5 Home Remedies to Fight Colds

The items in your kitchen could help you ward off sickness.

There’s no cure for the common cold. Studies show, however, that some foods and activities might help you better manage the sniffles or stop you from getting sick in the first place. Don’t let a nasty cough or a fever keep you in bed during the holidays.

The Chinese Remedy: Mustard greens and sweet potatoes to fight a cold? Sounds like a soul food remedy, but these foods are actually the core ingredients of a soup the Chinese use to fight sickness. “All it is is maybe a pound of broad leaf mustard greens, cooked with a large sweet potato, maybe five or six cups of water, and it’s simmered for three hours,” Grace Young, author of "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen," explained to NPR.

Chicken Noodle Soup: Try this remedy from childhood to fight inflammation and unclog nasal passages. To boot, chicken noodle soup helps prevent dehydration, a risk colds pose. Make it from scratch with this recipe from ABC News.

Honey: This sweet substance is used worldwide to fight cold symptoms. Honey not only has high levels of antioxidants and antibacterial agents, it also helps to soothe sore throats. Buckwheat honey is arguably the best type to fight colds, according to About.com.

Garlic Tea: If you can stand the taste, try garlic tea to fight infection. Garlic gives the immune system a boost and can help de-congest the sinuses and ease the symptoms brought on by a sore throat or cough. As you start to feel under the weather, try downing a cup of garlic tea. Simply chop up a garlic clove or two and add it to boiling water. You may add honey or lemon as well. Let the tea sit for a few minutes, then enjoy.

Exercise: Going for a run is probably the last thing you want to do if you have a cold, but running might actually help shorten your cold symptoms. Research has shown that regular exercise helps the immune system fight infections from the cold and flu. According to WebMD: “With exercise, the number and aggressiveness of certain immune cells, such as the ones called natural killer cells, increase by as much as 50 to 300 percent. If you exercise regularly, this temporary increase can help make the immune system more efficient at destroying intruders that cause illness such as colds.”

[ALSO READ: How to Budget During the Holidays]

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]