Hit me with your best remedy for a common cold. 🤧 Classic, Eastern, Western, witchy, I’ll take them all.

Question

Clara · Answer

Navage: In the words of the inimitable Sohla - who introduced me to Navage via the article I’ve linked - this thing is “like a battery-operated neti pot. It’s easy to use because it’s got this weird suction thing happening, but it pushes the liquid through your nose and pumps everything out. It’s a total game changer. I can smell food and breathe through my nose. I use it every night. It’s like an unmedicated way to stay decongested.”

Love her fearlessness in talking about suctioning nasal passages in a magazine profile. Love the weirdly academic yet also infomercial-esque claim on the side of the packaging that “nasal hygiene will be to the 21st century what oral hygiene was to the 20th!” Also love how much Navage really, truly works.

Soph · Answer

Wellness Formula: Take this on cold onset! It reliably shortens and lessens symptoms 70% of the time. The tablets are better but taste awful. That’s how you know it’s good.

Molly B · Answer

Gargle with salt water: As soon as I get that itchy/sore feeling at the back of my throat that heralds a cold, I add a bunch of salt to some warm water and gargle several times. Almost never fails to keep the cold away even when my family is suffering.

Emma · Answer

Zicam Cold Remedy Rapidmelts 25 ct: Zicam!! I swear it heads off and/or greatly shortens my cold if I start using it as soon as I feel one coming on. Comes in rapid melts, nasal spray, nasal gel, or lozenges!

Renee Okay · Answer

Boiron ColdCalm Cold Relief, Sneezing, Runny Nose and Minor Sore Throat Tablets - 60ct

Lisa Guo · Answer

sleep it the f uppppp

Sam · Answer

FOOD NETWORK (WORLD FOOD AND RECIPES) | Small changes made a big difference | Facebook

Megan · Answer

starbucks medicine ball: It has an “official” name, but I can never remember it! It’s a mix of yea, lemonade & honey and they are my lifesaver every time I have a cold.

Cathay · Answer

Fresh ginger tea: Put two slices of fresh ginger root, one lemon wedge and a generous spoonful of honey into a mug. Pour boiling water over top. I often make this tea in a thermos so I can take it with me from room to room!

Laurenrab · Answer

Good Vibes Juice Co Sick Day: These! I prefer as a cold shot but you can take as a tea, too. I also swear by Manuka honey. Solidarity, I’ve got a cold right now as well.

Dylan · Answer

Euky Bearub: nostalgic of my childhood <3

Dylan · Answer

Ginger Juice: splash this in tea, smoothies or soups for a warming kick. a study found it can be helpful for hypothyroidism, great for digestion, nausea, plus it's anti-inflammatory & rich in antioxidants

Dylan · Answer

Homemade Electrolyte Drink: fresh lemon juice, sea salt + raw honey into boiling water. add ice if you prefer it refreshing, but according to TCM, drinking it warm is better for your digestion! dehydration/ hangover be gone <3

EDIT: @Yuni recommended stirring in the raw honey once it’s cooled to under 35°C to preserve the raw enzymes! excellent tip :)))

Dylan · Answer

Hong Thai Brand Compound Herb Inhaler: SINUSES? CLEARED. i'm addicted to making eye contact with people on public transport while aggressively sniffing this shit

Dylan · Answer

Sinus Drainage & Headache Relief Exercises: huge

Dylan · Answer

Oil of Wild Oregano: gut health, immune support, respiratory relief, antiviral, antiinflammatory & antifungal.

Coco Quizon · Answer

Lagundi Cough Syrup: Herbal, extremely soothing and fast-acting. Has anti-histamine properties so it does really well for that itch that comes with postnasal drip. This is usually low cost back home and is prescribed by doctors for people without access to more western medicine but I guess with all the tarrifs and exports it’s so expensive here 😭 but works like a charm!

Miranda · Answer

Literally any humidifier.: The first time my SO got COVID I had a humidifier on one side of the couch and an air purifier on the other. I didn't get sick! But, if I'm the one that picks something up the humidifier is still my life saver. Well, that and NeoCitran (I am sorry, lemon tea is just not the same - I've tried!)

Emily · Answer

matzo ball soup!

pino · Answer

warm water with a whole lemon squeezed into it. 2x per day

Andrea · Answer

steamy shower!: Take a long steamy shower & breathe easy

Jenn · Answer

Schisandra Extract: A dropper into juice in the morning heads mine off

Zoe B · Answer

SourceNaturals Wellness Formula: tastes absolutely vile and smells worse, but it’ll cure what ails ya.

heaths moon · Answer

Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Lemon Echinacea Tea: this tea; ginger turmeric shots; eating lots of oranges; and a tonic of hot water/lemon/cayenne/maple syrup/fresh ginger/fresh garlic/black pepper

Sarah Ball · Answer

Oregano Oil: I start dosing this once a day whenever I feel a tickle in the back of my throat or someone I’m close to tells me they’re sick. I’ll often feel like I’m maybe on the verge of getting sick for several days but it never comes.

E_C_B · Answer

Heat or Freeze Gel Eye Mask: I have chronic sinusitis, meaning basically any time I get a cold, it turns into a sinus infection. Fun! I’ve found both the warm and cold options with this eye mask to be incredibly soothing after a marathon sneeze session or just overall congestion. Other recs:

Afrin for instant decongestion (use sparingly, not beyond label directions)

Wedge pillow to prevent coughing at night

Honey, lemon, and hot water to sip on all day.

Hope you get to feeling better soon 😊

Kirstin VanSkiver · Answer

kombucha: Kombucha!! or any solid dose of probiotics. Gut health and good gut bacteria help boost your immune system. works for me every time!

Samantha Culp · Answer

Samgye-tang: Back when I lived in Hong Kong, I would usually go home to LA for Christmas and always be run down, fighting a cold, etc. But if I took the Korean Air flight that changed  in Seoul, on the advice of Korean friends I made sure to down a huge bowl of Samgye-tang at the Incheon airport. By the time I landed in LA, I'd be fine. Ever since, it's my first line of "oh man I'm feeling a cold coming on" defense and is super helpful.