Home Remedies for Colds: Natural Ways to Feel Better Fast

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Our Favorite Natural Cold Remedies

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener
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Getting a cold? These home remedies for colds can help support your body through the healing process and provide natural cold relief. There is no “cure” for a cold, but there are certainly cold remedies that can help you feel better. Besides getting LOTS of rest, here are age-old remedies to provide the relief you need:

Home Remedies for Cold Relief

Sip Warm Liquids

Not only do warm liquids soothe the body and soul, but they also loosen congestion by increasing mucus flow and preventing dehydration. 

Clear broth, hot tea with honey, warm apple juice, and/or warm water with lemon and honey do the trick.

Rose hip tea is full of vitamin C and can help prevent colds in advance, before cold symptoms start. Read more about ways to avoid the cold in the first place.

Chicken Soup for Colds

Chicken soup has long been a home remedy. Yes, it works! We recommend Granny’s Best Chicken Soup, which also contains garlic.

Natural Roots and Plants That Help Fight Colds

Garlic and Onion

Speaking of garlic, many roots, as well as plants in the onion family, have medicinal properties.

Historically, the layers of the onion were believed to draw contagious diseases from the patient; onions were often hung in sickrooms. Today, we know that onions have antibacterial qualities, so it seems that our forefathers weren’t too far off.

Cut up fresh garlic cloves and add them to chicken soup or other foods, or swallow small chunks of raw garlic like pills.

For a chest cold or bronchitis, try this remedy, submitted by one of our readers: Boil a whole onion, and afterward (once it’s cooled), drink the water. You can add a little butter and salt if the taste is unbearable!

Ginger and Horseradish

Like garlic and onion, horseradish generates lots of heat to help offset colds. According to one farmer we know, a daily horseradish sandwich is the best cold remedy out there!

For chills, take fresh ginger root.

Remedies for Coughs, Sore Throats, and Chapped Lips

Honey for Cough Relief

Honey may help coughs (in adults and children who are older than age 1). Try adding honey to your tea. See more advice on cough remedies.

To treat sore lips, go to bed with honey on them.

Saltwater Gargle for Sore Throat

Get relief with a simple saltwater gargle—1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water. See more advice on sore throat remedies.

Stuffy Nose and Chest Congestion Remedies

Humidifiers and Steam

Add moisture to the air. A cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier can add moisture to your home, which might help loosen congestion. Change the water daily and clean the unit according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Some readers say it helps to eat loads of hot and spicy foods like chili to clear the sinuses.

Saline Drops

If super stuffy, put several saline drops into one nostril, then gently suction that nostril with a bulb syringe. To do this, squeeze the bulb, gently place the syringe tip in the nostril about 1/4 to 1/2 inch (about 6 to 12 millimeters), and slowly release the bulb. 

The Best Cold Remedy: Rest

Finally, a reminder: rest your body! Getting lots of sleep is probably the top remedy, and it requires no special ingredients!

Janice Stillman, former editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, discusses conventional and unconventional cold remedies in this video.

Now see all the ways to prevent the common cold and flu—or, keep from getting it again!

About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...