Probably the nth cold treatment thread

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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,151
1,544
Cumbria
Probably been talked to death but I'm too sneezey to search longer than the 2 minute search I've just done.

So how do you treat the various cold symptoms? Treat isn't the right word, more like manage or live with is better.

I'm at work and I'm one of the 7 dwarves and I'm not going to bother another, so I'll bother you lot!:)

This bug hit me hard shortly after getting to work. Now I'm sneezing a looootttt and dripping like a tap. Nothing but an insulated cup of strong coffee with way too much sugar to get by and my last break of the day has finished so once it runs out I'm in trouble.

My go to treatments are buttercup syrup and Tesco brand version of lemsip. If no lemsip it's coffee and paracetamol, never exceeding the dose and taking with 2 hour longer gap between doses than allowed. At home lemsip clone with added honey and if available lemon juice. I've run out of vitamin C and I've heard vit D helps somehow.

So what's your remedy, herbal treatment, comforter, medication or habit for three common cold symptoms?

Running nose - disposable tissues, well get the bug your body clears out away from you by not using a cotton handkerchief.
Blocked nose - nothing helps me but buttercup syrup and Olbas oil in a bowl of boiling water by your side.
Sneeze - sit down and wait the attack out .
Feeling eurgh- coffee! Strong with plenty of sugar. Now is not the time to think about reducing sugar content (unless diabetes or pre-diabetes of course).
General symptoms - own brand supermarket lemsip with added honey and lemon juice.
Ears - if a head cold I try to dab or blow my nose gently to try and stop it spreading to my ears. I've found I can blow my nose enough to get cloth ears and ultimately ear infection. Having had burst eardrum before (heaven when it happened taking away the pain) I do try to avoid ear infections.

So these are my list of what I try to do during colds. Please post your solutions to sun symptoms. There's rarely once solution for every symptom hence I did this list.
 

Van-Wild

Full Member
Feb 17, 2018
1,400
1,221
44
UK
Probably been talked to death but I'm too sneezey to search longer than the 2 minute search I've just done.

So how do you treat the various cold symptoms? Treat isn't the right word, more like manage or live with is better.

I'm at work and I'm one of the 7 dwarves and I'm not going to bother another, so I'll bother you lot!:)

This bug hit me hard shortly after getting to work. Now I'm sneezing a looootttt and dripping like a tap. Nothing but an insulated cup of strong coffee with way too much sugar to get by and my last break of the day has finished so once it runs out I'm in trouble.

My go to treatments are buttercup syrup and Tesco brand version of lemsip. If no lemsip it's coffee and paracetamol, never exceeding the dose and taking with 2 hour longer gap between doses than allowed. At home lemsip clone with added honey and if available lemon juice. I've run out of vitamin C and I've heard vit D helps somehow.

So what's your remedy, herbal treatment, comforter, medication or habit for three common cold symptoms?

Running nose - disposable tissues, well get the bug your body clears out away from you by not using a cotton handkerchief.
Blocked nose - nothing helps me but buttercup syrup and Olbas oil in a bowl of boiling water by your side.
Sneeze - sit down and wait the attack out .
Feeling eurgh- coffee! Strong with plenty of sugar. Now is not the time to think about reducing sugar content (unless diabetes or pre-diabetes of course).
General symptoms - own brand supermarket lemsip with added honey and lemon juice.
Ears - if a head cold I try to dab or blow my nose gently to try and stop it spreading to my ears. I've found I can blow my nose enough to get cloth ears and ultimately ear infection. Having had burst eardrum before (heaven when it happened taking away the pain) I do try to avoid ear infections.

So these are my list of what I try to do during colds. Please post your solutions to sun symptoms. There's rarely once solution for every symptom hence I did this list.
How do I get over colds? Just ride it out. I don't take medication (other than for migraines which if bad can incapacitate me). I let my body sort it out naturally. It will boost the immune system in the long run. Generally, I'll only get one cold a year, when the season changes from cold/dry to cold/wet and it usually coincides with my kids catching a bug at school. I just ride it out. Any amount of potions or lotions will help of course, but they don't help your immune system get stronger.

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Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
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Exmoor
Home made elderberry syrup is brilliant for colds.take with hot water. Garlic pearls. I get themy from Holland and Barrett. If I have a cold I take 5 a day otherwise it's the normal 1 a day all winter.
Vick rubbed on the feet and coverd with a thin pair of socks overnight. Olbas oil is good. I put a couple of drops on my collar during the day or the top of my pillow at night. Be careful you don't put it near where your face will be. Nasty if it rubs off near eyes!.
I found an antihistamine helped with sneezing sometimes.
Hope you feel better soon.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
A cold is a virus infection. Viruses are extremely resistant to cures.

You can take anything you like to feel better ( placebo effect) but in reality only rest and time will cure you.

Go to bed, or at least do not do anything physical, drink plenty of warm beversages, rest. You will get better within a few days.

The only proper cure, as believed by generations of central European wise men and women, is to make a strong black tea, sweeten it with natural honey then add a liberal dose of Rum.
Dosage of Rum: The more the better.
several times a day.
Rest.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
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Exmoor
Home made chicken broth is rumoured to be a cure and eat plenty of onions. Your friends may not thank you but they were my great grans natural remedy. She lived to be 103 and swore she never suffered from colds so she must have had something right!
 
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gra_farmer

Full Member
Mar 29, 2016
1,800
1,019
Kent
I agree with Janne, nothing but simply going to bed, or at least do not do anything physical, drink plenty of warm beversages, rest.

I used to snuggle up on the sofa, with a sleeping bag, and my favourite program to watch....can recommend most 1990s BBC TV series. You will get better within a few days.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
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Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Home made chicken broth is rumoured to be a cure and eat plenty of onions. Your friends may not thank you but they were my great grans natural remedy. She lived to be 103 and swore she never suffered from colds so she must have had something right!

A visit to KFC then? Boiled or fried - same chicken!
:)
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
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65
Exmoor
A visit to KFC then? Boiled or fried - same chicken!
:)
No! KFC is not the answer. It has to be home made chicken broth made with the chicken bones carrots peas potatoes and plenty of onions. I think the onions were the important ingredient.
That said I guess a little of what you fancy when feeling grotty won't hurt.
I'm a great believer in listening to my body and eating what I feel like. I don't like liver much, but last week I realy fancied liver and onions with mash and green beans so I made some. Realy enjoyed it as long as I didn't think about the liver! I still had a bit of a chesty cough after my asthma attack so I had more onion than liver. I went to bed and woke up next day feeling much better. Could have been that I'd have recovered next day anyway. But I'm swearing by the onions! :)
 
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Fadcode

Full Member
Feb 13, 2016
2,857
894
Cornwall
I prefer 2 beef oxo cubes in a bowl, laced with pepper (white), then topped up with boiling water, bread pieces put in the dish to the top, then eat, a bit like the old favourite Beef Broth,.... works a treat for me...........normally sweat like hell during the night, but soon over the cold,
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
If you're having to work through it none of the 'cures' will be available to you.
Get to a chemist and buy Contac Non Drowsy Dual Relief...cost you under a fiver, and it's not a cure, but it will effectively deal with the miseries of running nose and eyes, and ease headache and sore throat until you can get home and then take the 'cures'.

Hot steamy bath or shower, then a peppery dish (Fadcode's sounds about right) or a sweet but hot (not blast your head off hot, just hot enough to know there's heat in it) curry.
Sweat it out, ease everything.

Oh, and honestly, it's worth the extra, buy the enriched with balm, tissues. Your nose is going to be sore enough, it doesn't need to be sandpapered too.

Link to the Contac stuff, but any Chemist's will have it.
http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/contact-non-drowsy-dual-relief-tablets-x-18

I hope it's gone pdq. Miserable anyway but somehow worse at this time of year.
 

Zingmo

Eardstapa
Jan 4, 2010
1,295
117
S. Staffs
I've read somewhere that your body's response to the cold virus is to raise your body temperature. If it gets this right then it can damage the virus without doing you any permanent harm. So why do we all take remedies that bring your temperature down? Surely that's just going to prolong the agony.

Once I am sure that the cold has got a foothold, I usually resort to two natural remedies: Chili and whisky.

Z
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,151
1,544
Cumbria
There's no cure other than that your body naturally applies but I'm really looking for ideas I've never thought of for feeling as good as a cold will allow. It's about making the symptoms bearable.

To that end I've got a bottle if xmas beer, rum, spiced rum and port in the house. Possibly a single malt whisky at the back of the cupboard but it'll have been first opened about 7 years ago at least so might not be good now. So which will be best for how I feel? The rum is rough, spiced rum less rough but you get a strong burn or smooth port. I got a 50cl bottle of local distillery spiced rum a few months back from Plumgarths near kendal. Two sisters was the brand iirc. So smooth and full of flavour. No wonder it disappeared way too quickly! Wish I had that now.

Think I'll go home, get the family stuff done (son to beavers, dog walked, etc) then flop on the sofa until boy is asleep. One last hot drink and bed with a bowl of freshly boiled water with olbas oil added. Oh and door shut tight. Wish the humidifier still worked. It's not bad at helping you breathe through a cold at night. Plus propping myself up higher in bed with at least two firm pillows. A raised head at night helps I think.

Need lemon juice and honey.

One thing I noticed last autumn/winter was olives stuffed with garlic. It is too late once the cold arrives but I'm convinced it resulted in fewer colds during that cold season. I also took vit c. My partner read vit d helps with immune system and cold prevention but I doubt vit supplements really help personally.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
If I'm going to be sick, I'll make the best of it. Better than being grumpy.
Red wine and a really garlic-stinky Cesar salad. Mess of pasta Alfredo with bacon, sort of Carbonara.
This is a menu that is very soothing to both my guts and my head.
Rotini holds more cheese sauce than other pastas.
Garlic stuffed olives (Queen Greens) are a nice treat with the first glass of red.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
There's no cure other than that your body naturally applies but I'm really looking for ideas I've never thought of for feeling as good as a cold will allow. It's about making the symptoms bearable.

To that end I've got a bottle if xmas beer, rum, spiced rum and port in the house. Possibly a single malt whisky at the back of the cupboard but it'll have been first opened about 7 years ago at least so might not be good now. So which will be best for how I feel? The rum is rough, spiced rum less rough but you get a strong burn or smooth port. I got a 50cl bottle of local distillery spiced rum a few months back from Plumgarths near kendal. Two sisters was the brand iirc. So smooth and full of flavour. No wonder it disappeared way too quickly! Wish I had that now.

Think I'll go home, get the family stuff done (son to beavers, dog walked, etc) then flop on the sofa until boy is asleep. One last hot drink and bed with a bowl of freshly boiled water with olbas oil added. Oh and door shut tight. Wish the humidifier still worked. It's not bad at helping you breathe through a cold at night. Plus propping myself up higher in bed with at least two firm pillows. A raised head at night helps I think.

Need lemon juice and honey.

One thing I noticed last autumn/winter was olives stuffed with garlic. It is too late once the cold arrives but I'm convinced it resulted in fewer colds during that cold season. I also took vit c. My partner read vit d helps with immune system and cold prevention but I doubt vit supplements really help personally.

Alcohol does not get bad if kept for years.
The best is that the bottle is unopened, as it will slowly evaporate. Will not get bad though.
Of course, the insects and other animals that might drown in it ( if left open) can only make it even better!

Think Snake infused alcohol in Asia. Think 'The Worm' in proper Mescal.

Maybe that is an excellent business idea, make a Dry Gin with a drowned London Cockroach floating inside?
Scottish Malt with Mosquitoes?

These enhanced products would fly off the shelves in Asia!!
:)

Re Sweating: Yes, increased temp will help killing the wee b-tards.

The old central European cure ( Rom with a drop of tea ) should be taken in bed. Then cover yourself with a duvet to 'sweat it out' !
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
@Woody girl , if you feel that Onion does you good, then I recommend this:

Buy a proper Rye bread ( Polish for example), butter ( no artificial stuff!) one side heavily.
peel an onion (of any sort but not Vidalia onion)
Slice in very thin slices.
Place a heaped amount on top of buttered bread.
Sprinkle with flaked salt.

Enjoy!

The negative ( or positive?) is that people will stay away from you, or upwind. Deliciously tasty, but you will get a breath like an Ogre.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,518
3,457
65
Exmoor
@Woody girl , if you feel that Onion does you good, then I recommend this:

Buy a proper Rye bread ( Polish for example), butter ( no artificial stuff!) one side heavily.
peel an onion (of any sort but not Vidalia onion)
Slice in very thin slices.
Place a heaped amount on top of buttered bread.
Sprinkle with flaked salt.

Enjoy!

The negative ( or positive?) is that people will stay away from you, or upwind. Deliciously tasty, but you will get a breath like an Ogre.

I prefer cooked onions. Raw is probably better as far as retaining vitamins etc but I can't do raw onion. Anyway I like to keep my friends rather than drive them away with bad breath!
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Going off topic:

Vitamin D is very difficult to get through food.
beef liver, fatty fish, not much else.

Sun. You know, that shiny yellow thing we see so seldom in northern half of Europe...
 
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