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The Best All-Natural Home Remedies for Cold and Flu

A bad cold, worsening flu, and the body aches, fever, and chills that accompany it can even put the toughest of soldiers down. While a pretty common condition, the problem is that there is no actual cure for colds and flu as of yet. However, there is one thing that can help overcome it. What is it?

Well, do you remember that when you were young and sick, a hot bowl of soup or some ginger ale your mother gave you somehow fixed a lot of your issues? What makes you think these magical and all-natural home remedies won’t work on you now? So, stop popping those pills that don’t seem to work, and hop on below to read about the best all-natural home remedies for cold and flu. Natural Home Remedies are often so much better than OTC meds and healthier in the long run.

Home Remedies for Cold

How Long Do Colds Usually Last?

Determining the answer to the question of how long a cold lasts is quite unpredictable. This is because most common colds usually last between 7-10 days. Your cold symptoms typically peak during the 1-3 days mark. However, there are high chances that they may even last only two days or go as high as the 14-day mark.

The latter is more common in older adults who have a chronic health condition and, hence, can take longer for them to get over a cold compared to younger adults,

What are the 5 Stages of Cold?

For you, a cold is a period of sickness that happens and then goes away. However, do you know that it is a complete phase of 5 different stages for your body? When an infection occurs, the cold goes through five stages, each of which your body must fight against effectively.

Incubation – The incubation stage is the initial stage with no symptoms. During this period, a person has been infected or attacked by a vital. However, the first symptoms have begun to arise.

sick person with cold

Early Symptoms – The early symptomatic stage is actually when the symptoms begin to occur. During this stage of a common cold, a person may experience a scratchy sensation at the back of their throat, a runny nose, and a slight cough. This stage lasts between one and three days.

Peak Symptoms – The third stage of your cold is when your immune system starts to fully kick in to protect you from the virus or infection. This stage lasts from day four to day seven and is when both your frontline innate immunity and your secondary adaptive immunity work wonders for your body.

Remission – Cold symptoms usually go away or improve within the first seven days. This means that once your immune system has kicked in, your body begins to recover. This is when the remission period begins, and you will see improvement or changes in your symptoms.

Recovery – The recovery stage is when your symptoms have entirely resolved. At this stage, you’ll feel completely fine and be ready to return to your normal everyday activities.

What is the Fastest Way to Cure a Cold?

When sick, we all want to indulge in cures and treatments that can make us feel better quickly again. This is the case when you contract a cold, too. If you are looking for the fastest way to cure a cold, let us give you an insight into it.

While there is no actual cure for a cold, one can still reduce the duration of it by taking some vitamins and supplements, a good rest, staying hydrated, and following up with some all-natural home remedies for cold and flu.

What Drinks Help with Colds?

While taking supplements, a good rest and staying hydrated is easy as mentioned above. Well, all-natural natural remedies include a few healthy drinks that can play wonders in helping you get rid of your cold.

Chicken Soup – While chicken soup doesn’t have scientific evidence of curing colds, it is a comforting food that provides hydration and makes you feel better, right? So, why not eat it when you are sick? Plus, the ingredients in chicken soup are known to help support your immune system, which, in hindsight, does help with recovery.

turmeric tea with honey and lemon

Ginger and Turmeric Tea – While both serve exceptional benefits individually, when combined, they are an excellent duo for treating illnesses. Ginger and turmeric have been used as natural medicines for years because they help lighten the pan, strengthen the body’s immunity, and lessen inflammation. Hence, drink some ginger and turmeric tea whenever you catch a cold.

Tea with Honey – Many people like to drink tea for the warmth it provides during sick days. If you are in the same boat, then we suggest you add a touch of honey to it as well. Honey is packed with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It has also long been claimed as a cough suppressant.

Water – Staying hydrated is one of the core steps towards recovery. So, what made you think we won’t add it to our list of drinks that help with colds? Drink enough water to ensure that you build a strong immunity, maintain your electrolytes, and resolve your symptoms quickly.

Does Vitamin C Help with Colds?

There is conflicting evidence regarding the use of vitamin C in cold remedies. It appears that taking vitamin C doesn’t usually help an average person prevent colds. However, a few studies do show that Vitamin C can shorten the duration of symptoms.

While colds are more common now due to the chilling seasons and changing weather, they are still a nuisance. If you want to look into some all-natural natural remedies, you should have a better understanding of why colds occur and the best ways to tackle them.