The research on using alternative home remedies for colds is mixed.
Alternative medicine are not a substitute for standard care for any health condition, including a cold.
Ask your healthcare provider before using any alternative treatments or natural remedies.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Zinc Lozenges
Zincis an essential mineral that is required by more than 300 enzymes in your body.
Its naturally found in foods such as beef, pork, turkey, lentils, and some fortified cereals.
Those amounts are found in a typical multivitamin.
Zinc lozengescan be purchased at health stores, online, and in drugstores.
They’re often marketed as cold remedies.
The zinc lozenges may work by blocking the cold virus from replicating, which prevents it from spreading.
They might also prevent the cold virus from getting into cells in the nose and throat.
While the research looks promising, many zinc studies are flawed.
Better-quality studies are needed to determine whether zinc really works for colds.
There is also some evidence that people withlower levels of vitamin Dmight be more likely to get colds.
However, more research is needed to determine if vitamin D could help prevent or treat colds.
Astragalus
Astragalusroot has long been used intraditional Chinese medicineto strengthen immunity and prevent colds and flu.
Astragalus is also an antioxidant and has been suggested for conditions such as heart disease.
It’s being investigated as a possible herbal treatment for people with health conditions that weaken their immune systems.
The cold-fighting compound in garlic is thought to beallicin, which has demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Allicin is what gives garlic its distinctive hot flavor.
To maximize the amount of allicin in your garlic, get it fresh and raw.
Then, chop or crush it.
Garlic supplements are also available in pill form.
The people who took garlic lowered their risk of catching a cold by more than half.
The study also found that garlic reduced the recovery time in people who did catch a cold.
However, more research is needed to confirm these results.
Garlic does have some possible side effects and safety concerns.
Bad breath and body odor are the most common ones.
It should be used with caution if you’re taking drugs that lower blood sugar.
Pauling proposed that 1,000 mg ofvitamin Cdaily could reduce the incidence of colds for most people.
Since then, vitamin C has become a popular cold remedy.
Honey
Honeyis a popular home remedy for coughs and colds in many cultures.
The researchers gave 105 children with colds either honey, honey-flavored cough medicine, or no treatment.
According to the authors of the study, honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat.
It is also believed to have antioxidant and antibacterial effects.
Dark-colored honey, such as the buckwheat honey used in the study, is particularly high in antioxidants.
After several days, the dose is usually reduced and continued for the following week.
Echinacea is also an ingredient inAirborne, a popular over-the-counter (OTC) supplement containing vitamins and herbs.
Although the short-term use of echinacea comes off as safe, the safety of long-term use is unknown.
The risk of drug interactions with echinacea is low.
Compounds called polysaccharides and ginsenosides are thought to be the key active parts of ginseng.
American ginseng is likely safe when taken short term.
Doses of 100 to 3000 mg/day have been used safely for up to 12 weeks.
Side effects might include headaches, but it’s usually well-tolerated by generally healthy people.
In Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India) ginger is also used for coughs and colds.
Hot ginger tea is a popular home remedy for cold symptoms and sore throat.
Honey and lemon are sometimes added.
Although normal amounts of ginger in food rarely cause side effects, excessive amounts may cause heartburn and indigestion.
Since then, there has not been much research done on the herb.
Most studies that have been conducted looked at flu viruses or COVID-19, not cold viruses.
Health food stores carry elderberry juice, syrup, and capsules.
Side effects, although rare, may include mild indigestion or allergic reactions.
Use only commercially prepared extracts of elderberry berries.
Fresh leaves, flowers, bark, young buds, unripe berries, and roots contain cyanide.
Ingesting them could cause cyanide poisoning.
Possible side effects of eucalyptus oil in these products include:
Eucalyptus should be taken as directed.
Taking pure eucalyptus oil should be avoided.
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