JEAN'S FAMOUS TOMATO TEA
Jean, from Wisconsin sent us this remedy on May 30, 2003. After drinking this recipe hot, writes Jean, "Your sinus congestion will disappear REAL fast. All these ingredients not only work on the immediate symptoms, but add plenty of vitamin C to fight a cold, and garlic to fight infection.

Recipe: Add 1 cup tomato juice, 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic, 1/2 tsp of hot sauce, 1 tsp lemon juice, and a pinch or two of celery salt for flavor. Heat ingredients and drink hot."

EC: Read the considerable reader feedback (130 plus emails) on Tomato Tea here, including Jean's updated remedy!

TED'S REMEDIES

Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "If I am sick, I take a small pinch of sodium perborate (borax) and H202 concentration of 0.5% in a half glass of water. I also mix 1 cup of 3% H2O2 and mix with about 2 gallons of water to take bath with it. I also mix 1% H2O2 as a mouthwash until all fizz disappears. The reason why our colds don't go away easily is the virus overload and lack of oxygen in cellular level. Viruses are so common here, that I have to develop my own method to get rid of them. This regime has cleared my skin and I actually look younger by at least 5-10 years. Something has to do with oxidizing toxins by H2O2.

Again I am not recommend anyone try this out of legal problems. This is how I treat myself and my average length of a colds lasts between 1/2-1 days. Without treatment, my colds would last an average of 14 days (including the coughs). The longest I have the cold using the new regiment is about 2 days (which by my standards is very unusual). And the reason why it lasted so long was that I treated my colds on the second day!

I use this whenever I have a cold and works a lot better than putting 3% H2O2 in the ears! You see, oxygen is also absorbed through the skins when you take bath with it."

Additional remedies: For viruses: Try unsweetened green tea. Or make your own herbal fresh chinese parsley tea. FRESH Chinese parsley tea will chelate a lot of toxic metals. You can do this by using a blender and put a bunch of chinese parsley mixed with water. I prefer FRESH as opposed to DRIED.

Above all else if you have a virus, the three things that are most important are: sodium bicarbonate (to alkalinize your blood - 2 teaspoon/day while you are sick), N Acetyl Cysteine (Flumucil, Mysolven, etc.) and Zinc (chelated zinc or zinc acetate).

P.S. Killing viruses along a respiratory tract is a difficult one. But to use vinegar as a humidifier and breathing in will kill them on contact. The idea is to prevent viruses from reaching the blood which will cause fever. I have never have a fever from viruses even if IT IS THE FLU!!!! There are several ways I deal with it which is to take between 1-3 cc of 3% H2O2 (food grade) diluted with 1/2 glass of water taken at 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 1 hour, 1.5 hour apart. This dose should be more than enough to kill them. Actually, by the 3rd or 4th dose they are completely dead in the blood anyway. However, reinfection is a real issue as they still stay in the respiratory tract. So you have to figure out the rest of the dose, perhaps at a much lesser dose spaced only 1.5 hours apart. Most people will not take this high dosage as me, but I am assuming I am having the bird flu so the dose will be larger.

Aspirin have a very strong antiviral properties especially when you add the caffeine together, many countless lives are actually saved with this. I am not telling you how to treat yourself, because that would be illegal. I am telling you how I would treat myself.

Another simple add on I take before I have a flu coming is to alkalize myself with a 1 teaspoon of citric acid plus 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Zinc acetate helps, but it just reduces the fever and tiredness. So take that too.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

[YEA]  06/10/2009: Justin from Kirksville, MO United States writes: "This apple acv cure is an excellent cure indeed. My uncle taught me the worst tasting remedy I've ever heard of, but it'd cure colds in no less than 3 days. My mom used to give it to me, and I had to plug my nose in order to even drink the stuff down, but it was amazing. What to do is, you throw an entire clove of garlic (not just a small piece, but the whole clove, peeled of course) into a 1 quart jar (one whole clove of garlic per quart), or even a 2 quart would work. Fill the jar the rest of the way with ACV, and then, you put the lid on the jar, and let it sit on the counter overnight to start the fermentation process. We would sometimes let it ferment for two days, but no more than that usually to keep bacteria from growing. After that, you can store it for a very long time in the refrigerator to use when needed, leaving the cloves of garlic in it. Then, when a cold would strike, we'd put about 4oz of the liquid into a coffee cup, and then microwave it for about 30 seconds (to warm it up a little, but not make it too hot), then to get rid of the acidity and horrible taste of ACV, put 2 tablespoons of honey, and then about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (all of which you can get at a grocery store). Vuala. We call it "Natures Pennicilin" because it has just enough bacteria from the mother of vinegar, plus it pulls the antioxidants from the garlic, and honey helps it spread through the body quicker as it's good for you, and the tablespoon full of lemon juice is enough to flavor it almost to a tea-like state, as well as an excellent source of ascorbic acid (vit c). I had a cold and tried the onion thing recently... and was still sick for a week. Tried the ACV cure on a wart, and it worked overnight... Amazing how ACV can work for the entire body. :)"

[YEA]  02/12/2009: Ellen from Ft. Stewart, Georgia writes: "I normally take vitamin c,e,& cod liver oil. My immune system is pretty strong. Rarely get colds or flu, but for the last 3 days I've contacted A bad cold. Terribly congested, and nose running constantly, it's worse during the day than at night. Didn't want to take antibiotics so came to your site (love it) and read the remedies for colds. I already know some of the health effects of acv, but didn't know it helped with colds, I took 2tbl spoons in warm water /w honey. OMG with in 30 minutes I was amazed, I was really congested and couldn't breath thru one nostril after I took it, my sinus cleared right up and my voice returned from that nasal sound to normal. I had taken a lot of OTC medicines and nothing worked, but acv is wonderful. I will be taking this regularly in the future. Thanks for posting the remedies Ellen"

I've had a terrible head cold/sinus infection, just on my right side... have had it nearly 2 weeks. I've tried OTC things like Benadryl and Tylenol, with no relief. Maybe it's the German in me, but I LOVED the taste of the ACV!! (I drank it straight from the bottle)
I also tried the warm water/salt nasal and sinus rinse this afternoon, and between that and the ACV, my nose is CLEAR!!"

Just to play it safe, I'm going to continue with the ACV and the sea salt water treatment for another couple days."

[YEA]  12/12/2008: Angela from Edna, Tx writes: "i had a really bad cold that turned into a sinus infection i had a lot of pressure in my eyes nose and even teeth area it was like a rock nothing really going out. when i would lay down it would throb even more. i was desperate to stop this pain...and i couldnt afford the doctor right now. Well i found this sight and tried the ACV and it seems to be working for me. i got a mug full of water and heated it in the microwave for 2 min. then i put a cap full of ACV and a splash of lemon juice and some sugar. While it was steaming i breathed in the vapors then when it was ready to drink, down the hatch it went. I seemed to feel relief right away...and that night my nose just kept running and running which is exactly what i needed. i put a vaporizer on and some vapor patches on my shirt i am feeling about 30 percent better and i know it has to do with the ACV...highly recommended"

[YEA]  09/21/2008: JB from Brisbane, Australia writes: "I usually catch every cold and virus that's going around. This winter I started taking ACV in hot water with honey once a day. I haven't been sick! Even if I start to feel a bit strange, I'm back to normal the morning after taking ACV. My partner rarely gets sick but even he has been down a couple of times this winter. I still haven't caught anything. It's a miracle!"

[YEA]  01/06/2008: Jennifer from Rockford, Illinois writes: "I am very predisposed to having cold, sinusitis, bronchitis, and up til now, I have taken probably 1/2 dozen different antibiotics, nasal and oral inhalers, and decongestants. Taking so much at once tended to make me feel worse, and the inhalers ultimately irritated my sinuses. I finally tried a couple different acv recipes to relieve my cough and sore throat. I have not taken one prescription since, and I'm having trouble less often. As soon as I feel a tickle in my throat, I reach straight for the acv. My preferred recipe is 3 parts acv, 3 parts lemon juice, and 2 parts honey with a shot or so of hot water to help dissolve the honey. I've read that organic would be better, but I've just used the standard grocery store stuff, and it's still been nothing short of miraculous. The taste is honestly not as bad as any cough syrup or decongestant I've ever taken, and it's easily twice as effective. The tickle in my chest that precedes a serious coughing fit is STOPPED ALTOGETHER before I even finish drinking this. I am still sort of stunned at how effective this is. Last night I didn't get a chance to mix up a little thermos to bring to work with me, and I regretted it this morning. The congestion in my chest had built up during the evening and overnight, and this morning the cough had settled in a bit. I've been taking a dose every couple of hours, or whenever that tickle comes back, and I've already gotten a lot of congestion out of my chest and sinuses, and my ears have cleared out and everything. This is the most phenomenal and fastest-working remedy I've ever used. I've been spreading the word to my friends and family since. I'll never take decongestants again! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

[YEA]  12/23/2006: Jenny from Las Vegas, NV writes: "I'VE BEEN SICK WITH A REALLY BAD COLD NOW FOR 4 DAYS. I DEVELOPED REALLY BAD NASAL CONGESTION AND WAS HAVING A LOT OF TROUBLE BREATHING AND SWALLOWING BECAUSE OF ALL THE MUCOUS. I TEND TO GET A LITTLE FREAKED OUT ABOUT THINGS SO I FREAKED OUT!! I CAME ONLINE TO TRY TO FIND A HOME REMEDY THAT I CAN USE AND I READ ABOUT THE WONDERS OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR SO I LITERALLY RAN ACROSS THE STREET AND BOUGHT MYSELF A BOTTLE OF HEINZ APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND TRIED A COUPLE OF TBL SPOONS OF THE VINEGAR W/WATER AND IT CLEARED IT RIGHT AWAY. I'M GLAD I FOUND THIS BECAUSE I'M 1 MONTH PREGNANT AND I DIDN'T WANNA TAKE ANY MEDICATIONS. I HAVE A QUESTION THOUGH, I'M NOT A DOCTOR SO I DON'T ACTUALY KNOW IF THIS WOUD BE BAD FOR MY BABY. WOULD IT?"

[YEA]  12/12/2006: Anonymous writes: "one tlbs of acv in the morning for a week cures a chest cold. Every one around had bad colds and I tell them take acv it works, a lot come back and report they feel better in a couple of hours."

[YEA]  12/05/2006: Donna from Corona, CA writes: "My 9 yr old daughter was sick and out of school for a whole week. I was giving her cough medicine, cough drops etc...it wasn't working so I took her to the DR. and they gave her some stronger cough medicine and antibiotic's. It wasn't working neither. It got a little better after giving her the entire bottle, but it wasn't completely gone. After sending her back to school for two days, we had a wind storm and it got really cold so she got back sick at school playing outside in the cold. The bad cough and cold came back so this time I went and got $25.00 worth of over the counter cold medicine and a vapor risor, multi-vitamins with extra C etc.. She was still coughing non stop after all this medication and I decided to go online and see what kind of home remedy I could find. God as my witness, it was like a miracle when I gave my 9 yr old the vinegar (2 tble spoon Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar) and water mixture she stopped coughing after about 30 minutes. She was coughing so bad I felt helpless and didn't know what else I could do. After only1 dosage the cough stopped for about 4 hours after that it started back a little and I gave her some more and she's been fine and back to school without any problems. Thank you for a very valuable site! It's amazing I have another story about my son who later that evening got food poisoning from McDonalds and I came to the site for more advice. I gave him 2 tble spoon of vinegar and he's 11 year old. He was fine after that and went to sleep without throwing up or being up all night. The next morning he ate breakfast without any problem. Before when he had food poison it was a night mare I'll never forget. I was up with him all night and he was constantly throwing up. I wish I had of found this when my first child which is 19 yrs old now was born."

[YEA]  04/09/2006: Rob from Justice, IL writes: "I HAD A SEVERE CHEST COLD, SORE THROAT, AND HEAD COLD ALL AT ONCE...I CAME ACCROSS THIS SITE AND READ ABOUT THE REMEDY DRINK. I BOUGHT THE INGREDIENTS ON A WED. NIGHT, GARGLED WITH CAYENNE PEPPER AND MADE THE APPLE CIDER DRINK AS PER INSTRUCTIONS. WHEN I STARTED I COULDN'T EVEN TAKE A DEEP BREATH WITHOUT COUGHING, IT IS NOW FRIDAY MORNING AND I FEEL GREAT!!!! MY CHEST IS 95% CLEAR AND I AM BREATHING FINE!!!! I HAVE BEEN ON PROBABLY 25-30 ANTIBIOTICS IN THE LAST 5-7 YRS FOR SINUS INFECTIONS, EAR INFECTIONS, AND VIRAL INFECTIONS... I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW GLAD I AM TO HAVE WANDERED UPON THIS SITE!!! I AM ALSO REFERRING THIS SITE TO ALL OF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS....THANKS."

[YEA]  02/07/2006: Donald from Sydney, Australia writes: "I am forever getting colds/sinus all year round, and each time they come around, I am usually out of action for a week. I told my chinese friend at work, who giggled, and said that he never gets a cold, or never gets sick for that matter, Anyhow, I asked him, does he take anything, which he informed me that for years he has been taking 1 teaspoon of double strength, unfiltered, ACD (with the mother), in a class of water, with a tea/s of Honey, and also a daily serving of spirulina, and this is why. I have been trying this for a few months now, and so far so good, no colds. It pays to listen to the wise chinese..."

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR , CAYENNE, PEROXIDE AND BORAX

[YEA]  11/22/2007: Kristy from Lansing, Michigan writes: "Two of my kids have 'tried' to come down with colds during the last two weeks. When my son's hit, he was coughing so hard he was nearly vomiting. My daughter woke up coughing, a very sore throat and her voice was almost gone. Usually I have them do the inhaling of peroxide a few times a day and give them at least 1/4 cup of organic vinegar with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a little cinnamon and water each day. This time I added Borax water (1/8 teaspoon to 1 liter of water) to the mix-and their colds were gone in less than 12 hours. No one was more stunned than I was that it worked so fast! But I shouldn't have been surprised. I have had painful joints from fibromyalgia for years, but sometimes the pain in my right shoulder is almost unbearable (I'm right-handed). The last flare had been going on about 2 months and I was getting very little sleep, which was what spurred my finally giving in and trying the Borax. Within three days the severe pain was gone and I was back to just the normal pain! Now I just need to make myself drink it EVERY day and maybe all the pain will go away.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, H202 IN EARS

BAKING SODA AND ZINC

BATHING IN WHITE VINEGAR

BLACK ELDERBERRY SYRUP

BLACK TEA WITH LEMON

[YEA]  Michelle from Chicago writes: "This has been a cure my mother has been touting for years and she has given us from the time we were kids. I give it to my kids, but I have to admit there are times I lapse out of my "healthy" habits and depend too much on medications, etc.

Recently I caught a very bad head and chest cold. Since I am pregnant, I prefer not to take OTC medications, so I began taking tea and lemon. Immediately I could breathe and felt better. However, after a day or two, I stopped when I shouldn't have, since apparently I was not completely cured. Not only did the cold get worse, but turned into a nasty sinus infection. I suffered miserably for over a week. Then I remember the tea. After drinking one cup, immediately my mucus became thinner and the pressure eased up. I am hopeful to be fully cured in a few more days!

CAROL'S HOT AND SPICY DRINK

[YEA]  04/14/2006: Petran from Toronto writes: "Thanks for this remedy I tried it on my two daughters and i can tell you it truly worked. About 5 min. after they drank it both of them started to vomit. It releases the mucus that's was on their chest hence the vomiting. Now they are both coughing less and more active. Thumbs up Carrol, it worked wonders!!! ....Thanks again!"

Mix in a little warmed water to liquefy, drink, and then rinse the teeth thoroughly. After the initial rush, you can drink warm tea, or water to settle the stomach. Most have an immediate reaction where they get their voice back and clear out the mucus in their nose and throat. Try it, all the kids do, and now even their moms drink it and swear by it! One mom even works at the medical clinic and uses my cure instead of the doctor's one."

[YEA]  Glen from Round Rock Texas writes: "I have been sick for three days and just tried the Apple Cider Vinegar & Lemon Drink and within 5 mins my nose and congestion has started to break up. Thanks for the tip."