Now it is the time of the year that everyone starts to get coughs and colds, although this year. There are quite a few home remedies for colds that you can use to alleviate the suffering.
Colds are viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract and because they are viruses, antibiotics do not work. Most of the time it is best to let nature take it course and let the body fight the cold symptoms by itself but of course we all want to feel better quicker. The difference between colds and flu is quite noticeably, you know when you have flu. Every part of your body aches and you have a high fever to accompany it (I should know, I had flu two years running).
My home remedies for colds
Just as you start to feel the cold coming on, when the throat is just starting to tickle and feel strange, take some Echinacea. I usually take the highest dosage you can for the first two days, and then continue taking for a week or two. You should never take Echinacea for longer than two or three weeks as it will not help you fend off colds because the body gets use to it. Echinacea is believed to help stimulate the immune system. You can also get Echinacea with Goldenseal which is a very effective for cold infections. I have found that taking Echinacea and Goldenseal will either prevent me from getting the cold or speed it through its course and just last for a few days.
Taking a higher dosage of Vitamin C at the onset of a cold can also help you fight the cold infection. I find eating oranges especially if you are suffering from a sore throat can help soothe the throat, it sort of numbs the throat.
Honey is another one of the home remedies for colds that can be use; this is useful if you have a cough, a teaspoon helps to stop the cough. It is also quite effective if added to a glass of warm lemon juice and water to soothe the throat and stop the cough. Manuka honey is one of the most potent honey that you can get, this summer my mom had a cough that she could not get rid of, she had it for about three months. I then suggested that she tried some Manuka honey and within a few days she was starting to feel a lot better. Manuka honey comes from New Zealand and can be found in different potencies from +5 to +30. As well as being good for throat infections, it can be also used direct on the skin for problems like cuts and grazes. It is known for its anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties.
Before using any of these home remedies for colds above please check that you are not allergic to any of them. Hopefully these natural cold remedies will help you next time you have a cold. Good Health!! 
