12 home remedies for cold symptoms

1 onion

Onions work against various microbes. Maybe that’s why it’s still a popular home remedy for the common cold today. For example, onion tea with honey is said to relieve sore throat and cough. To do this, boil finely chopped raw onions in half a liter of water for five minutes. Then strain and allow to cool to drinking temperature. Finally, sweeten with some honey and drink in small sips.

2. marshmallow

Marshmallow’s mucilage stretches like a protective film over the affected areas in the throat and pharynx. This relieves cold symptoms such as sore throat and dry cough. A tea for administration is well suited, but – unlike most teas – it is prepared with cold water.

3. Eucalyptus

The leaves of the eucalyptus tree contain a particularly large amount of the essential oil cineole. It is found in many cough drops as it loosens bronchial mucus and relieves a stubborn cough. It allows the bronchial mucus to liquefy and therefore to be coughed up easily. Ready-to-use drugs from the pharmacy work better than tea, because a lot of essential oils are lost during brewing. It is also used to treat sinus infections.

4. Iceland moss

If the throat mucosa becomes inflamed, the mucilage from Iceland moss can protect the affected areas and thereby relieve irritation. This lichen grows in arctic and alpine regions of the northern hemisphere. Preparations from it are often used to treat irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat or to treat a dry cough. Here, too, mucilage is responsible for the sedative effect.

5. Chamomile

Chamomile is used to treat a variety of different ailments. These include inflammation of the mucous membranes or respiratory tract. For treatment, chamomile flower extract is often used with water, for example as a tea for sore throat or for inhalation for cough or sinus problems. For example, if you have a sore throat, you can drink chamomile tea or gargle with it.

6. Linden flowers

The sweat-stimulating effect of linden flower tea can help with febrile flu infections. Commission E of the former Federal Office of Health, which deals with herbal medicine, also recommended linden flower tea for the common cold with dry, dry cough.

7. Purple Cone Flower

Echinacea preparations have an immunostimulating effect. In addition, several controlled studies have shown good efficacy when press juice obtained from the above-ground parts of Echinacea purpurea is used relatively early in an upper respiratory tract infection. So use it at the onset of colds.

8. Sage

Mouthwashes containing sage leaf extracts are suitable for inflammation in the mouth and throat. The essential oil of sage extract fights pathogenic microbes, and tannins have an astringent effect. They seal the skin and thus promote the healing of inflamed mucosal areas. It inhibits inflammation and thus fights sore throat and difficulty swallowing.

9. Thyme

The essential oil found in thyme leaves has a relaxing and expectorant effect on coughs. Extracts of the thyme plant are used internally for respiratory diseases. They allow the mucus in the bronchial tubes to dissolve well and be coughed up more easily. Thyme also has an antispasmodic effect and therefore relieves cough and whooping cough symptoms.

10. Umckaloabo

Medicines from the South African Cape geranium are called Umckaloabo by the locals and have long been used to treat cough and respiratory ailments such as bronchitis. Clinical studies show that the plant extract has a beneficial effect in acute and chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract and ear, nose and throat region. Studies confirm its effectiveness without fully explaining it.

11. mint

Peppermint leaf essential oil not only smells fresh but also relieves discomfort from inflamed sinuses when inhaled. Headaches can be relieved by applying diluted peppermint oil to the forehead.

12. Spruce and pine

Essential oil from spruce or pine needles can be rubbed or inhaled against bronchial problems or inflamed paranasal sinuses.