May 6, 2016 at 12:33 am

I used to take medicine and sometimes traditional herbal medicine when I had cold or cough. Since I have become a mother, I try not to let them take any medicines as much as possible, but just let their body heal by themselves. I believe our body is actually strong enough if we allow it to.

So far, this is what I do when we have cold or cough:

• Drinking more water
• Drinking honey lemon drink
• Drinking ginger tea

These might not be very effective and might take longer time to cure, but at least these are natural methods and good for our body. I have also tried cooking the orange with salt and cooking pear with a kind of Chinese traditional medicine as well. I am not too sure whether those methods really work, my children do really like these.

Do you have any other home remedy that helps to cure cough and cold?

May 6, 2016 at 3:17 am

I also think honey with a bit of lemon juice is wonderful for a sore throat or cough. I even used to add vinegar to that mixture to aid in digestion when I had stomach trouble. For a sore throat, I have two remedies, one is gargling with colloidal silver water to kill germs and bacteria in the mouth and throat. It seems to have a numbing effect on the pain and makes the sickness go away faster. The second remedy is baking soda mixed with either lemon or orange juice, as baking soda helps kill fungal infections and viruses.

May 6, 2016 at 3:41 am

When I start coughing, I put Vick’s Mentholatum Rub on the bottom of my feet (and sometimes I rub it on my chest, if I feel congested), put warm socks on before I go to bed.  Also, I make sure I drink plenty of liquids.  Drink orange as it’s a good source of Vitamin C.

May 6, 2016 at 4:51 am

I also make ginger tea and squeeze a bit of lemon and a tea spoon of honey for my cold and cough! That is if I only have a common cold. If you have a cough for more than 2-3 weeks, it is time to see a doctor!

May 6, 2016 at 7:32 am

I also favour more fluids, especially warm fluids like tea and chicken soup. I love to put a lemon wedge in hot water, and just drink that for a sore throat.

I don’t usually care much for ginger tea, but I love candied ginger or ginger beer anytime! If I’m feeling nauseous or I have that yucky, feverish feeling along with a sore throat, ginger helps. I also take an echinacea supplement to boost my immune system.

Finally, I swear by zinc lozenges taken as soon as I feel the cold coming on. If it gets past that and my chest is congested, I like a good, old-fashioned mustard plaster.

May 6, 2016 at 8:30 am

I havd never tried honey. But most of the time just water. Otherwise citrous fruits are the ones I consume.

May 6, 2016 at 9:49 am

honey and lemon is a perfect remedy for colds, right? and also sunlight before 8AM to get your dose of active Vit D

May 6, 2016 at 2:23 pm

@novelangel I didn’t know adding vinegar to honey lemon juice can help digestion when we have stomach trouble. Thanks for telling me that. I usually just drink some warm water or ginger tea to make myself feel comfortable. I have not try colloidal silver water, but I just gargle with salt water. I just knew vinegar and baking soda are good for natural cleaning, I didn’t know they are good for home remedies as well. Thanks a lot for sharing these with me!

@icybc I didn’t know it’s good to add some lemon and honey into ginger tea, I always drink them separately. I will try that, as I like all these ingredients. I am glad my children can usually heal themselves within a week.

@ruby3881 I didn’t know ginger helps for nausea, I always feel nauseous especially when I am pregnant. Good to know that.

@jentleheart I think water and citrous fruits are good, but I don’t know why some Chinese think we should eat citrous fruits when we are coughing, they would make us worse. My mom always told me that, but I still consume as I think Vitamin C is good for coughing and cold.

@slayer08 I never thought about the sunlight. Thanks for reminding. That’s a good remedy as it’s natural and free!

May 6, 2016 at 4:43 pm

These suggestions are really great. Basically the idea is to do everything you can to improve your situation and then make yourself as comfortable as possible. If only we did those things on a regular basis, treating ourselves as if we were sick, in order to make ourselves generally healthier, perhaps we would get sick less often? I don’t know, but it’s an interesting idea.

May 6, 2016 at 5:18 pm

I rely on ginger tea only because that only works best for me.

May 6, 2016 at 5:33 pm

@novelangel Yes, I agree with you. We should find something that we feel comfortable with. Besides eating healthy, I think having exercises can also keep healthy. I used to fall sick, especially having headache easily when I was working in office. I rarely exercised but stayed in the air conditioned office for long hours. Since I became a stay at home mom, I always do house work and bring my children to the park for a walk, I found that I am healthier than before and I seldom fall sick now.

May 6, 2016 at 8:46 pm

@jentleheart Did you know it’s actually not recommended to eat too much citrus when you have a cold with a sore throat? The high acid content can irritate already tender mucous membranes. And there are lots of other great ways to get your vitamin C! Bell peppers, dark leafy greens, and broccoli are all sources of vitamin C. And if you want something a little acidic without going full-on citrus, cook with tomato!

May 6, 2016 at 8:51 pm

@kaka135 I lived on ginger for my morning sickness! I always carried candied ginger with me for convenience.

You should ask your doctor or midwife, though, because if you take ginger in medicinal quantities it can increase your risk of bleeding. Some ladies are already at higher risk, so it may not be safe to use ginger for morning sickness.

May 7, 2016 at 1:07 am

@ruby3881 So, there are actually some conditions we should not take too much citrus. Thanks for telling me that. I like tomato, and I have never thought about it!

Thanks again for telling me about the ginger. It’s okay now, as I am going to deliver my baby very soon and glad that the morning sickness is over.

I just read this homemade cough syrup, which is using one ingredient – pineapple! I didn’t know pineapple is good for healing cough. According to the recipe, it’s optional but you can also add lemon juice, honey, sea salt and cayenne pepper.

You can read more about this recipe here:

Homemade Cough Syrup Recipe – Only 1 Ingredient Required!

May 7, 2016 at 5:20 am

@kaka135 you’re very lucky that the morning sickness didn’t last too long. With my son, it didn’t stop until two whole days after I gave birth!