Have a Cold? Soothe Your Throat with These Remedies
Ah, winter, how I love the dripping noses, hacking cough, scratchy throat, and feverish glow. OK, not really, and we bet you don't either. That's why we rounded up our favorite cough and throat remedies to help ease your cold weather illnesses.
Throat and Cough Drops
Ricola Lemon Mint: Slightly astringent, these drops can be a little harsh for some people. I find them soothing, and the tart lemon makes me swallow less and therefore gives my dry throat a break.
Honees Regular: These Italian candies by Ambrosoli Confectioners aren't necessarily meant to ease your cough, but the liquid honey center (in the red package) coats the throat just right. They also sell a Honees Cough Drop, which is OK and has a eucalyptus center.
Luden's Cherry: It's hard to tell if Luden's really help alleviate a cough, but with their sweet cherry taste and ruby red exterior you can indulge in their candylike flavor and pretend you're doing yourself some good.
Halls Lemon-Honey: A simple classic, Halls are smooth and short on the lemon tang that other drops tend to have.
Teas and BrewsHomemade Ginger Honey Tea: When she isn't feeling well, Tam Ngo makes a special tea by boiling a one- to two-inch knob of ginger for an hour then adding a tablespoon of honey and half a lemon's worth of juice.
Hot Coke: Michele Humes said that hot Coke with ginger and lemon is a a common Chinese cure for a cold. A little digging found a decent and easy recipe from the blog Yevonne's Stuff.
Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea: You don't even need honey because this tea is made with slippery elm, a classic sore-throat soother.
Hot Toddy: This is my favorite way to pass the achy night away. For a simple and effective recipe, check out the blog post I wrote on how to make a hot toddy while in the throes of a cough.
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16 Comments:
We've found a honey-citron tea at the Korean grocery store that my hubby refers to as "penicillin tea" because it is SO good when you are sick. It looks like a big jar of marmalade. You drop a big spoonful into a mug, mix it with hot water, and yum. Good on the throat, loaded with vitamin C, and it tastes fabulous.
trillian42 at 3:56PM on 02/17/09
Lifesavers. Inexpensive, easy to carry, easy to have in your mouth without being so obvious. The sugar coats your throat to stop your coughing.
twosavoie at 3:58PM on 02/17/09
oh man, I LOVE the Throat Coat tea!! But nothing helped my night coughs like my humidifer.
dualicious at 4:15PM on 02/17/09
When I was in college in the snow I had a terrible chest cold and my mother told me to go and get a bottle of bourbon and make a hot toddy (never mind I was 17 years old). I have never had a remedy work so well and you get a lovely, fuzzy feeling. It's almost worth getting sick.
louclakat at 4:17PM on 02/17/09
I have honey, lemon and ginger and a couple of cloves with hot water, my husband always insists on adding a good splash of whiskey to that if he's got a cold! He is also quite addicted to Jakemans cough sweets - I'm quite partial to the cherry flavour myself, he prefers the aniseed ones http://www.jakemans.com/home.ashx
Iheartcupcakes at 4:34PM on 02/17/09
My host mom when I studied in Spain forced me to down "infusion de tomillo" for the constant colds I had. I gotta say; it really works, and I found with later research that thyme is known to be a natural anti-inflammatory, so it makes sense. Simmer 3-4 pieces of whole dried thyme for about 10 minutes, then add honey and lemon in copious quantities. I add a knob of ginger to the simmer if I have any.
Embackus at 4:59PM on 02/17/09
If you like throat coat tea, try Thayers Slipper Elm - a bit of a taste of cardboard, but really soothes without too much sugar.
I've also been enjoying the new Hall's ProHealth Defense - they have vitamins & zinc (but not so much to make you throw up). They even come in Pink Grapefruit flavor.
My favorite home remedy is honey & lemon. Juice a whole lemon, and then add two spoonfuls of honey, stir and sip by the spoon. (Honey is supposed to be as good at suppressing coughs as the non-narcotic stuff, and the acid in the lemon juice cuts phlegm.)
cybele at 5:19PM on 02/17/09
I find gargling a salt water solution works 10X better than any throat drop you can buy. Not as tasty and minty...but works better. :)
TroubleBaker at 7:40PM on 02/17/09
yes a warm-water and salt gargle has cured me of terrible sore throats. it really works.
i've got to try the thyme remedy. that sounds very good.
hot toddy - rocks.
pooch at 9:47PM on 02/17/09
Hot water+ Lotsa Lemon +Honey= you'll never buy a packaged remedy again.
veggieout at 10:44AM on 02/18/09
Broth or boullion, one clove of smashed up garlic, sambal paste or sriracha, fresh ground black pepper. Nothing better.
Kerosena at 10:51AM on 02/18/09
The latest gimmick in cold cures is zinc cough droups: the zinc jams up the germs' ability to attach to your throat and lungs, I believe.
Anyway, Cold Eeze brand now produces sugarless ones - pomegranate flavor, yet! They have a light, sweet taste that's actually more like raspberry, but very good. Pity the package recommends only 2 a day. They work, too.
gentlyferal at 2:46PM on 02/18/09
My mom, who is Polish, always chopped some fresh onions and added about 5-6 tablespoons of sugar; both get sealed in a jar. Come back about two hours later and the onion's chemical reactions with the sugar cause a tasty, sweet syrup to form that really ceases a cough. What can I say, natural is always preferred (and it just tastes really good too!)
ChicagoDrew at 8:09PM on 02/19/09
my friend had these hoarhound cough drops she got at the drugstore... nice herbal taste for those like my who dont like the super sweet taste of most cough drops [i dont like the way the sugary stuff makes my lips and teeth feel all coated]. i havent found them again, but they were super effective.
redzerostar at 12:19AM on 02/20/09
during my last bout with a nasty cold I discovered that chocolate soothes sore throats! ~ I'm partial to Halls Mentho-Lyptus cough drops, to Traditional Medicinals Gypsy Cold Care & Breathe Easy Teas with liberal amounts of honey, to oranges and to hot & sour soup.
petitesoeur at 5:00PM on 02/21/09
I use my grandmother's recipe for a toddy. It calls for Myer's dark rum instead of whiskey and I think it makes a smoother toddy.
RI Swampyankee at 9:46PM on 02/28/09