As soon as the temperatures get colder in autumn, a cold is not long in coming. If you are caught, however, you can use all kinds of herbal home remedies to contain the common cold and relieve your symptoms.
“Haaaaaatschi!” – Shit, did you catch a cold? No wonder, cold season is popular in winter – whoever travels daily by bus and train will sooner or later have a runny nose and a scratchy throat. But don’t throw in one tablet after the other, see whether these herbal home remedies can help you with your cold.
Cold or flu?
Colloquially, there is often no distinction between a cold and the flu. But there are important differences. A cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that begins slowly and makes you feel mild to moderately ill.
Flu, on the other hand, caused by influenza A or B viruses, starts suddenly and is accompanied by a strong feeling of illness. The symptoms are similar, but they are much more pronounced in flu. In particular, a high fever and severe body aches are characteristic of the flu. Since both the common cold and the flu are caused by viruses, they can only be treated symptomatically. Various home remedies can help you against a cold. They can help relieve a cough, runny nose, fever, or sore throat.
These 8 home remedies will help against a cold
Important: If you suspect that you might have not just a cold but the flu, you should see your doctor. Because flu can cause serious complications such as pneumonia or myocarditis. This is especially true for immunocompromised people.
In winter 2020, however, a fever, cough and sore throat can also indicate a corona infection. Therefore, it is better to get medical advice. Öko-Test has the typical signs of a corona infection compiled.
1. Make cough syrup yourself – from onions and honey
Onions not only give many dishes a special touch and make our eyes water, they are also a strong companion in the cold season and a classic among home remedies. The onion has an antibacterial effect and you can use it in combination with honey to make an effective cough syrup yourself.
And so it works Onion juice for coughs:
- Peel an onion, cut it into small pieces, put the pieces in a glass or mug and pour two tablespoons of liquid honey over them.
- For the vegan variant or if there is no honey in the house, sugar is also suitable instead of honey.
- Let the whole thing stand for several hours or preferably overnight and then pour off the resulting liquid.
- Your homemade cough syrup is ready and you take it on a spoon several times a day.
“Onion juice – doesn’t that taste totally disgusting?” The taste is actually tolerable and sugar-sweet thanks to honey or sugar. The onion works as a herbal home remedy for coughs, try it out!
2. Potato and onion wraps: like from grandma’s time
Warm wraps are probably one of the oldest home remedies for colds. Potato wraps are good for a sore throat, for example. To do this, boil unpeeled potatoes and place them in a cotton cloth immediately after the cooking process (hot!) And mash them a little. Then wrap the cloth with a towel and place it around your neck for about half an hour. But be careful: Test carefully whether the compress is not too hot, otherwise you can burn yourself.
Our old friend, the onion, not only helps with cough syrup, but also with Earache. The vapors from the onion stimulate blood circulation and reduce germs. For the wrap, chop up an onion and place the small pieces in a cotton cloth or an old sock. Place the onion bag on the sore ear and fix it with your hand or a headband. Let the home remedy sit there for about 20 minutes.
You can also make an onion tea from the onion and its skin. Read more about the amazing uses of onion peel here.
3. A home remedy for a cold: Cold bath with eucalyptus
Especially at the beginning of a cold, you can fight the symptoms effectively with a full bath. The warmth of the water promotes blood flow to your mucous membranes and thus the virus replication is somewhat stopped.
The cold bath relieves your symptoms and the appropriate bath additives with eucalyptus allow you to breathe easier. Important: Treat yourself to rest after a full bath – it is best to go into the bath before going to sleep. Even if you’ve had a cold for a long time, a hot and relaxing full bath is worthwhile as a home remedy. If you have a fever, however, you shouldn’t bathe. In addition, you use a lot of water in a full bath, so you should rather shower more often than bathe. We have more water-saving tips: Saving hot water: 5 tips that you can easily implement
4. Tea: ginger, sage, thyme and ribwort
Tea – and a lot of it – is simply part of the cold season. With tea you can vary wonderfully, because there are many herbal remedies that you can brew into healing tea.
ginger should be one of the classics in the cold season – it is not for nothing one of the healing spices of Indian Ayurveda. The home remedy ginger not only stimulates digestion, but also stimulates blood circulation and inhibits the multiplication of viruses – perfect for all cold noses. Everyone who has drunk ginger tea knows the sweat-inducing effect – this tea warms you up properly!
And that’s how easy it is to make your own ginger tea: Grab a ginger bulb, cut off a piece the size of your thumb, peel it and cut it into small pieces. When peeling, make sure to remove the peel as thinly as possible. Much of the active substances that sit directly under the shell are thus retained. You can also just leave the peel on, but make sure to buy the ginger in organic quality and wash the tuber before preparation.
The smaller the pieces, the more intense the tea taste later on. If you like it particularly intense, you can puree the ginger with the hand blender to make ginger pulp. Put the pieces or the mush in a large cup and pour boiling water over it. Let the ginger tea steep and add a little honey and lemon if necessary.
Another good supporter in the cold season is sagethat grows in many home gardens. The home remedy sage has an antiperspirant effect, unlike ginger. It is also antiseptic, antispasmodic and is effective against viruses and fungi. Drink it as a sage tea – fresh leaves are available at the weekly market – or gargle with sage water.
Further information:
- Plant and care for sage – in the garden or in a pot
- Harvesting sage properly and drying it – you should pay attention to this
- Sage oil: effects and uses of the essential oil
thyme do you only know it as a spice from the hearty kitchen? Use thyme as a home remedy for coughs – thyme cough syrup has a bronchodilator, antitussive and antibacterial effect. You can also use thyme oil as a mouthwash for a sore throat.
Our tea quartet complements Ribwort plantainwhich is not only effective against mosquito bites, but also helps with cough, bronchitis and asthma. The home remedy ribwort stimulates the immune system and has an antibacterial effect; it also has a positive effect on the structure of the mucous membrane. Pour the ribwort leaves into tea or boil them into a syrup. We have explained other herbs for you: Wild herbs that you can collect in autumn.
You can add honey to each tea. But don’t add it until the tea has cooled down a bit. Honey loses its healing properties when the temperature is too high. You can also eat it straight from a spoon as a natural remedy and let it slowly dissolve in your mouth.
5. Proven home remedy for colds: salt water
Table salt is a small miracle cure for colds with a blocked nose – there is a reason why nasal sprays with salt are available in many places. However, you can make nasal drops and nasal rinses cheaper yourself. To do this, dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water. For orientation: about one gram of table salt should be dissolved in 100 ml of water. Then transfer your homemade saline solution to a spray bottle.
Salt water is also suitable for inhalation. To do this, dissolve the same concentration of salt in a bowl of hot water, grab a towel, place it over your head and carefully inhale over the steaming bowl. Cover your head and the opening of the bowl with the towel. This way the healing vapors reach your mucous membranes better.
Caution: At the beginning the vapors are still very hot, so keep a greater distance from the bowl at the beginning. Don’t forget to have tissues ready, your nose will run properly from inhaling.
6. Garlic Home Remedies – Stink for the Cure
If you want to be healthy, you have to suffer – that’s what garlic says in this case. It works as a herbal remedy against bacteria and fungi. The anti-inflammatory ingredients of garlic get best into the body raw, for example in salad or, for the very brave, in small bites nibbled off the toe. Raw garlic whistles through your sinuses more strongly than wasabi, but the free breathing afterwards lets you forget any pain.
Garlic soup, bruschetta with garlic or garlic in a salad – if you want to prevent colds in autumn and winter, you should eat (fresh) garlic regularly. Only the close contact with your fellow human beings could unfortunately include – but actually you don’t want to infect the others anyway, do you?
We wish you a speedy recovery and a quick overcoming of the cold. To prevent this, reach for these ten foods that will protect you from a cold.
Read more on Techzle.com: 
- Vegan honey: the best plant-based honey alternatives
- Turmeric (curcumin), the Indian spice with medicinal properties
- Strengthen the immune system: 10 natural tips for better defenses
- German version available: Natural Home Remedies against Colds: Sweet Edition
- German version available: Natural Home Remedies against Colds: Stinky Edition