One inevitable result of the increased human interaction that occurs around the holiday season is the propagation of the common cold. This ubiquitous illness is most commonly caused by the rhinovirus but other viruses can also cause a cold including respiratory syncytial virus, human parainfluenza viruses, adenovirus, human coronaviruses, and human metapneumovirus.
Sore throat and runny nose are usually the first signs of a cold, followed by coughing and sneezing. Most people recover from their cold in about 7-10 days.
The three most important things that you can do to avoid catching a cold include washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands and avoid contact with people who are sick.
If you are unfortunate enough to come down with a cold you might be tempted to reach for a natural remedy to cure it. This because, despite all the advances in modern medicine, we still don’t have a cure for the common cold. The question is, how effective are these remedies or more importantly, do they work at all? Well, lucky for us that the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has been systematically studying this issue and have come up with some proven natural remedies for the common cold.
These include:Zinc
Oral zinc lozenges may reduce the duration of the common cold when started within 24 hours of initial symptoms and taken for a time period of less than 2 weeks. Intranasal zinc has been linked to a severe side effect (anosmia or loss of smell) and should not be used.Vitamin C
For most people, vitamin C does not prevent colds and only slightly reduces their length and severity. Vitamin C is generally considered safe except when taken in high doses.Echinacea
Although there is the potential that some preparations of echinacea are more effective than placebo for treating colds, the overall evidence for clinically relevant treatment effects is weak. Results of individual prophylaxis trials consistently show positive (though not significant) trends, although potential effects are of questionable clinical relevance. Echinacea purpurea may be associated with an increased risk of rash in children.Probiotic Supplementation
Currently, not enough research has been conducted to determine whether probiotics may prevent colds, and little is known about their long-term safety.

Nasal Saline Irrigation
Saline nasal irrigation may have benefits for relieving symptoms of the common cold in children and adults, and may have potential benefits for relieving some symptoms of acute upper respiratory infection. For more information regarding how to safely perform a nasal saline irrigation please refer to the following link:
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/rinsing-your-sinuses-neti-pots-safe

Honey (Buckwheat)
Research suggests that buckwheat honey is superior to placebo for reducing frequency of cough, reducing cough, and improving quality of sleep for children with the common cold. Honey should not be used in children younger than 1 year of age because of the risk of botulism.

Geranium Extract
Geranium extract (Pelargonium sidoides) may be helpful in relieving symptoms of acute bronchitis, acute sinusitis, and the common cold in children and adults, but the quality of evidence is low. Research suggests that Pelargonium sidoides is generally well tolerated in most people.

So there you have it. While certainly not a cure, these herbal remedies may play a role in reducing cold symptom severity and/or duration of illness when used appropriately. Funny, I didn’t see chicken soup on this list. I wonder if they’re going to study that next?