Best Home Remedies For Cold And Cough

Although we routinely suffer from coughs and colds or the flu, we still often feel powerless and overwhelmed by the illness. After all, severe cold and cough can leave you feeling weak, fatigued, and extremely low. Although these infections are often unavoidable despite efforts to strengthen immunity, you can use a variety of Ayurvedic medicines and home remedies for cold and cough treatment.

We’ll first focus on some of the most effective home remedies for cough and cold. As a bonus, I've also included a few effective Ayurvedic medicines for cold and cough relief.

Home Remedies for Cough & Cold

1. Haldi Doodh

This is the most widely used traditional remedy for cough and cold across India and with good cause. In addition to supporting the balance of all three doshas, haldi also has a positive influence on rasa and rakta dhatu, which can be interpreted as the circulatory system. To prepare the natural treatment, simply add a teaspoon of haldi powder to milk and bring it to a boil before drinking.

We now know from modern studies that the benefits of haldi as a cold and cough remedy are mainly linked to its primary ingredient – curcumin. Curcumin exhibits antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, helping overcome and relieve respiratory tract infections.

2. Ginger Tea

Sunth or dried ginger is a common ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine for cough and cold, but you can also use fresh ginger to treat a cold and cough at home. Studies suggest that ginger is effective at relieving upper respiratory tract infections because of its anti-inflammatory effects that relax the airway muscles to ease respiration and reduce coughing.

To use ginger as a home remedy, you can simply chew on a fine slice of the herb or add about 20 grams of finely sliced ginger to a cup of boiling water. Allow it to steep for about 2 to 5 minutes and add a teaspoon of honey or lime juice for taste.

3. Honey

Honey is frequently used as a second thought to sweeten other foods or remedies and make them more palatable. However, as was long recognized by Ayurvedic physicians, honey has powerful healing properties itself and can be used as one of the best natural remedies for coughing.

This traditional Ayurvedic use of honey is supported by research that compared the effects of honey with cough suppressing medications like dextromethorphan. They found honey to be more effective than pharmaceutical cough medicines and also free of side effects. You can simply consume a teaspoon of honey twice a day or add two teaspoons to a cup of warm water or your herbal tea and drink the mixture twice a day.

4. Steam Inhalation

Steam inhalation is one of the most effective home remedies for colds and coughs, especially when you need quick relief. You can use steam as a treatment either by having a shower with water that is hot enough to fill the room with steam, by using a sauna or steamer, or by simply inhaling steam from a vessel of boiling water with a towel draped around your head to form kind of tent that traps in the steam.

Steam inhalation is thought to be effective as the inhalation of moist and warm steam quickly loosens up mucus, providing instant relief from congestion. At the same time, it also has a soothing effect on irritation and reduces swelling of the nasal blood vessels.

Ayurvedic Medicine for Cold and Cough

1. Chyawanprash & Immunity Boosters

Some of the best medicines for cold and cough relief are those that boost and strengthen immunity. After all, your immune system is not just the best defence against infections, it is also critical to fighting and overcoming them. Ayurvedic herbs like amla, tulsi, ashwagandha, giloy, sunth, tejpatra, jayfal, and many others are known to be a rich source of phytochemicals and nutrients that support immunity, helping fend off as well as recover from infections like the cough and cold.

While Chyawanprash is the most popular traditional Ayurvedic formulation, you can also find these ingredients in other Ayurvedic immunity boosters. Moreover, chyawanprash is now also available in more convenient and easy-to-consume toffee and capsule formats.

2. Ayurvedic Inhalers

When it comes to fast relief from cold and coughs, nothing can be more effective than inhalers. Unfortunately, most pharmaceutical inhalers come with their own risk of side effects, which is why people try to avoid them as far as possible. However, there are natural alternatives as Ayurvedic herbal inhalers can be just as effective at providing quick relief.

Typically, such natural inhalers contain ingredients like eucalyptus and menthol or mint and camphor.  Eucalyptus and mint are known to have a soothing effect on the respiratory tract, reducing coughing spasms and easing airflow, while also helping fight infection.

3. Ayurvedic Churna For Cough & Cold Relief

An irritating and inflamed throat can be as bad as a clogged nose, right? This is why Herbokold Churna is popular for its cough and cold relief treatment. This product comes in powder form that you are meant to drink mixed with warm water.

The antimicrobial herbs in this product allow your body to fight off respiratory infection and recovery quickly. The churna also helps expel mucous to clear your airways for better breathing. Most importantly, Herbokold reduces inflammations and irritation in the throat while soothing the pain.

4. Ayurvedic Cough Syrups

It’s best to turn to Ayurvedic medicine if you’re looking for the best cough syrup for kids because these natural medications are not just effective, but they are also free of side effects. Ayurvedic cough syrups usually contain a blend of herbs that offer wide-ranging benefits, from soothing the respiratory tract to reduce spams, reducing inflammation of the airways, and modulating the immune response to aid recovery.

Some ingredients that are worth looking for in an Ayurvedic cough syrup include the likes of jyeshthimadhu, tulsi, kapur, brahmi, sunth, and so on. You will also find the same ingredients to be commonly used in any effective Ayurvedic tablet for cold and cough relief.

With all of these home remedies and natural medicines for cold and cough, you have little reason to turn to pharmaceutical products that often pose a risk of side effects. At the same time, if you do not get quick relief or if the cough and cold persist for several days, it is advisable to consult an Ayurvedic doctor as you could have an as yet undiagnosed health condition or infection that is far more serious than the common cold or cough.

Contact Dr. Vaidya's customer service team to book a free online consultation by calling us on +91 2248931761 or emailing us at care@drvaidyas.com.