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Winter has finally come in our country. Due to the drop of temperature, the internal body temperature falls. Thus our body’s immunity system becomes weak. So when bacteria and virus come to our body, the immunity system fails to fight back. This is the reason why we have cold and cough in the winter.

Natural Remedies to Fight Cough and Cold:

1. Garlic: Garlic everyday keeps the cold away.Garlic has a unique ingredient allicin which helps to boost our immunity. It keeps toxins away from your body.

How to use:

• Just take one clove of garlic and chew it.
• If the smell is too strong for you,take some cloves of garlic,boil it with water,strain it,add some tea and drink it.

 

2. Honey: Honey has a special anti-bacterial power which is as effective as dextromethorphan, commonly used in over-the-counter cough syrups.It has a high number of enzymes and nutrients that helps to cure sore throat.

How to use:

• You can take 2-3 tablespoons of raw honey everyday.
• Mix honey with 1 lemon juice and drink it in empty stomach.
• Use honey as a sweetener instead of sugar.

 

3. Turmeric: Turmeric,the yellow colored herb has curcuminoids which helps to cure cough and cold. Curcumin works as anti-inflammatory agent. It has anti-viral and anti-bacterial property also. Chest congestion can be controlled by using turmeric.

How to use:

• Use turmeric in your daily foods.
• Mix with warm milk. Drink it twice to shorten the span of cold.

 

4. Herbal Tea: Herbal tea can hydrate your body as well as soothes your throat. Thus it will help the mucus to stop drying so that you can easily blow it off and get rid of nose congestion.

How to use:

• Boil the tea with water for some minutes. Add ginger,cardamom stick,lemon and jaggery for taste.Drink it twice or thrice daily.

 

5. Mustard Oil: Mustard oil to treat cold and cough is a recipe of grandmothers’. Mustard helps to draw blood to your feet, which clears chest congestion.

How to use:

• Warm some mustard oil and rub it on chest,palm of feet and hands.Keep it overnight to get desirable result.

 

6. Red Onion: Red onion is being used to control cold and cough since 20^thIt is used largely in homeopathic and ayurvedic medicine to cure cold.

How to use:

• Take some onions,peel and slice it. Now take a bowl. Put one slice of onion and add honey. Keep doing the layering several times. Leave it overnight. Your DIY cough syrup is ready! Drink it the next morning. For people with sensitive nose, you will not get any onion-y smell from it.

 

7. Chicken Soup:Chicken soup contains carnosine which helps to relieve from early stages of cold.It stops the white cell(neutrophils) from producing large number of mucus. Also, eating hot chicken soup thins mucus.

How to use:

• Use organic chicken, vegetable and spices to make the chicken soup. Add garlic and ginger to the soup to get fast relief from cough and cold.

What are the other things you can do:

• Blow your nose: You should always blow your mucus away rather than pushing it back into your nose. Blowing your nose in a wrong way can cause earache. Press a finger over your one nostril and blow. Repeat for the other one.Don’t forget to clean your hand by anti-bacterial hand wash.
• Gargle: Take lukewarm water and add 1 teaspoon of salt.Salt performs osmosis which helps to flush the respiratory passages,thus clearing phlegm from the path.
• Eat Healthy: Stop taking ice-cream,cold drinks out of lust.Eat healthy fruits like lemon, orange which are enriched with vitamin-c .It has anti-inflammatory properties to control cough.

Stay Warm: Take adequate rest and lie down under blanket.It will give strength to your immune system to fight back.If you have to go in cold air,wear scarf, sweater and muffler to stay warm.

• Boost immunity: Try some Ayurveda herb mix or tablets, It will not only help to cure cold but also grow your immunity power.

Having over-the-counter medicine in this situation can get you relief externally but it can also make you drowsy. That’s why you should try to have these natural remedies which will help you to get relief from cold and cough internally by improving your immunity system.