Natural Remedies for the Common Cold and More

Even if you eat healthy, exercise, and avoid stress, we all get sick every now and then. The normal procedure for most people is to go to the nearest drug store and pick up something in a pill bottle or packet to take once or twice a day.

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Forget the fact that most of it comes with non recyclable packaging and you end up tossing half the pills anyways—Do you know what’s inside popular over the counter (O.T.C.) medicine, and what it does to your body? Most people don’t. Just because you can buy it over the counter, doesn’t mean it’s safe or risk-free.

It’s also not always good to battle the different symptoms we’re feeling with drugs, since symptoms are our body’s natural way of fighting germs. For instance, a decongestant like Sudafed restricts your blood flow. The problem is, when you’re sick and congested, you want more blood to flow to heat up the infected area and remove germs from your body.

While that can be a little unsettling, just remember that as a consumer, you hold the power. You get to decide what to spend your money on based on what’s best for your health, your family’s health, and the planet.

Quick disclaimer here: I am not a medical professional—Just sharing what I’ve learned to help others question their assumptions about O.T.C. medicine, and give you a few examples of alternatives that have worked for me personally. Of course, if you’re feeling really sick it’s generally recommended that you go see your medical doctor!

Here’s a list of a few healthy, zero waste alternatives and natural remedies for ailments that you typically reach in the medicine cabinet for.

Natural Remedies for the Common Cold

Instead of stocking up on packs of emergen-c (which uses GMO products and synthetic vitamins that might actually do more harm than good for your body), try one of these natural cures to get rid of symptoms faster.

• Hot water with lemon and honey (optional: ginger) – Super easy power tea for a boost of vitamins and loads of other health benefits if you make it with ginger. Easy instructions for brewing up some ginger and lemon tea:

1. Boil a pot of water (you only really need to boil the amount you want to drink)
2. Add 4-6 slices of ginger, depending on how strong you want it (yes, that weird root-looking thing that you always walk by in the vegetable section of your grocery store and wonder what people possibly use it for). You can peel your ginger, but not necessary.
3. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the ginger tea into your mug, add a big slice or half of a lemon and one tablespoon of honey.
5. Sip and enjoy. Adjust the different amounts based on your preferences next time.

Side note: This is great for preventing getting sick too—I started drinking ginger tea with lemon a few times a week around late October when I always seem to get sick, and successfully avoided any colds, so I’m a big fan of this one.

• Tablespoon of honey – Great for soothing sore throats and reducing a cough. For the antioxidant and antiviral benefits, buy it raw and local (not that basic Stop & Shop brand honey please). There have actually been studies showing that honey works better at suppressing a cough than cough medicine.

• Gargle with garlic water – Might not seem like the most appealing thing to do, but garlic juice has antimicrobial properties that will fight your sore throat. Here’s how to try it:

1. Mix 6 pressed garlic cloves into a glass of warm (not hot!) water
2. Garlic with this two times a day for three days.

Headaches and Migraines

A couple natural remedies to try next time you have a headache or migraine:

• Basil leaf tea – Relieve migraine nausea and headaches with this simple tea:

1. Steep 5-8 basil leaves in hot water for 5-10 minutes
2. Drink your tea (you can add honey if you want it sweeter)

• Peppermint oil – Massage your forehead and temples with to help relieve a headache.

Note: You can buy peppermint essential oil here (Mountain Rose Herbs is a great source for essential oils, if you buy anywhere else just make sure the brand is reputable).

Stomach Aches & Nausea

Ginger is a great, more powerful replacement for soda when it comes to easing nausea. Try making ginger tea with hot water as described in the first section, and then freeze it in ice cube trays once it cools. You can then suck on the ginger ice cubes or add them to water to to get rid of nausea or a stomach ache.

I’ll finish this off by saying that it’s always better to act proactively instead of frantically searching for a cold cure when you’re really sick. Focus on eating healthy and taking care of yourself so that your body stays strong against flus and colds. If you do find yourself with a nasty cold or headache, hopefully these natural remedies helped!

Everyone is different—Any successful natural remedies you’ve used that aren’t on the list? Let me know! I’ll be adding to this as I test new ones out.