer can loosen mucus, especially if the mucus has become thick. (You can get a similar effect by draping a towel over your head and bending over a pot of boiled water; just be careful not to burn yourself.)

A humidifier will add moisture to your immediate environment, which may make you feel more comfortable and will keep your nasal tissues moist. That's helpful because dry nasal membranes provide poor protection against viral invasion.

Stop smoking. You'll feel better sooner and cut your risk of getting even sicker. Doctors say smokers have a tougher time shaking off a cold than nonsmokers do. Worse, smoking while you have a cold irritates the bronchial tubes, which increases the risk of developing pneumonia and other complications.

In addition to irritating the throat and bronchial tubes, smoking has been shown to depress the immune system. Since you have to depend on your own immune system rather than medicine to cure a cold, you'll want it to be in the best condition possible to wage the "cold" war.

Stay away from "hot toddies." While a hot alcoholic beverage might sound good when you're feeling achy and stuffy, you're better off abstaining from booze, which increases mucous-membrane congestion and is dehydrating.

Maintain a positive attitude. Although mind-body science is in its infancy, some researchers suggest that a positive I-can-beat-this-cold attitude may bolster the immune system while you fight a cold. On the other hand, a negative attitude could cause your body's defenses to fall down on the job. Not all doctors are convinced there is a connection between the mind and the immune system, but staying upbeat certainly won't make your cold worse.

If you want more ways to alleviate the symptoms of your cold, read the next section for home remedies from your kitchen.

For more information on preventing and treating colds and flu, try the following links:

To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
The common cold is rarely life threatening, but it can really take the spring out of your step. Get your pep back by reading Herbal Remedies for Colds.
Learn safe, practical remedies for avoiding the flu at How to Prevent the Flu.
Home Remedies for Fevers provides tips for alleviating the discomfort of having a temperature.
For self-help for flu symptoms, read Home Remedies for the Flu.

Natural Home Remedies for Colds

While colds are here to stay -- for now -- you don't have to be totally at their mercy. Thankfully, there are some safe home remedies to ease your symptoms once you're sick.

Home Remedies From the Cupboard

Chicken soup. Science actually backs up what your mom knew all along -- chicken soup does help a cold. It's one of the most beneficial hot fluids you can consume when you have a cold. Scientists believe it's the fumes in the soup that release the mucus in your nose and help your body better fight against its viral invaders. Chicken soup also contains cysteines, which are good at thinning mucus. And the soup provides easily absorbed nutrients.

Honey. Make your own cough syrup by mixing together 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Pour the mixture into a jar or bottle and seal tightly. Shake well before using. Take 1 tablespoon every four hours.

Salt. The inflammation and swelling in the nose during a cold is caused by molecules called cytokines, or lymphokines, which are made by the body as it fights the infection. Research has shown that washing away these molecules can reduce swelling. You can make your own saline drops or spray by adding 1/4 teaspoon salt to 8 ounces water. Fill a clean nasal-spray bottle or dropper with the salt water and spray or drop into each nostril three or four times. Repeat five to six times daily.

You can also make a saltwater gargle for your sore throat with the same ratio of salt to water. Salt is an astringent and helps relieve a painful throat.

Sesame oil. Dry nasal passages are prime breeding grounds for the cold virus. Although doctors typically recommend saline nose drops during the winter to keep nasal passages moist, a recent study compared saline drops to sesame oil. The people who used sesame oil had an 80 percent improvement in their nasal dryness while the people who used traditional saline drops had a 30 percent improvement. While it may not be a good idea to shoot sesame oil up your nose (it could get into the lungs), try rubbing a drop around the inside of your nostrils.

Tea. A cup of hot tea with honey does the same trick as chicken soup; it loosens up your nasal passages and makes that stuffy nose feel better. Folk healers have known this secret for centuries. They often suggest drinking tea with spices and herbs that contain aromatic oils with antiviral properties. Try tea with elder, ginger, yarrow, mint, thyme, horsemint, bee balm, lemon balm, catnip, garlic, onions, or mustard.

Home Remedies From the Refrigerator

Peppers. Hot and spicy foods are notorious for making your nose run and your eyes water. The hot stuff in peppers is called capsaicin and is pharmacologically similar to guaifenesin, an expectorant found in some over-the-counter cough syrups. This similarity leads some experts to believe that eating hot foods can clear up mucus and ease that stuffy nose.

Yogurt. One study found that participants who ate 3/4 cup yogurt a day before and during cold season had 25 percent fewer colds. But you've got to start early and maintain your yogurt-eating throughout the peak cold season.

Home Remedies From the Supplement Shelf

Vitamin C. Vitamin C won't prevent a cold, but it may help once you have a cold. Although it remains a controversial idea, some research suggests that vitamin C can help boost the immune system and reduce the length and severity of symptoms. But to reap the benefits, you've got to take a lot of "C." The RDA for men and women age 15 and older is 60 mg, but studies show that you'd need to take upward of 1,000 mg to 3,000 mg to get the cold-symptom-sparing rewards of vitamin C. For the short term, experts believe that wouldn't be harmful, but taking too much vitamin C for too long can cause severe diarrhea. Before loading up on vitamin C, check with your doctor.

Zinc. Studies have found that zinc may help immune cells fight a cold and may ease cold symptoms. The most effective zinc lozenges are those that contain 15 to 25 mg of zinc gluconate or zinc gluconate-glycine per lozenge. You can get the most out of your zinc lozenges if you start using them at the first sign of a cold and continue taking them for several days.

Echinacea is a natural herb that is kept in many homes because of its effectiveness in treating colds. Continue to the next page to learn how echinacea works.

For more information on preventing and treating colds and flu, try the following links:

To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
The common cold is rarely life threatening, but it can really take the spring out of your step. Get your pep back by reading Herbal Remedies for Colds.
Learn safe, practical remedies for avoiding the flu at How to Prevent the Flu.
Home Remedies for Fevers provides tips for alleviating the discomfort of having a temperature.
For self-help for flu symptoms, read Home Remedies for the Flu.

When it comes to fighting nonviral infections, echinacea -- an herbal treatment and natural home remedy option -- is usually no substitute for punch-packing pharmaceutical antibiotics. But research does support echinacea's effectiveness for some viral infections -- such as the cold and flu -- because it significantly boosts your body's immune system and helps you to heal faster than you otherwise might.

Compared with some other herbal treatments, we know quite a bit about how echinacea works. In the past 35 years, more than 200 scientific studies have been conducted to determine the herb's safety and efficacy.

How Echinacea Works

Echinacea appears to boost the body's immune response. Unlike a vaccine, which is active only against specific invaders, echinacea stimulates overall activity of cells responsible for fighting any infection that exists in your body.

Unlike antibiotics, which simply kill bacteria, echinacea stimulates the body, at a cellular level, to fight off bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. In other words, echinacea tells your body to heal itself.

Early on, researchers determined that echinacea has a profound effect on the number and kind of blood cells in the bloodstream. Echinacea works by promoting the production of white blood cells when the percentage is too low and helps them get to where they can fight the infection more effectively.

The main active compounds in echinacea are complicated and fall into several categories. Complicating matters is the fact that there are some differences among the three main species of echinacea used. There is no single "magic bullet" chemical that explains how echinacea works -- it is a combination of many ingredients.

Some of echinacea's chemical constituents also appear to be involved in regrowth of connective tissue that has been destroyed during infection, an action that greatly stimulates the healing process.

When germs get into your bloodstream, they stimulate an enzyme called hyaluronidase to break down the connective tissue surrounding cells. Once these connective tissues have been compromised, germs can easily latch onto the cells and begin the progressive cellular destruction known as infection. But studies in Eastern Europe in the 1960s found that echinacea neutralizes hyaluronidase, so the germs can't get a cellular foothold.

Echinacea also helps your body to produce natural infection-fighting chemicals. Your spleen, liver, and lymph nodes contain large white blood cells called macrophages, which filter lymphatic fluid and blood and engulf and destroy bacteria, cellular debris, and other foreign particles in a process called phagocytosis.

Before a virus-infected cell dies, it releases a small amount of interferon, which boosts the ability of surrounding cells to resist infection. Echinacea stimulates macrophages to produce interferon and other immune-enhancing compounds, including interleukins, and tumor necrosis factor, which then fight off infections that cause colds, flu, respiratory and urinary tract illness, and other conditions.

The most consistently proven effect of echinacea is in stimulating a process called phagocytosis, which encourages white blood cells to attack invading organisms.

Among other scientifically proven actions, echinacea:

Increases the number and activity of immune system cells, including anti-tumor cells
Stimulates new tissue growth to aid in wound healing
Reduces inflammation in arthritis and inflammatory skin conditions
Induces mild antibiotic action against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other germs
Inhibits the enzyme hyaluronidase and helps prevent bacterial access to healthy cells
Slows the spread of infection to surrounding tissues and helps to flush toxins from infected areas

Echinacea Studies

In Germany, extensive research over the past few decades has uncovered a host of echinacea's infection-fighting properties, including the ability to power up the immune system, treat colds and flu, and prevent infection.

Researchers discovered this after bathing cells in echinacea extract and then exposing them to two potent viruses: those that cause influenza and herpes. Unlike the untreated cells, only a small proportion of echinacea-treated cells became infected.

A study in Germany in 1978 found that in the presence of echinacea, viruses and bacteria had a greatly diminished capacity for causing infections. That means the herb either prevents the virus from reproducing or actively competes with the virus for receptor sites on cells to which the pathogen is naturally attracted, thus preventing microbial invaders from gaining entrance to the cells.

To learn about how to use echinacea to treat a cold, continue to the next page.

For more information on preventing and treating colds and flu, try the following links:

To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
The common cold is rarely life threatening, but it can really take the spring out of your step. Get your pep back by reading Herbal Remedies for Colds.
Learn safe, practical remedies for avoiding the flu at How to Prevent the Flu.
Home Remedies for Fevers provides tips for alleviating the discomfort of having a temperature.
For self-help for flu symptoms, read Home Remedies for the Flu.

Despite the miraculous advances of modern medicine in recent years to treat the common cold, doctors still are powerless to prevent or cure it. But several studies indicate that echinacea, an herb, may help us to ward off this frequent illness. Their results indicate that using echinacea to treat colds can be an effective plan.

Studies of Echinacea

So many studies have been conducted on echinacea that it is difficult to make heads or tails out of them. The main reason is that many different preparations and doses were used. The three different species of echinacea were used in different studies, sometimes in combination. Some studies involved people with naturally acquired colds, while other studies artificially induced the colds.

Finally, it is notoriously difficult to study colds because the symptoms are mimicked by many other conditions (including noninfectious allergies), and there is no simple, inexpensive, widely used test to definitively determine if someone has a viral cold or not.

Despite these problems, several research groups have tried to make sense of the echinacea studies using a process called metanalysis. This is a mathematical method that treats all the data of different studies as if the information were part of one large study.

All the groups note that the results of the research are inconsistent, but they do say that various preparations of echinacea have been shown to reduce the risk of catching a cold, to shorten the time people stay sick once infected, and to produce milder symptoms when people do get sick.

For example, one metanalysis conducted by Swiss researchers found that of the three studies that involved people taking standardized extracts of the flowering tops of Echinacea purpurea, the risk of developing a natural cold was about one-half that of people given a placebo (dummy pill). A group of German researchers concluded that extracts of Echinacea purpurea flowering tops are also generally more useful than placebo to reduce duration and severity of symptoms if started soon after a cold beings.

You may have heard about several large studies published in the past few years that came to negative conclusions about the efficacy of echinacea. However, almost all of these studies had serious flaws, which calls into question their validity.

For example, a large study (437 adults participated) of three tinctures of Echinacea angustifolia root was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2005. This study found that none of the extracts studied was effective for preventing or treating experimentally induced colds. However, the doses used (1.5 milliliters, or a quarter-teaspoon, three times per day) were dramatically lower than what almost any clinician would ever recommend using.

A similar problem of underdosing (3.75 to 5 milliliters, or three-quarters to one teaspoon, twice per day) was the flaw in a large study of Echinacea purpurea flower juice that found no effects in treating symptoms of natural colds in 407 children (this study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2004). Still, in this same group of children, taking these low doses did show a moderate ability to prevent them from catching colds.

Using Echinacea to Treat Colds

Most herbalists advise taking echinacea in high doses the minute you feel a cold coming on, so your body can ward off the illness before symptoms get a foothold. If you have a sore throat, it is particularly useful to gargle echinacea tincture or juice mixed with water. This quickly reduces pain due to an anesthetic effect.

There's a myth that echinacea loses its effectiveness when used continually. There's no evidence to support this. Indeed, clinical evidence supports echinacea's effectiveness in long-term use.

Even if you do catch a cold, echinacea may help you to shake it off sooner than you otherwise might. During a period of infection, when the body is running low on resources, using echinacea to treat colds has been found to have a strong and direct force on the body's ability to speed healing. In other words, when you're in bed with a cold, your body can use all the help it can get.

Getting What You Pay For

When purchasing echinacea, stick to brand names you trust. Otherwise, you can't always be certain that what you're buying is a pharmaceutical grade of echinacea -- or even if the product contains any echinacea at all.

How can you tell? Good-quality echinacea products produce a harmless tingling sensation on the tongue. (To assess a capsule, break one open and taste the powder.) Your best chance of getting the right amount of echinacea lies in choosing products from well-established suppliers.

Tackling the Flu

The same general results hold true for using echinacea to treat the flu. In one study conducted in Germany, liquid echinacea extract was shown to help ease the symptoms of influenza and speed recovery.

Another study, this one reported in 1978, found that echinacea root was significantly effective in attacking influenza viruses. Another clinical study, in 1992, found that volunteers who took echinacea showed marked resistance to flu viruses.

And volunteers who took echinacea, but who still came down with the flu, exhibited far fewer symptoms than untreated patients.

Every year, millions of people suffer from colds. Fortunately, by following the home remedies and natural treatment options outlined in this article, you can make your bouts with the sniffles more tolerable.

For more information on preventing and treating colds and flu, try the following links:

To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
The common cold is rarely life threatening, but it can really take the spring out of your step. Get your pep back by reading Herbal Remedies for Colds.
Learn safe, practical remedies for avoiding the flu at How to Prevent the Flu.
Home Remedies for Fevers provides tips for alleviating the discomfort of having a temperature.
For self-help for flu symptoms, read Home Remedies for the Flu.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including Reader's Digest, Prevention, Men's Health, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The author of four books, Gower is also a contributing editor for Health magazine.

Alice Lesch Kelly is a health writer based in Boston. Her work has been published in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Eating Well, and Health. She is the co-author of three books on women's health.

Linnea Lundgren has more than 12 years experience researching, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of four books, including Living Well With Allergies.

Michele Price Mann is a freelance writer who has written for such publications as Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazines. Formerly assistant health and fitness editor at Cooking Light magazine, her professional passion is learning and writing about health.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS:

Ivan Oransky, M.D., is the deputy editor of The Scientist. He is author or co-author of four books, including The Common Symptom Answer Guide, and has written for publications including the Boston Globe, The Lancet, and USA Today. He holds appointments as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and as adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.

David J. Hufford, Ph.D., is university professor and chair of the Medical Humanities Department at Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine. He also is a professor in the departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Hufford serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine and Explore.