A cold often takes us by surprise. But the earlier treatment is started, the more likely it is to quickly get rid of all its unpleasant symptoms and prevent complications, so it is important to react in time to the appearance of the first signs of the disease. But it is not necessary to run to the nearest pharmacy for this, because you probably have everything you need at home.
The “Arsenal” of folk remedies for colds tested by generations is simple, affordable, and most importantly — effective. I’m sure almost every family has these recipes. Let’s remember some of them. So, what will help us? For convenience, I made
a list:
Aloe
My grandmother always had a couple of pots with this plant on the window, and when she had a cold, aloe juice was used instead of drops.
As an adult, I treated my children’s runny nose with the same Aloe. In each nostril, 2-4 drops of juice are instilled, the procedure should be repeated from 3 to 5 times a day, until recovery. The cut leaf is stored in the refrigerator. You can, of course, immediately squeeze the juice, or you can do it as needed.
Mustard
Very old and very simple tool: dry mustard is poured into socks at night. If possible, it is good to leave it like this for a day or two. The tool is affordable, easy and suitable even for children.
You can, of course, instead do foot baths with mustard (they are especially effective when the cold is just beginning) or put mustard plasters on your heels, but such procedures already have contraindications and are not suitable for everyone.
Potato
Boil the potatoes in their skins and breathe in the hot steam — what could be easier? Potato inhalation helps with both coughing and runny nose.
Yes, now you can often hear that such procedures are harmful — you can get a burn, etc., etc. To this I will say one thing: common sense has not been canceled. Do not inhale unbearably hot, scalding steam; do not leave children unattended near the pan; do not bend too low over the potatoes — and there will be no threat to health. In any case, neither I nor my children remember any problems when using potato inhalations.
Cranberry
Cranberry juice is a source of vitamin C and supports the immune system. Copious drinking is necessary for a cold, especially if it is accompanied by a high temperature with profuse sweating — and vitamin juice as such a drink is suitable as well as possible.
If there are no cranberries, it is good to use currants (preferably black-it has more vitamin C) or lemon.
Medicinal herb
Here you can make a very extensive list. My grandmother gave me decoctions of Tussilago farfara, Filipendula, Hypericum, lime color; someone uses chamomile or sage-there are many options. Herbal infusions and decoctions are used as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, diaphoretic, tonic.
You can choose the recipes that are right for you, and use herbs grown in your dacha, collected in the wild or purchased at a pharmacy.
Onion
Onion syrup, like onion juice with sugar or honey, helps with coughing. However, the taste of this “medicine” is not very good… As a child, I refused to drink it outright. But this does not detract from the benefits of the drug.
In the end, you can just finely chop the onion and breathe in its aroma (at the same time inhaling volatile substances that have a bactericidal effect). It is also not pleasant enough — but it is even more unpleasant to get sick, you will agree.
Raspberry
Dry raspberries, raspberry jam, and leaves are also suitable. Raspberries have a pronounced diaphoretic and antipyretic effect, so they are used more often in cases where a cold is accompanied by a high temperature.
Honey
Was easier for our grandmothers: we didn’t hear about allergies. Now, before using honey, you need to make sure that such treatment will not provoke any side effects. If you have a cold, you can add honey to tea, herbal decoction or milk, or you can RUB your chest with honey when coughing (this remedy is good for children, because it does not cause any unpleasant sensations).
Milk
As a child, whenever I coughed, my grandmother would give me hot milk with soda or butter. The second option is more pleasant to the taste, of course, but both help well, especially if you suffer from attacks of persistent dry cough (including night).
Vegetables and herbs
In addition to the potatoes, beets and radishes mentioned in separate paragraphs, as well as onions with garlic, cabbage, carrots, horseradish, coriander, mint, hyssop, thyme can be used as a cold medicine. And surely at least something from the list will be at hand at the right time.
Radish
Black radish with honey or sugar is a well-known and popular cough remedy, probably does not need a special introduction.
Beet
Beetroot broth as a remedy for a runny nose in babies, even pediatricians advised me when my sons were small. On the Internet, you can often find a recommendation to use fresh beet juice for this purpose, but this option is more likely for adults, and it is better for a child to prepare a decoction, it is softer.
Soda
That’s exactly what every housewife has in the kitchen. A teaspoon of soda on a glass of warm water – ready gargle for a sore throat.
The same dose, but diluted in a glass of hot milk — and here we have a cough remedy. A tablespoon of boiling water on a saucepan – and you can do inhalation. Quick and easy.
Vinegar
Vinegar wipes help with high temperatures. Here you can use both natural (more often Apple) and synthetic vinegar.
It is diluted in water and, dipping a soft cloth in the solution, wipe the entire body of the patient or only the hands and feet. The skin should not be wiped after this, let the liquid evaporate.
Garlic
Garlic for any colds is useful just to eat, but not everyone can afford it. Or you can make an inhalation by throwing crushed garlic in a pot of hot water. You can also mix crushed garlic with honey (if the body normally perceives these ingredients), the ratio is 1:1. Take this mixture 1-2 times a day for 1 tablespoon, washed down with boiled water.
Finally, you can simply put crushed garlic on a saucer and put it near the bed — this is an effective means of preventing colds and flu. Just do not forget to regularly change the garlic, because the useful substances quickly evaporate.
Egg
With the help of an ordinary hard-boiled egg wrapped in a cotton cloth or handkerchief, in my childhood, my nose and the area of the maxillary sinuses were warmed up with a strong prolonged cold.
Instead of an egg, my grandmother sometimes heated salt in a frying pan and tied it in a rag bag. The effect is the same.
Folk remedies or pharmacy drugs?
For any colds, I personally always prefer the means of “grandma’s” Arsenal. Their advantage, from my point of view, is that they make the body fight on its own, without doing all the work for it to fight the cold. The immune system needs this kind of training.
Yes, pharmacy drugs act faster, give almost instant relief of symptoms (manufacturers are very fond of emphasizing this fact in advertising such drugs). Folk remedies take time, so those who can’t afford sick leave and prefer to carry a cold on their feet rarely resort to them. Here everyone chooses for themselves.
In no case should my opinion be considered a guide to action and taken as an absolute truth. However, since we are talking about something that has been tested by the experience of generations and always gives results, perhaps some folk remedies for colds should still be adopted.
What remedies do you use to treat colds? What are the popular recipes in the go in your family?
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