Colds
Natural Remedies

10 Cold and Flu Home Remedies

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Theresa (Auburn, Indiana ) on 01/02/2009
★★★★★

Hydrogen Peroxide kept me from getting the cold/flu I felt coming on. The first time I tried using Hydrogen Peroxide in my both of my ears was when I was visiting my sister in Illinois, about 5 years ago. I had just arrived from the 5 hour drive and could feel that I was getting a cold or flu. My sister suggested placing a few (6 to 7) drops of hydrogen peroxide in my ear, letting it fizz, then let it drain and repeat the process in the other ear. I went to bed that evening after using the hydrogen peroxide and woke up feeling great! I never did get that cold... I've repeated this process each time I felt as though I was coming down with the cold or flu. It has worked 90% of the time. The key is to catch it early! The longer you wait to use the hydrogen peroxide once you have the first symptoms, the less likely it will work. I've shared this with others, but most are hesitant to try it. I haven't had any bad experiences with this method.

Hydrogen Peroxide Sniffing Method!
Posted by Grant (Lafayette, Colorado) on 04/21/2007
★★★★★

I have been using the following method to treat all colds for the past 15 years, and since first trying it, use nothing else to treat colds. I use the cap from the peroxide bottle and put 1/4 cap of peroxide the rest of the cap is filled with water dripped from the faucet. I put a finger over one nostril and sniff the mixture up the other nostril. I repeat this with the other nostril. One cap full (1/4 peroxide 3/4 water) usually will treat both nostrils. When the solution drain down the nostril passage to the throat I spit it out and blow my nose. Guess what? Instant relief then and there not ten minutes later but then and there. When you blow your nose you will be amazed at what come out. This is especially great for head colds,but also sore throat and stops coughing colds as well. I usually only have to do this twice at about 8 hour intervals. After that or by the next morning were talking, what cold? I have not tried using the inhaling through the mouth method since I have discovered that the cold always appears to be in the nostril passage. Even the sore throat symptom is in the nasal passage between the nose and throat and you will feel where it is when the mixture drains down the nostril passage. If you find that a 1/4 peroxide to 3/4 water too strong, i.e., stings too much, use slightly less peroxide and more water. I sniff rather than spray the mixture as I found that spraying does not atomize and coat the entire nostril passage as well as when the mixture is sniffed. Try it and you will also be amazed.

Vitamin C
Posted by Raeofsun13 (Colorado) on 12/25/2018
★★★★★

For colds, this cure has to be done at the first feeling you have a cold. Dose 2500mg every 30-40 minutes until the symptoms subside or you hit bowel tolerance. Bowel tolerance is defined as loose stools or gas. I have done this numerous times and have dosed as high as 30,000 mg in a day before hitting tolerance. The next day, I feel fine. I have been taking Vitamin C for years: 10,000 - 15,000 mg a day is my typical dose. Each person is different and has different needs, our bodies do not produce Vitamin C. During times of stress our body needs more age well. Haven't had a cold in years since I started on Vitamin C daily.

Here are some articles...

Robert F. Cathcart, III, MD - google Vitamin C Protocol

Linus Pauling - google Vitamin C

Frederick R. Klenner, M.D - google Vitamin C

Amazing book by Irwin Stone can be found on this site - https://vitamincfoundation.org/stone/

http://www.doctoryourself.com/vitaminc.html

http://www.doctoryourself.com/klenner_table.html

http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v02n01.shtml

http://www.orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v14n12.shtml

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne
Posted by Danaran (Naples, Fl) on 04/29/2018
★★★★★

1 Mug boiled water

1-2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV w/ "The Mother")

1-2 Tablespoons of raw honey

1/4- 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

Amount of each ingredient should equal tolerance to the strength of the tea. I don't mind spice but you can start with mild strength. ( EX: 1 tablespoon each of ACV and raw honey and 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper)

Drink as hot as you can. Repeat 2-3 times daily. This removed all the phlegm in sinuses and throat and had me feeling better in a few hours.

I felt better within 24 hours. Hope this helps!!


Fasting
Posted by Randy (Jersey City, Nj, Usa) on 02/15/2011

I respectfully disagree, organicmama. I've had great results fasting for 1-4 days on various occasions. specific to colds and flus, I occasionally lose my appetite at the beginning, and that is the cue for me to take a short fast. shortens the duration of the illness. unless there is malnutrition involved, the body has plenty of energy stores. a short fast clears out toxins and sets the body to 'reset'. additionally, nothing helps my ibs problem more.


Garlic
Posted by Diane (San Jose, Ca) on 11/09/2009
★★★★★

Eating raw garlic shortened my cold to about 2-3 days. On a Thursday morning, I woke up with an awful sore throat and congestion. By Friday evening it had become a full blown cold, so I went to this site to look for remedies. I decided to try the raw garlic by mincing up 3 cloves and eating it in a tortilla with cream cheese. This was just my way of making it palatable to eat. The only side effect was garlic breath, so you might want to eat it at night. By the next morning my sore throat was better and my congestion was minimal. That evening I was able to go out and felt almost better. My cold ended up lasting from Thursday morning until midday Saturday, which is about 2 1/2 days. Usually I have symptoms for up to a week, so this was amazing. I also advise taking lots of vitamin C. The best part is I did not even need cold medicine at all! Very natural and inexpensive.


Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Anne (Chicago, Il) on 09/24/2009
★★★★★

H2O2 in ear for colds: I get sick almost every month, usually with a bad cold during, or right after, my period. I tried H2O2 in my ears right when I was getting that familiar tingle in the back of my throat and tired feeling I always get before a cold. I used about a half a capful of 3% hydrogen peroxide poured into my ears, one at a time, lying on my side and let it sit and fizz for about 10 minutes each before dumping it out. The itchy feeling started disappearing right away and the next day I wasn't sick as I was sure I would be. I normally get sick for a good week or two when I do, so I was really glad it worked!


Garlic
Posted by Susan (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico) on 08/04/2008
★★★★★

This is going to sound hideous... and it is, but it does the trick.

When ever I have a cold I have a number of remedies I use.

In Scotland we have a thing called a hot toddy which is basically whiskey, cloves, honey and lemon made into a tea.

However, my other remedy (and this is the disgusting one) I have used and it works... is blend some garlic cloves and water into a blender. Then gulp down some of the brew at night. I normally just try to drink the whole thing. I don't really bother with measurements, Just play about till you find something that works for you. It's the garlic your eating, the water just helps it go own. Plus it's broken up and therefore absorbed into the body quicker and easier.

I also do the same as a mosquito repellent. Blend the garlic and water together and pour through a siv. The pulp I place in plant pots on my pation and the water garlic solution I place in a squeezy bottle and go around spraying my windows and door frames. All blood eating creatures hate garlic.

You can also use Listerine which surprisingly mosqutios hate for some reason. I use a combination of the two.


Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Kiti (San Diego, CA) on 12/29/2008

I did that one day and i had a violent dizzy spell it scared me so much but mainly it's the temperature of the peroxide. If you put anything in your ear that is room temperature it is still colder than the temperature in your ear so it causes the dizzy spell you need to warm up the bottle in warm-hot water filled sink before doing that.


Onion
Posted by Gabriela (Pahoa, USA) on 02/01/2008
★★★★★

When I had a cold or the flu in the past, my body could never get rid of it. I always got bronchitis and always had to take anti-biotics to finally stop it all. One day I said to myself with TOTAL determination: I will not allow to get a cold again, because my body can't fight it. Since then I have had only one cold (in 10 years). That one I cured with the juice of one large organic onion per day(made in the Champion juicer) and mixed with fresh orange juice. I had to drink this for 2 days only and was fine again. I regard onion juice as a natural anti-biotic.


Hydrogen Peroxide in the Ears
Posted by Kalki (Kerala, India) on 07/08/2011
★★★★★

I had put hydrogen peroxide in my daughter's ears for mild earache and at the end of 10 mts of fizzing in each ear, she could hear better and the ache was gone. Usually we have to go to the clinic to get them cleaned.

The bonus is that I did it too too and it cleared up my cold. (The first drop you put it in is a bit of a shock and the unfamilair tickly feeling when it fizzes takes a bit of getting used to. ) I had a stuffed nose and itchy throat which normally leads to a chest infection. I had mucus (greenish in the beginning and then clear later) coming down into my mouth from the nose area for three days afterwards. It was a totally new experience for me, feeling the back of my nose from the inside (I can't explain it better! ) and I was wondering what was happening. It was only after my daughter told me that H2O2 is used to cure colds also that it clicked.

So here's a fan of hydrogen peroxide - for earaches, wax and colds.


Vitamin C
Posted by Susan (San Francisco) on 03/01/2020
★★★★★

I woke up with the beginnings of a cold Friday morning. I generally take 1,000 mg of Vitamin C every hour every day. I started taking it (1,000 mg) every half hour and from the hours of 1:30pm – 4:00pm I took it every 15 minutes. I went back to every 1/2 hour after I started getting gassy. I did the same thing on Saturday. Today is Sunday and I'm back to my usual schedule of 1,000 mg every hour and I don't have a cold anymore. The Ascorbic Acid got rid of it FAST. FYI – I'm a 65 year old female and I've never had the flu. I've always gotten colds (bad ones). This is the first cold I've had where I hardly felt like I had one.


Mama's Thai Pumpkin Soup
Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 11/19/2017
★★★★★

Okay - I have another recipe for colds and immune support. I am so excited when I find a way to get goodies like fresh ginger and garlic into recipes that actually taste amazing. My husband and I LOVED this one. I think I will be making it often this fall. And it is super simple!

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Blend:

  • 1 14 ounce can pumpkin
  • 1 14 ounce can coconut milk
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
  • ¾ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tablespoon fresh ginger root

Blend in vitamix (or regular blender if you don't have one).
Heat on stove until hot. Or put in a crock pot on low for 2 hours.

~Mama to Many~


Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne
Posted by Mememe (USA) on 06/03/2012

Glad you are feeling better. Just want to point out that if it took you another 7 days to feel better... It might just have been whatever it was running its course. It would be kind of hard to say it was the prescriptions if it took that long to go away I would think. (mo) Just a thought.


Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne
Posted by Julia (Gaithersburg, Maryland) on 11/18/2011
★★★★★

Someone posted on here a wonderful recipe which I tried, with a few modifications, and I just wanted to let you all know what I tried, because it was amazing. I have been fighting off a bug for a couple of weeks now (aches, sore throat, feeling run-down, a little sneezy) but it hadn't quite turned into something full-blown.

I made the following mixture: 1 tsp ACV, 1 tsp honey, 1/2 tsp powdered cayenne, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 2 tsp water. Then sip it slowly (tiny sips). It is somewhat thick and will coat the back of your throat. It tastes surprisingly good, soothed my sore throat instantly, and started to clear up my sinuses and the "lump" in the back of my throat which was developing. I have taken this mixture a couple times a day for the past two days and I'm feeling much better.


Turmeric
Posted by Velvetnap (NY) on 10/23/2010
★★★★★

I just got over the worst cold/flu that I've had in years: think gallons of snot, sore throat, cough, fever/chills. Turmeric saved the day. I tried the tomato juice remedy and it definitely took the edge off, but I didn't really consistently get better until I added turmeric to the recipe.

Basically, my recipe is (makes enough for 1 day):
2 small or 1 large clove of smashed fresh garlic
1 rounded teaspoon of ground turmeric (organic works better, I tried),
As much cayenne as you can handle without burning yourself. You want it to really heat you up but not burn your stomach.
2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Simmer those ingredients on the stove in as much water as you would like cups of the brew. 2 or 3 works well. Then sip, gargle and steam your face with the hot brew as you go. You can always dilute if it's too strong. THIS REALLY WORKS. Keep in mind that cayenne and garlic both are stimulating and can actually make you irritated or angry, no kidding; so be aware of that. The turmeric will work wonders on it's own but best with some amount of all three.

I also sipped 1-2 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a large glass of water 2x/day. way better than nasal decongestant. Amazing. (you can skip it in the recipe if you do this)

I've basically completely recovered from the cold but am still taking the tumeric to help with chronic issues that I have. This stuff is amazing, something about producing white blood cells. Feel better! Earth Clinic Rocks!! Chris


Coconut Oil
Posted by Alexandra (Wayne County, Ohio) on 01/30/2008
★★★★★

Since I started cooking with coconut oil, I have noticed that if I do catch a cold, it lasts maybe half as long and the symptoms are milder.


Cayenne
Posted by Leota (Los Angeles, CA) on 01/21/2008
★★★★★

ok. so the first time i really found out cayenne pepper could cure sickness was when my ex put it in tomato soup when i was really sick with bronchitis. the first day he put it in i didn't taste it and the second day i finally did. i took no antibiotics. just cayenne pepper in tomato soup. healed myself in a matter of 4 days so now, i make cayenne pepper beans and soups to protect myself from getting sick. ill eat it when i'm tired and feel like im coming down with a cold. It works, it's like it burns the germs away.



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