Coughs and colds are more common during winter months and can be difficult to shake off. Relief of symptoms can be accomplished with foods, herbs, and vitamins.
Start in the Kitchen
According to Dr. Barbara Rennard's study (Chest Journal, 2000), home made chicken soup with vegetables contains anti-viral and anti-inflammatory chemicals that can make people who have viral infections feel better. The soup has to be prepared from fresh chicken and vegetables, however, canned varieties did not show the same effects. Add cayenne pepper to break up congestion.
The broth of potato peeling soup is rich in potassium, which soothes smooth muscle and loosen phlegm. Make potato peeling soup by chopping three unpeeled potatoes, one carrot, one stalk of celery and three cloves of garlic and boiling all in two quarts of water for half an hour. Add powdered slippery elm herb to ease a sore throat (slippery elm is tasteless). Strain out vegetable chunks, salt as desired, and sip a serving of broth twice a day.
Onions contain sulfur and querectin which sooth irritated lungs, and curry powder loosens secretions. Try a salad of antioxidant rich cucumber chunks with onion slices, salt, and curry powder.
Putting ten drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil in a 1/2 quart baking dish of boiling water and inhaling the steam opens breathing passages.
Look in the Garden
Herb teas can be made by adding one ounce of dried leaves to one cup of boiling water; steep for 15 minutes and sweeten with honey or stevia. Fenugreek has an earthy taste that may take some getting used to, but it is great for loosening phlegm. Boneset and slippery elm are both expectorants, making coughs more effective. A simple and effective remedy for cough and sore throat can be made by adding one Tablespoon of slippery elm bark to one cup of boiling water. Steep, strain, and add 1/2 cup of honey. A teaspoon every three to four hours will bring relief.
From the Vitamin Shelf
The vitamin C cure, made famous by physician Linus Pauling, requires one 1,000mg dose of buffered vitamin C with bioflavonoids every hour until bowel tolerance is reached; then subtract 1000 mg from the cumulative dose and administer that amount daily. Bowel tolerance is reached when vitamin C causes runny stools. Since every individual and condition differs, the daily effective dose must be calculated this way. For instance, if it takes 12 hourly doses to produce loose bowel movements, a dose of 11,000 mg a day is needed to break up a cold. The same formula is applied for wound healing. A person may not have the same bowel tolerance to vitamin C for one condition that he does for another, so dose has to be calculated every time.
Pass the Water and Salt
Lastly, one level teaspoon of plain salt in one cup of warm water makes a multi-purpose solution for gargling and irrigating nasal passages. Salt water reduces colony growth of viral and bacterial organisms on mucus membranes. What this means is that gargling, sniffing, or snorting salt water is an effect way to kill germs in the nose and throat. A tiny pitcher called a Neti Pot can be purchased in drug and healthfood stores. The spout of the pitcher is placed against one nostril and with the head tipped forward, saltwater solution is poured through one nostril and out the other, cleaning and removing germs and debris. It is a comfortable procedure once you are used to it and an effective treatment for sinus infection. Regular use of a Neti Pot can prevent cold and flu viruses from taking hold. If no Neti Pot is available, stand over a sink and hold the brim of a cup of salt water solution under the nostrils. Sniff vigorously through both nostrils at the same time. The solution will run down the back of the throat and into the mouth, where it can be spit out. Have a towel handy. Salt water gargles should be done every three to four hours to relieve sore throat pain.
Drink plenty of fluids to liquify secretions and use a cool steam vaporizer, and be patient--time is also a good cough and cold remedy.
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