How to Cure a Cold Naturally

If you’re following me on Instagram, you probably saw that I’ve been out for a few days due to a nasty cold. I thought it would pass over quickly but it was getting worse and worse every day. Being the natural gal that I am, I absolutely hate taking medicine if I can avoid it. Unless I’m in unbearable pain, I’m not taking nothing! In my experience, medicine causes more problems than it fixes.

When my cold turned from bad to worse, I decided to take action- the natural way. I researched every single healthy way to naturally heal a cold, and I’m here to tell you what worked for me. It’s hard to tell which of these remedies was the true hero, or if it was simply the combination of all of them bundled up together. But let me tell you, the day I started consistently using these natural remedies, I completely did a 180, and my body started healing instead of getting worse each day.

*I am not a doctor, and do not claim to be a doctor. This is just what worked for me when I was sick, and I am sharing that with you. *

1. Colloidal Silver

This has been a life saver several times since I discovered it. There are a ton of benefits, it’s hard to even list them all here in a short paragraph. One reason that it works great for colds is it works against even antibiotic-resistant viruses. That means even if you did go to the doctor and they prescribed you antibiotics, those antibiotics don’t always work because some viruses are immune to antibiotics now. A byproduct of people using antibiotics for anything and everything I suppose. Colloidal silver doesn’t give the virus that it’s attacking future immunity to colloidal silver- it just binds to the virus or germs and kills it. It’s incredible anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties make it an essential addition to my all natural cold-cure list. I buy this one HERE. I like this brand because the silver is a much lower dosage, but the actual particles are much smaller than other brands so you get more benefits with a lower amount of silver. It also has only two ingredients – the colloidal silver and pharmaceutical grade water.

 

2. Hot water with lemon and honey.

After squeezing the lemon juice into the hot water, I peeled the rind of the lemon wedge and put the actual lemon flesh into the water as well. As they sit in the hot water, the acidity of the lemons break down, and the honey in the water sweetens them. After I finish drinking all the water, I eat the lemons as a tasty treat! Plus you get triple the nutrients by eating the actual lemon!

I used US grade A raw honey (buy it HERE)

**Important tip** Don’t use honey in your tea or hot water close to bedtime. Especially Manuka honey. Although it has many health benefits, it will also give you crazy amounts of energy and keep you up all night. Something you definitely don’t need at bedtime when you are trying to heal a cold and rest. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I had insomnia during my cold. I didn’t put two and two together until three days in. When it finally clicked, all I could do was laugh at myself- partly because it was just really funny, partly because I was delirious from lack of sleep lol. Chris was such a good husband, he took me to get pancakes at 3:30am when I couldn’t sleep one night to try and get my mind off of the insomnia – even though he had work the next day. Such a sweetie.

I did use Throat Coat tea about twice a day (buy it HERE), usually mid-day and before bedtime. I’m not sure if this is a placebo effect or it really works but I feel like it calmed my throat while I was drinking it.

 

3. Oregano Oil

Oregano Oil is full of health benefits like antioxidants, natural antibiotics and anti-fungal properties fight hard against bacteria and viruses. It also aids against inflammation which is essential when trying to get over a cold or sickness. I just add a few drops into a small cup of water and drink it down a few times a day. Super easy and convenient, this one is a no-brainer (buy it HERE).

 

4. Elderberry Immunity Shot (from Erewhon)

This particular shot contained Alkaline water, Elderberry Syrup, Umeboshi Vinegar, Camu Camu, Cayenne Pepper. I’m not gonna sugarcoat this one for you guys, this tasted awful. Like really awful. Thank goodness that it was only a shot and the taste could be washed down by my honey lemon water. Just shoot it back quick and remember this is for your health and to get back to normal life!

 

5. Ginger, Carrot, Orange Immunity Shot (homemade)

I actually used kumquats instead of oranges, which made the taste a bit more bitter. I would use regular oranges next time and it might give it a bit more sweetness. Again, your taking this as a shot, so the taste isn’t too important here, but still. 🙂

Update: I used oranges recently and it was SO much better! If you leave it in the fridge overnight the sweetness of the orange really sets in and it was really tasty.

 

6. Raw Garlic

I was so desperate to feel better one morning that I chopped up raw garlic and was eating it with fresh oregano in an effort to re-create the immunity shot I get from Erewhon’s tonic bar. If you can handle eating chopped raw garlic, by all means go for it. If not, you can do the other alternative and eat garlic spread using fresh raw garlic. I love this stuff even when I’m not sick, so we stocked up on these from Trader Joe’s (you can only buy it in stores, but you can see a picture of it HERE) and I put it on everything- my chicken noodle soup was especially tasty. They also sell a similar version at Wholefoods, but I think it’s about a dollar or two more expensive.

 

7. Shea Butter

I don’t know about you guys, but when I get a bad cold, I am sneezing left and right, blowing my nose all day and night. (Did I just rhyme? Man I must be feeling better lol). I never use vaseline, so I needed something natural and moisturizing for the raw skin around my nose. I love using shea butter for dry lips (something I used a lot in Iceland! See that vlog HERE) so I thought – why not try it on my chapped nose? This worked SO well! I put it on a few times a day and at night before bed. Even with constant sneezing and tissue blowing it stayed on and created a barrier between the kleenex tissue and my nose tissue lol. Buy it HERE.

 

8. Bone broth

This is another one that I just did not enjoy at all. I think I made the bad choice of getting beef bone broth instead of chicken? Anyways, I knew the health benefits of bone broth are great for a cold so I plugged my nose and drank it down. I’ll definitely try it again, maybe from Erewhon’s tonic bar where they mix in a few other things with it.

If you enjoy bone both, let me know in the comments where you buy it, or how you make it at home! Do you use chicken, beef or lamb?

 

9. Take a hot shower when you wake up, and before you go to bed.

This is one is part healing, part mental placebo for me. Sure, the hot water is great for warming up your achy muscles and the steam is fantastic for your sinus and throat. But I also feel like just making yourself take a hot shower and getting squeaky clean is soothing, and makes you feel a little more fresh and ready for the day- even if you’ll be sitting on the couch all day 😀

 

10. Keep the AC off at night.

Especially if you have a vent or airflow that is directed at you while you sleep. Having a steady airflow on you dries out your throat even more, and a cool draft can intesify your symptoms. I’ve even had colds start after a night with the AC blasting directly on me.

 

11. SLEEP!

I think we all know how important this one is. I had a pounding headache two days into the cold that I just could not get rid off. Of course, I wasn’t sleeping that well because of the sneezing and being uncomfortably propped up with pillows to a sitting position all night. I know I mentioned I prefer to keep things all natural, but I did end up taking a Zzzquil the night I began all these remedies and that knocked me out just enough to sleep through the night. I woke up the next day with no headache at all, and didn’t have any trouble falling asleep without it for the remainder of my cold.

If you can sleep fine without it, I would skip it. But if you just can’t seem to shut down at night (for me it was really due to the intense pain in my throat) then I would try a Zzzquil. Unlike Dayquil or Nightquil it has only one active ingredient in it, diphenhydramine HCl, an antihistamine that makes you sleepy. It’s the same ingredient in Benedryl that makes you drowsy. Less is more!

Update: Exciting news!! I just found this Whole30 Approved Sleep Remedy that was developed specifically to meet all the rules and diet parameters of Whole30. Next time I need a little extra help falling asleep, I’m going to try this! It basically uses Tryptophan (the reason you get sleepy after Turkey at Thanksgiving) and other natural, whole food ingredients to help you rest at night, fall asleep fast, and then is out of your system in a few hours then your body naturally takes over and keeps you sleeping through the night. Non-addictive and all natural, you won’t wake up groggy in the morning because you’ve actually slept through the night for real. Unlike sleep aids and drugs that pretty much just knock you unconscious with the illusion of deep sleep. That’s why you sometimes wake up more tired than when you went to bed. Buy the Whole30 Sleep Remedy HERE.

 

12. Chopped Onions on your nightstand.

Ok, WHAT?!? Yes, I know….this sounds crazy. Or urban legend. Or something your great great-grandma would say. But I promise you- I wouldn’t believe it either if I didn’t try it myself.

The last lingering symptom of my cold was congestion. I couldn’t breathe out of my nose, and blowing my nose did nothing. My sister told me about this magical onion trick that she does whenever her or the kids (especially their littlest) comes down with a cold. I was so skeptical, but desperate, so I ended up trying it out. I woke up the next morning and could completely breathe out of both nostrils- I was shocked! I did some research on it, and onions will absorb bacteria, viruses, and even bad odors! I tried it out in our garage where we keep our trashcan and it totally worked! It soaked up the odor from the trash and our garage smells clean again!

There you have it! My cure-all tips for kicking a nasty cold.

Have you tried any of the tips above? What would you add to the list?

xoxo, Kelsie

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