Favorite Cold Remedies

Growing up my mom would make us take an Echinacea tincture for our colds. She would give it to us strait from the dropper undiluted. It was SO gross, but I think it really helped!
 
Now that I am a mother I still use Echinacea for colds and immune boosting benefits, but it's not the most frugal option out there. It's not easy to get the kids to take it unless it's a children's formula, but one small bottle will run you about $15.

Echinacea is also more of an aid to boosting your immune system rather than a kicker for colds. What we have experimented with in our household are different frugal cold remedies that really kick the cold before it gets bad.





So here are our favorites:

Raw Garlic. As soon as I start to feel a cold coming on I chop up a few cloves of raw garlic and swallow it. This works best if you do it several times until you feel the cold going away. Garlic has very strong anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. It also boost your immune system among many other things. Not to mention this remedy cost cents and really works. It's a little spicy going down, but worth it!

Raw Ginger - this is another really potent food remedy for colds. Even spicier than garlic so it may be hard to swallow. A great way to ingest it is through making your own ginger tea. Finely chop a few tablespoon of ginger and add to your hot water to make ginger tea. After steeping for a bit, strain the tea and add raw honey to balance out the spicy ginger. It will feel great on your throat and help fight that cold. You can also buy quality ginger tea if you don't want to mess with it raw.

Raw Honey - honey is very soothing to the sore throat and has natural antibiotic properties. It also contains vitamins and minerals to help you heal faster. This mom uses  honey mixed with cinnamon for her children's colds.  If there is one remedy my children will readily take its raw honey, they love it!

Bone Broth - being sick depletes your system of much needed vitamins and minerals for healing. Homemade bone broth made into soups or sipped in a mug help the healing process move faster. This is a little more time consuming if you don't have some on hand, but I try to make a big batch and freeze the extra. There's nothing tastier than a chicken soup made with homemade bone broth, food for the soul! Here's a great tutorial on how to make it. 

Apple Cider Vinegar and Raw Honey

Raw Apple Cider Vinegar - last but certainly not least, this is my favorite remedy! Apple Cider Vinegar is considered the cure all remedy. It's the best I tell you!  You can read all about the uses here.  For our coughs and colds this remedy has been the best. I can mix it with raw honey and water and my children will drink it happily. I cannot praise it enough. In the winter we are going to take it daily to keep the colds away before they even come around.




Do you have a favorite cold remedy that's not listed here? Let me know in the comments!


I am linking up with Hallie's Five Favorites, Party Wave Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday and Pennywise platter. Make sure to check out all the other links for some great posts!

"I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible"
-St. Ignatius of Antioch