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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rutgers chapter.

The Best Cold Remedies

Stuffy nose, red eyes, congestion…. AHHCHOO-AHCHOO! Ugh, the all-too-familiar symptoms of a dreaded viral infection, better known as the common cold. While the leaves turn brown and crunch beneath our feet, for some reason our sinuses become congested, our heads ache, our noses run and we all fall prey to THE COMMON COLD… DUN DUN DUN. Growing up, my family always a ton of home remedies to fight the common cold. I’ve shared a few here and hope they can help you fight this common enemy… THE COMMON COLD.

1. Tea. It doesn’t just taste good but is great for helping battle cold symptoms. Warm tea helps soothe the throat and respiratory tract by helping expel the excess phlegm out.

2. A mixture of warm water and honey. Honey has always been one of my favorite foods! The warm water and honey combat the cold as the warm water soothes your throat and the honey nourishes it.

3. Ginger and Salt. This sounds a little strange and may taste a bit strange. But ginger has soothing properties which will be great for providing relief for you. Cut a few pieces of ginger, add salt to it, and just chew on these pieces.

4. Lemon, Cinnamon, honey, and warm water. This mixture has a lot of different soothing ingredients. The honey helps balance out the taste of the lemon and cinnamon as it creates a soothing syrup able to be mixed with warm water for a delicious, relaxing drink.

5. Salt-Water Gargles. Boil a cup of water and add a teaspoon of salt. Gargle this mixture to help soothe and ease the dryness of your respiratory tract.

6. Chicken Soup. This age-old remedy is the classic solution to almost all sickness. There’s just something very relaxing about eating chicken soup in bed when sick. There are tons of nutrients and vitamins in chicken soup that are essential in helping treat your ailments. (Vegetarians can easily replace the chicken with veggies.)

7. Cinnamon. Cinnamon is great for helping relax the respiratory throat and serve as a pain-reliever. 

8. Orange Juice. Or any other form of vitamin C. It will increase the multiplication of white blood cells as well as reducing inflammation and mucus.

9. Vicks. Rubbing Vicks on the affected areas provides a soothing, calming relief.

10. Sleep. Rest is pivotal in helping one’s body’s recover and recuperate. 

Hannah Javed

Rutgers '19

Senior Editor at Her Campus Rutgers with a love for salads, pizza and bright lights.