The common cold is all around – what helps and what’s useless
8/12/2023
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
The sniffle season is upon us. Read on to find out what really helps relieve colds, coughs and sore throats – and what doesn’t.
It seems like everyone’s sniffling and coughing right now. Hardly anyone gets through the annual wave of colds unscathed. In the search for relief, drugstores and pharmacies offer a wide range of remedies – from combination cold remedies to bath additives, nasal sprays and ear drops. But which of them really make sense and which (expensive) products can you do without? This is what conventional medicine and naturopathy say:
Keep calm and drink tea
This is the essence of treating a cold: rest, patience and plenty of fluids.
In this article on the treatment of the common cold, published by the University of Virginia, the researchers come to a sobering conclusion. There are few truly effective and safe treatment options for the common cold.
They conclude that only over-the-counter painkillers and decongestants with or without antihistamines (e.g. nasal spray) can relieve a common cold. For children under the age of four, the recommendation is to avoid medication altogether. In older children, ACC (acetylcysteine) to help thin the secretions, honey, nasal rinses with a saline solution and ointments containing camphor, menthol and eucalyptus oil can help provide relief.
Your body self-heals
And that’s it for the recommended remedies. The authors advise people to understand that the body itself can fight a cold and that many over-the-counter medicines won’t speed up this process.
They explicitly advise against antibiotics, cold remedies and cough suppressants, as these medications offer no demonstrable benefits. Medication that suppresses the symptoms doesn’t help fight the causes and can even worsen the course of the illness if mucus accumulates that can no longer be coughed up.
The bottom line is: you can confidently do without expensive cold remedies from the pharmacy. Instead, accept that your body needs rest and recovery. If you want to make your time more pleasant, you can get a few tips from naturopathy.
Relax and do something good for yourself
Where conventional medicine reaches its limit, nature still has a few plants up its sleeve that can make the cold season easier for you.
Steam: inhaling helps moisturise your mucous membranes, making it easier to breathe. Camomile tea is suitable for this. Alternatively, essential oils of eucalyptus, mountain pine or cowslip are also great. Breathe in the steam of hot (not boiling) water with the tea or essential oil twice a day for about 15 minutes. You can also use an inhaler, but leave out the essential oils as it may irritate the bronchial tubes. The aerosols from the inhaler also reach the lower respiratory tract, which means they can loosen mucus in the bronchial tubes.
Wraps: thyme has an antispasmodic effect and is particularly suitable for a wrap that relaxes the bronchial tubes. Simply pour hot water over fresh or dried thyme. After about ten minutes, soak a cloth in the thyme broth, wring it out and then place it on your chest for half an hour.
Gargles: a sore throat can cause lots of discomfort. Drinking hot tea provides relief. Camomile, thyme and sage tea are good for this purpose. Gargling also helps. For gargles, reach for sage, liquorice or mallow blossoms.
The power of plants
Aromatherapy is another option, as many essential oils have an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect (link in German). Put a few drops of the oil of your choice in a diffuser to help you find relief.
Anti-inflammatory: camomile, lavender, immortelle
Expectorant: rosemary, eucalyptus, fennel and aniseed
Antibacterial: thyme, clove, cinnamon, oregano and savory
Antiviral: eucalyptus, tea tree oil, lemon, lemon balm
You can use these remedies to make your time a little easier if you’ve caught a cold. But the most important thing is to allow yourself as much rest as possible so your body can overcome the illness itself.
Header image: goodbishop/Shutterstock
Science editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always outside - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.