Common Cold Home Remedies

The common cold is a viral infection of your upper respiratory tract — your nose and throat. A common cold is usually harmless, although it may not feel that way. If it’s not a runny nose, sore throat and cough, it’s watery eyes, sneezing and congestion — or maybe all of the above. Most adults likely experience a cold two to four times a year. Children, especially preschoolers, may get a cold as many as six to 10 times annually.

Don’t waste your money

Over-the-counter cold preparation won’t cure a common cold or make it go away any sooner. Here’s what’s known about common cold remedies:

• Pain relievers. Products such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) may relieve fever, sore throat and headache. Overuse of these products can cause side effect. Be careful when giving acetaminophen to children because the dosing guidelines can be confusing. For instance, the infant-drop formulation is much more concentrated than is the syrup commonly used in other children. Don’t give aspirin to children. It has been associated with Reye’s syndrome — a rare but potentially fatal illness.
• Decongestant nasal sprays. Adults shouldn’t use decongestant drops or sprays for more than three days because prolonged use can cause chronic inflammation of the mucous membranes. And children shouldn’t use decongestant drops or sprays at all. There’s little evidence that they work in your children, and many cause side effects.
• Cough syrups. The American College of Chest Physicians strongly discourages the use of cough syrups because they don’t effectively treat the underlying cause of cough due to colds. Some syrups contain ingredients that may alleviate coughing, but the amounts are too small to do much good and may actually be harmful for children. The college recommends against using over-the-counter cough syrups or cold medicines for anyone younger than age 14. The Food and Drug Administration strongly recommends against giving nonprescription cough and cold medicines to children younger than age 2.

You may not cure the common cold but you can make yourself more comfortable with these tips:

Drink lots of fluids

Water, juice, and tea are all good choices. They help replace fluids lost during mucus production or fever. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can cause dehydration, and cigarette smoke, which can aggravate your symptoms.

Try chicken soup

Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children, and scientists have found that it does seem to help relieve symptoms in two ways. First, it has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce mucus production in your respiratory tract. Second, in temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, helping relieve congestion and limiting the time that viruses are in contact with the nasal lining.

Get some rest

If possible, stay home from work if you have a fever or bad cough, or are drowsy from medications. Rest is important to speeding recovery.

Adjust your room's humidity

If the air is dry, a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and help ease sinus congestion and coughing. Be sure to keep the humidifier clean and regularly change the filter to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.

Soothe your throat

Gargling with warm salt water several times a day or drinking warm lemon water mixed with honey may help soothe your sore throat and relieve the coughing spells.

Use saline nasal drops

Saline drops are effective, safe and non-irritating -- even for children -- for the relief of nasal congestion. The drops can be purchased over-the-counter in most drugstores. To use in babies, put several drops into a nostril, then immediately bulb suction that nostril.

Try andrographis

There is some evidence this Indian herb can reduce the severity and duration of upper respiratory infections. It may also reduce your risk of getting a cold. The herb seems safe when used short-term.

Try echinacea

While no studies have shown that this herb can prevent a cold, there is some evidence that it can modestly relieve cold symptoms or shorten the duration of a cold. Echinacea seems most effective when taken soon after cold symptoms aappear.

Get your vitamin C

Despite popular believe, there's no evidence that taking large doses of vitamin C reduces your risk of a cold. However, there's evidence that high doses of vitamin C -- up to 6 grams a day -- may have a small effect in reducing the duration of cold symptoms.

Consider zinc

There's some proof that zinc lozenges taken at the beginning of a cold may help reduce symptoms. The claim that zinc nasal sprays are helpful is controversial. In general, the use of these sprays is discouraged because many people have experienced permanent loss of smell following use. Most people recover from a common cold in about a week or two. If symptoms don't improve, see your doctor.