Fall has come and we can feel it all around us. By that, we don’t just mean that we can smell the leaves and there’s a bit of a chill in the air (although we do mean that, too). We actually know fall is here because every single year, we get a cold when the seasons change and the temperature drops even slightly! The weird thing about this seasonal cold, however, is that it’s not usually one to knock us right out. We get just sick enough to feel under the weather, but not quite enough to keep us home from work. This means that we don’t always need full on pharmacy bought cold medications but we could still definitely use some symptom relief while we’re sitting at our desks all day.
That’s where natural, homemade, and DIY cold remedies come into play! They gentle enough to keep you from feeling groggy from cold medicine, but they’re still powerful enough to get you through your day until you can go home and sleep the cold off. Check out these 15 awesome homemade cold remedies that will keep you going this fall!
This honey and ginger tonic is best consumed with some lemon juice squeezed into a glass mixed with warm water until it dissolves. We love this mixture because its gentle on a sore throat but still naturally antibacterial enough to be effective. The best part of this tonic, however, is that it’s natural enough for you to remake and enjoy again whenever you need to if it makes you feel better. Check the whole recipe out in full detail on Cure Joy.
Do you like the idea of a regular tonic that you can take periodically to build up your immune system whenever you please but you just can’t stomach lemon or ginger? Well, every once in a while we’ll withstand something we don’t like if it helps make us feel better, but we fully understand that some dislikes are just too much. Instead, check out this honey cinnamon version instead! It’s just as effective thanks to different properties of the natural ingredients and you can learn how it’s made on Ol’ Women.
When it comes to homemade remedies that will help you feel healthy again, soda isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind for boosting one’s immune system. Lin’s Teahouse, however, is here to show you that it can actually help! They show you how to mix ginger, lemon, honey, and- believe it or not- Pepsi in order to make a weirdly soothing beverage that will coat your throat and soothe it as you drink.
Do you come from the old school of thought that the best way to get rid of a cold is to drink something with a bit of a natural bite to it? Don’t worry, we’re not talking about straight whiskey to burn the germs away. We’re talking about traditional “fire” cider! Spiraea Herbs teaches you how to make it from onion, garlic, ginger, horse radish root, dried rosemary, roast turmeric, cayenne pepper, lemon zest, cider vinegar, and honey. It might not be the best tasting thing around, but we’ve tried it out countless times and we promise you that it’s worth it.
We’ve all been told since we were little kids that orange juice is good for you because it’s packed full of vitamin C that boosts your immune system, but what if you’re already sick and it’s a little too late? Well, drinking more orange juice can’t hurt, but sometimes you just need something a little strong. That’s why Dark Brown Hairs suggests giving this “mucus buster” drink a try. They mix it from freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice with honey to keep it from being too sour (and also to increase its antibacterial properties).
Do you like the idea of kicking your cold right in the butt by making yourself something that has a bit of kick itself, but you’re allergic to the onions or garlic in the fire cider? Then perhaps this spicy homemade cough syrup is the better remedy for you! Bare Feet in the Kitchen shows you how to make it from apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper and, once again, it’ll sure take care of that cough even if it doesn’t taste the greatest.
Are you all for making yourself a natural remedy but you’d rather try and boost your immune system with fruit nutrients and things that have flavour, rather than solely with spicy, bitter things? Then we have a feeling you’ll have an easier time getting this fruit smoothie down than some of the other things on this list. It’s actually secretly chalk full of all kinds of beneficial, immune boosting ingredients that you just won’t taste as much as the yummy berries. Good Health Diva suggests including lemon, orange, carrot, parsley, garlic, apple cider vinegar, banana, blueberry, flax seed, honey, oregano, turmeric, and fennel. That sounds like a pretty long list, but each ingredient has its own beneficial properties!
Are you in the unfortunate situation that many young families find themselves in where one child picks up some cold germs at school or daycare and brings them home to share with all of their siblings and probably you as well? Then spicy remedies are definitely out for you! Instead, check out this cold tonic that’s safe for both young children and pregnant moms. It still doesn’t taste the greatest, since it’s really a syrup made from finely chopped onions left to marinade in honey, but it’s certainly effective if you can convince everyone to take it! Mum Balance shows you how to prepare the syrup and then push it through a sieve to rid it of onion bits that will put your kids off of trying it.
Is the biggest problem with the cold you have right now currently that you throat has been aching or burning all day and it’s distracting you at work even though you’ve almost rid yourself of your other symptoms? Well, you can always buy yourself a bag of cough drops, but we find that many store bought brands simply partially numb our throat without taking care of all the pain and then stop working. We also know many people who are actually allergic to the ingredients that many brands of store bought cough drops contain. Instead, try making yourself these all natural cough drops instead! Besides having better numbing power to help you manage the pain, they also contain ingredients that are naturally antibacterial to actually clear up what’s making your throat continue hurting. Cook With Esh guides you through the process of making them out of honey, lemon juice, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar as a coating to make them taste a little less bitter.
What if you’re very into the idea of making yourself a natural DIY cough drop but you’re not so sure about the recipe we just showed you because you’re worried you might have a small cinnamon allergy and you’d prefer to avoid it? In that case, you’d be safer to try out this simplified version from Thank your Body! They show you how to make cough “candies” using just honey, lemon, and ginger.
Are you convinced that your kids’ sore throats would be eased at least a little bit but also perhaps healed faster if you could convince them to try a cough candy, but you’re either worried about giving them a solid drop to suck on or you simply can’t get them to eat one? Then Mamabeedefinitely has the best compromise for you! They show you how to make a slightly sweeter version of the cough candies we showed you above, but also how to mould them in a lollipop mould before they cool so you can make them into kid-friendly, teddy bear shaped suckers!
If you’re reaching the end of your tether when it comes to being patient with your body and you’re ready to really give this cold a good kick in the pants, then garlic is one of the best things you could possibly turn to. It’s got an entire list of awesome antibacterial and immune boosting benefits and is one of the strongest, most effective natural ingredients you’ll come across. This particular syrup, made from lemons, ground garlic, and ground pepper left to marinade in honey, will help with particularly nasty sore throats, as outlined on Garlic Matters.
Are you feeling almost better but you’re still just not quite there yet, so you’re looking for a simple remedy that you can enjoy at work to just give yourself a little boost and an easier time breathing through your nose? Then perhaps this gentle cold and flu tea is the best option for you! DIY Natural outlines how to make them from echinacea leaves, peppermint leaves, lemon balm leaves, and dried elder berries.
Have you recently found the wonder of nutrient packed “health shots” that give you a more concentrated dose of each ingredient’s beneficial characteristics? There are plenty of different combinations of ingredients you can make health shots from to keep yourself at your peak in all kinds of ways, but this one from One Green Planet is great for colds because it’s anti-inflammatory. Make it from turmeric, cinnamon, dried ginger, ground cloves, black pepper, coconut milk, lemon juice, sweetener, minced garlic, and blueberries blended together.
Are you on the tail end of your cold but you’ve never been a big tea drinker and you’d rather make yourself a hardier warm drink with a bit more substance to it to get yourself through the last few sniffles and chills? Then we have a feeling you’d prefer this health latte instead especially if you eat vegan or gluten free! One Green Planet guides you through the process of making this drink from soaked sunflower seeds, desiccated coconut, dates, ground turmeric, ginger root, cinnamon, vanilla extract or powder, ground cardamom, cracked black pepper, sea salt.
