That terrible moment when an itchy throat, some sneezing, and a pounding pain between the temples take over:
You have a cold and are starting to feel awful.
Your mom and friends suggest common cures for a cold: getting some rest and chicken soup. But you want more. You need something outside the box that helps you soothe the pain, clear out your nose, and get on with your life as it was.
You want to know how to cure a cold - naturally and fast as possible.
Good news: it’s possible - even without hitting the medicine cabinet right away!
There’s more to natural and at-home remedies than chicken soup.
- Hydrate the right way
- Get the circulation flowing
- Clear out your nose with saline sprays or Neti Poti
- Try essential oils
- Look into Drip IVs
- Get a Green-Go Pack of superfoods!
If you’re looking how to cure a cold and feel better without chopping some chicken and onions, then get ready to kick this cold to the curb with these twelve easy strategies you can do at home or on the go, to support and expedite your preferred cure for cold or treatment!
Here are 13 ways to say sayonara to your sinus troubles and cure your cold:
#1 Drink Up - Not Soup!
Hydration is one of the most important aspects of recovery -and general wellbeing- for humans and most residents of this planet, but chicken soup is not the only (or best) way to go when you’re looking for a cure for cold - not to mention, it gets boring.
When you’re looking into how to cure a cold, every doctor and haler in town will tell you to drink more water and fluids; however, they won’t always tell you that:
If you sip hot or warm water regularly (or hot liquids like tea), you’ll soothe the inflamed tissue around nose and throat. This is an Ayurvedic strategy that has been used for centuries.
Why it Works:
Drinking hot liquids either every 20 minutes, or sipping a cup at a two-minute-tops interval, calms tickly tonsils, stimulates the cilia (small hair-like structures that move mucus around your body in the nose and trachea), helps flush toxins out (you’ll have to visit the restroom more!), and also makes mucus more loose and easier to eliminate.
#2 Use Hot Packs for Your Sinus
One of the most frustrating parts of having a cold is nasal constipation.
Instead of constantly trying to inhale mucus up your nose, try loosening up the mucus and allowing it to flow by putting hot packs on your sinuses.
Take a small face towel and get it wet, rinsing out the excess so it’s damp but not dripping, then heat up for 25 to 35 seconds on the microwave. Apply on your face and relax.
For better results add some eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil to the towel. Repeat the process two or three times until the cloth gets cold. Do it before sleep to improve the quality of your zzz's. It’s not a complete way to cure a cold, but it helps a lot!
Why it Works:
The heat of the towel permeates the skin and softens the mucus slowly, helping it separate from the walls of your nasal concha. It’s also a calming sensation for your aching sinus and face.
#3 Sleep with Wet Socks
I know what you’re thinking: this is now how to cure a cold!
If you’re interested in the cure for cold, the last thing that comes to mind is wearing wet socks, but hear us out...
Cool, wet socks that are touching your warm feet will activate circulation in a small but efficient way so that you can help your body heal faster.
Place your socks in hot water, warm them up, dry them and then put them on once they are cool to cold and still damp or wet. Cover them with plastic bags (for extra heat and protection) and then put another pair of socks on.
It's perhaps weird, but it's a cure for the cold that many swear by.
Why it Works:
Warming Socks in naturopathic medicine works with the body’s natural response to temperature changes and looks for microcirculation; when your warm feet are in contact with the cold socks, your blood will go away from the skin and then back to the feet to warm them up. This takes blood away from inflamed areas and relieves pain, while also cleaning up toxins in its way.#4 Forget Echinacea - Try Garlic!
There is no conclusive evidence that echinacea helps relieve cold symptoms, but there is plenty of research showing that garlic does have health benefits, including being a potential cure for the cold. In this study, there was a 63% reduction of cold symptoms in a twelve week period for individuals taking garlic supplements. Plus, the average length of colds was reduced by 70%.
How to cure a cold with garlic? You can eat it whole in meals, salads, lightly roasted or toasted, or in supplements with high allicin content.
Why it Works:
Garlic has allicin which may be beneficial for the immune system, it also has antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, and antibiotic properties.
#5 Apple Cider Vinegar
There are many health benefits to apple cider vinegar; usually, we use it to boost the metabolism, but if you take a tablespoon in half a glass of water it will help clear out the throat and it may help sooth other symptoms.
It’s also ok to add it as a salad dressing!
Why it Works:
When you look for how to cure a cold ACV doesn’t usually come to mind, but just like ginger tea and lime, the acidity in the vinegar in addition to the slight rise in your metabolic rate creates a hostile environment for germs.
#6 Try a Salt-Water Nasal Spray or a Neti Pot
Want a simple and quick way to clear out your nostrils and help relieve the pain of congested sinuses? A simple salt-water nasal spray up to three times a day.
Alternatively, you can use a Neti Pot, an Ayurvedic medicine tool designed to flush out the nasties of the nasal cavity.
How to cure a cold with a neti pot: heat up one cup of filtered water with ½ teaspoon of salt and place the neti pot over one nostril, and it will come out through the other. Here’s a handy video from Adriene Mishler.
Why it Works:
This process hydrates nostrils, flushes toxins, and cleanses out airways by removing overflowing and stuck mucus. If you're looking for a way to cure a cold fast, keep your nose clean and watch your recovery skyrocket.
#7 Lubricate Nostrils with Nasya Oils
Ayurvedic Medicine is a top 2019 wellness trend, and for a good reason. It understands the mind, body, spirit connection as a whole and also covers steps that Western medicine sometimes skip.
When you’re working on how to cure a cold you might miss the follow-up; after your nostrils are cleared you’ll want to hydrate them - they’re going through a lot!
Simply grab some Ayurvedic Nasya Oil, dab some on your finger and lubricate the inside of your nose. This will prevent nosebleeds, irritation, and will also be nice to breathe in.
Why it Works:
Irritated nostrils are painful and tend to clog up again, Nasya Oil or nasal oil (which can be anything from sesame, coconut, to almond oil) keeps the nasal tissue comfortably moist.
#8 Inhale Steam and Learn to Blow Your Nose
An old cure for the cold that still works: clearing out your nose and sinus with vapor.
Boil some water to the point of steaming and add some lime or eucalyptus oil to inhale for a few minutes. The mucus will inevitably start to drip from your nose. Place a finger over one nostril, without pinching it, and blow. Repeat on the other side.
Why it Works:
An alternative to nasal spray and Neti Pot, this traditional cure for cold helps relieve the symptoms of congestion and may prevent your nose from creating more mucus; by not pinching your nose you avoid stimulating mucus production for protection purposes.
#9 Support Sleep with Ashwagandha
A tried and true answer to the question: "how to cure a cold?"
Rest.
Really!
The cure for cold may very well be hidden in your sleep and the repairing cycles your system goes through when you’re dreaming. Support sleep with Ashwagandha a root used to treat insomnia, stress, fevers, and gastrointestinal issues - all associated with the common cold as well.
Why it Works:
Studies show Ashwagandha known as Withania somnifera, helps reduce anxiety levels, calming the nerves and helping with sleep. Rest is critical in the recovery and restoration processes for the body to go back to its natural vibrant health.
#10 Try an IV Drip (2019 Health Trend Alert!)
Interested in how to cure a cold potentially fast? The 2019 health trend and maybe the new cure for cold is in IV Drips administered by professionals of the wellness industry. Essentially vital nutrients and immune-system boosting infusions are injected via IV for super-speedy recovery and prevention.
Why it Works:
The direct injection of nutrients and positive chemicals into the bloodstream makes this new (possible) cure for cold a fast and efficient one.
#11 Try Beta-Glucans Supplement
If an IV is not your thing, Vitamin C supplements may more your speed. However, when looking into how to cure a cold, researchers found that a beta-glucan supplement had immune-enhancing benefits, with one tested group showing fewer respiratory infections - 23% less than the placebo control group.
Why it Works:
Beta-glucans are derived from mushrooms and they stimulate the activity of macrophage cells, which ingest and remove invading pathogens. This ultimately stimulates other immune system cells to attack the foreign body. So, that’s how to cure a cold with beta-glucans.
#12 Use Essential Oils
Experience both emotional and physical relief with this inexpensive and unexpected cure for the cold. We know when you’re thinking, “how do I cure a cold?” you’re probably not thinking of your essential oils, but there are many health benefits to aromatherapy and to the oils themselves.
- Eucalyptus Oil: a traditional cure for the cold that opens your airways, helps you breathe and makes you feel relaxed. It’s also antiviral and antibacterial.
- Lemongrass Oil: is a natural antipyretic, which means it may help with fever symptoms, mix it with coconut oil and rub it in your skin after a bath if your temperature is up.
- Peppermint Oil: ideal for improved breathing, it stimulates digestion (like the candy but without the sugar), and has the potent smell of menthol. Inhale it to feel better.
#13 Get Your Immune-Boosting Superfoods in a Green Juice Powder!
Your system is down and you need now, more than ever, the power of superfoods and cruciferous greens - but you never felt less like it.
No problem, our Green Juice Go Packs have all the essential nutrients you need to recover and stay healthy in super convenient packs that you can pop in your purse and take with you on the go.
They contain Chlorella, Moringa, Spirulina, Mint, Beets, Matcha Green Tea, Wheatgrass, Ashwagandha, Turmeric, Lemon, and Coconut Water.
We hope these tips and strategies for how to cure a cold help you get better; we’re getting healthy together.