17 Tested Natural Cold Remedies We’ve Used for Years

Yuck, our family got hit with a cold this week. We figured it was the perfect time to share all of our favorite natural remedies that we use. Here are our top 17 natural cold remedies to help you ease your symptoms and boost your immune system and fight off that cold fast! These are the remedies we personally use in our home when we feel a cold or sore throat coming on or once we already have a cold.

The Top 17 Home Remedies for Colds

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is one of our household staples because it’s good for so many things! It’s one of our top natural cold remedies. Make sure you get the kind with “the mother” in it, which is the sediment that’s floating around in there. Braggs is a good one! If you buy the ultra filtered almost clear looking ACV it won’t have the part you need to help you fight off the cold. ACV is fermented, and eating fermented foods can help your body have a better immune response.

Make sure you try our Warm Honey Cinnamon ACV Drink if you want a way to drink Apple Cider Vinegar that actually tastes good!

Elderberry

Elderberry syrup is my first go-to when I’m coming down with something. My family loves the kind from Norm’s Farms that also has honey, cinnamon, and cloves because it tastes like a dessert! Elderberry is packed with antioxidants and has been found to help reduce how long a cold lasts and helps symptoms be less severe.

Raw Garlic

Garlic has been used as a remedy throughout history. It’s antiviral, antimicrobial, and antifungal and contains allicin which is thought to be the component that helps you fight off the common cold. It’s best to crush the garlic clove so that the enzyme alliinase is released which turns the alliin into allicin. It’s the most potent around 3-5 minutes after you crush or mince the garlic.

Make sure you try our Raw Honey Garlic recipe to get all the benefits of garlic & the raw honey (the next item on the list)

Raw Honey

Like garlic, raw honey is anti-viral, antimicrobial, and antibacterial and has been used as a remedy throughout time. When honey is heated and filtered it loses some of those important properties so raw honey is best. If you have a sore throat honey is also ultra-soothing. We like to add it to tea or just eat a spoonful.

Herbal Throat Spray

We had to add this one to the list because my entire family has been using it as our go-to natural cold remedy since the early 2000’s. Anytime we feel a sore throat or cold coming on we say “grab the throat spray”! This is the specific Zand herbal mist throat spray we have always used but any throat spray with similar ingredients would be beneficial. It contains elderberry, tea tree oil & 7 other herbs including licorice root, echinacea root, sage leaf, hyssop, and marshmallow root.

Lymphatic Drainage Massage

If you feel a cold coming on or if you’re already congested, doing a lymphatic drainage massage on your face and neck feels amazing and helps all the fluid drain out relieving congestion and pressure within a few minutes! As you’re doing it, you may wonder if it’s working but, especially if you’re congested, all of a sudden after about 10 minutes you might be surprised that you can breathe again! In this video a physical therapist will teach you how to do the massage in about 10 minutes.

Ginger

Ginger has great healing properties due to the active compounds including gingerols. It has been used for centuries as a healing herb. It can help reduce inflammation and soothe your sore throat. We like to drink it as a tea with added honey.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another healing spice that has been used throughout history. It can help reduce inflammation and is antibacterial and antiviral. Add some to your applesauce, add a cinnamon stick to your tea, or take cinnamon capsules.

Turmeric

Turmeric contains the compound curcumin which has tons of health benefits. One of the most well known benefits is that it can reduce inflammation, which is great for a sore throat. It’s also a strong antioxidant to help you boost your immune system so you can fight your cold off faster.

You can find turmeric powder in the spice aisle and as capsules in the vitamin section. Both are great! We also use Leefy Prana which is a turmeric and ginger tincture with added black pepper to increase curcumin absorption. It also tastes so good!

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins for your body and helps with tons of functions. One of those being to support your immune system. It boosts your production of white blood cells that help your body against infection. You can take a vitamin C supplement and eat lots of vitamin C rich foods like broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, red peppers, strawberries and kiwi. Citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruit, are well known for containing this vitamin, but it’s best to avoid them if you have a sore throat.

Vitamin D

Most people have heard that vitamin C is great for fighting off a cold and there’s tons of vitamin C products marketed toward helping with colds but don’t forget about Vitamin D the “Sunshine Vitamin”. It’s best to make sure you’re getting sufficient vitamin D even before you get sick though because it can help boost your immune system and being vitamin D deficient increases your risk of getting sick.

Zinc

Zinc is another vitamin that your body can’t make itself so you need to get it from food. This helps speed up your cold recovery. There was a study done where people took zinc lozenges and those who took the zinc shortened the time they felt sick from their colds.

Oregano Oil

Oregano oil or oil of oregano is known for being an antioxidant and having antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. We keep the capsules on hand.

Be aware if you are a breastfeeding mama oregano oil can decrease your milk supply.

Menthol, Peppermint, & Eucalyptus

These essential oils are great when you’re feeling congested. The Olbas menthol inhalers are our favorite because you just take the cap off and smell it and the refreshing blend of those oils clears out your congestion instantly. Sometimes you just need that instant relief!

Whole Organic Foods

The best place to get your vitamins is from the whole foods themselves! Make sure you are eating mostly whole foods when you’re sick because they’re packed with nutrients your body needs when you’re trying to fight off a cold.

Steam & Humidity

Dry air makes a cold much worse. If you’re in a dry climate try to incorporate some steam or humidity to help soothe your cold symptoms. You can take a hot shower for the steam or add a humidifier to your home to get extra moisture in the air. As a bonus you can add some peppermint or eucalyptus essential oils to your shower or mist diffuser to make it even more refreshing.

Rest

Although it’s at the end of the list, this is one of the most important things! Your body needs plenty of sleep and rest to be able to fight off the cold.

Make Sure to Limit These Harmful Things

Refined Sugar

Sugar wreaks havoc on your immune system and causes more inflammation. Try to reduce and limit sugar when you’re trying to heal.

Processed Foods

Processed foods are also known to cause inflammation so you’ll want to reduce or eliminate them when you’re sick. Whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies are best when you’re trying to fight off a cold.

Stress

Stress weakens your immune system so try to reduce it where you can. Your body will have a much better immune response if you can try to limit stress.

Are any of these remedies new to you? Leave a comment and let me know which ones are your favorites!

Make sure to try our favorite Home Remedy Recipes like Raw Honey Garlic, Fresh Ginger Honey Tea, and Warm Cinnamon Honey ACV Drink.