The Best Home Remedies for Colds
Nose running, throat scratching, head buzzing? These are typical signs that we’ve caught another cold. But with these home remedies for colds we get the symptoms under control quickly!
Especially when it is wet and cold outside, we quickly catch a cold – our nose is running, we get a cough, our head is pounding. But fortunately we don’t have to walk directly into the full waiting room at the doctor with these complaints – simple home remedies for colds help us to get the infection under control ourselves!
These home remedies for colds really help
First aid against the infection: With these remedies you declare war on the cold!
Calf wrap
Not for nothing one of grandma’s favorite home remedies for colds: Cool compresses on the calves can gently reduce fever. It is best to use linen and cotton cloths. The linen cloth is dipped in lukewarm water and wrapped around the calves. Cover the compress with the cotton cloth so that the water is not lost. Wraps are also suitable as a household remedy for sore throats and as a household remedy for fever!
If you have bronchitis you can also do a chest compress. The principle is similar to that of a calf wrap: First, a cold, damp linen cloth is wrapped around the upper body. Wrap a soft towel around it and snuggle up under a warm woollen blanket.
Chicken soup
A plate of chicken soup for a cold is actually a good tip to reduce the symptoms. The soup contains the protein cysteine, which has an anti-inflammatory and decongestant effect on the mucous membranes. In addition, chicken soup is considered an important supplier of fluids.
Inhalation
A very simple remedy that is good for a blocked nose and sniffles: Pour hot water into a bowl, bend your head over it, spread a towel over yourself and inhale the rising vapours for five to ten minutes. This cleanses the mucous membranes and promotes blood circulation, and sometimes also loosens stuck mucus. Extra tip: one to two drops of thyme oil in the water have antiviral and antibacterial effects. However, an essential oil supplement is not suitable for small children!
Rising footbath
The heater runs on five, you wear three pairs of thick stockings and still feel chilly? This foot bath helps: fill a bucket ankle-high with pleasantly warm water, put your feet in it and slowly pour on hot water. After ten minutes, the water should be around 40 degrees and reach your calves. Dry your feet, put on warm socks and best of all go straight to bed.
Hot lemon
The hot drink increases the feeling of well-being, perhaps it can even help the body a little at the beginning of an infection. Because the acid stimulates the mucous membranes and warms the body from the inside. How much vitamin C the drink still contains when prepared with hot water is questionable, however: the valuable substance is very sensitive to heat. And what vitamin C really does for colds is also unclear. Tip: Also add some peel (from an unsprayed fruit), as this contains essential oils that have an antimicrobial effect.
Onion juice
Onion juice in combination with honey has a double antibacterial effect and can easily be combined to a cough syrup. To do this, cut an onion into small pieces, place it in a glass and pour two spoons of honey over it. The jar is then sealed airtight and stored for several hours in a cool, dark place to steep. The resulting liquid is poured off.
Ventilate well
Although we tend to shiver when we have an infection, this does not mean that we should stay in the stuffy bedroom all day. Because in warm rooms viruses and bacteria multiply rapidly. That’s why we should air the room briefly three to four times a day: open the window for five to ten minutes.
This is not only bad for the annoying pathogens, but also good for our health: dry room air also causes our mucous membranes to dry out, which in turn makes it easier for viruses and bacteria to settle. For the same reason, if we have a cold, we should also go out into the fresh air for a short time every day – without exerting ourselves too much and wrapped up warm, of course.
Silence
Sounds banal, but: Especially those who are more likely to be workaholics have difficulty lying quietly in bed or on the sofa when they have a cold. In this time you could at least vacuum for a short time. But we should refrain from that: Our immune system focuses all its energy on fighting off pathogens. And it can do this best when we allow ourselves to rest. House cleaning can and should therefore really be able to wait a few more days until we feel fit again.