Growing up it seemed that no matter what was wrong with my brother and I, my mom always had something with a nasty taste or smell that would heal any cuts and scrapes and I swear if I came home with plague she would have made some kind of bubbling potion that would cure it.

Tea with Lemon:
The first thing they will tell you to do when you get a cold is to drink tea with lemon. This will usually relieve some of the symptoms and give you temporary relief. The reason this works is simple. The hot water from the tea helps open up your repertory system, and the lemon is full of vitamin C which is good for your immune system. Taking vitamin C everyday can help you avoid cold before they start.

Garlic:
Back in the day my mom would give my brother and I garlic soup. The soup has antiseptic properties, the oil in the soup help open the repertory system and it helps reduce fever in the body, and by adding some onion juice to the soup you can help flush unwanted toxins from the body, but be prepared because you will sweat them out.

Reduce a Fever:
It is not uncommon for someone with a cold to have a fever. A good way to reduce the fever is with Ginger. When cut up and boiled in water ginger has been found to lower a fever in a matter of hours. A less bitter way is to put a small piece of ginger into a glass then pour boiling water in the glass, after letting it sit for 2 or 3 minutes put a tea bag in the glass and add some sugar. This method is less effective but tastes much better.

Okra:
Okra is a green vegetable, that kind of looks like a cross of a pepper and zucchini. The vegetable is filled with Mucilage, which is great for soothing sore throats. Cut about 10 grams of Okra and boil them in about 1 liter of water. After the water boils you can inhale the steam and drink the water. The water will look oily. This oil is what sooths your sore throat.

Peppers:
Whenever I had a stuffy nose my mom would always make us a Tamarind and pepper soup. This would immediately make my nose flow a river and my eyes tear out of control. The hot peppers open the nasal passages and cause everything to flow out.

Bitter Gourd Roots
Many of my mom\\\'s remedies are for relieving the symptoms of the cold like a fever or a sore throat but this one is for clearing up the actual cold itself. A past of the gourd is used with honey with a 1 to 1 mixture. A teaspoon of the mixture is taken at night for a month. This will remove the cold germs and help strengthen the immune system.

Turmeric:
Turmeric is a cure all. It not only relieves the symptoms of the cold like runny nose and sore throat, it also helps kill the cold germs and strengthen the immune system all at once. The turmeric is bought as a powder. Add half a teaspoon is added to a cup of milk them boiled. The steam should be inhaled while it is boiling then poured into a glass, allowed to cool slightly then drink twice a day. Your nose will start to run much more then before but in a day you will feel much better.

These are just a small example of all the home remedies that are out there. I have personally tried several of these methods, and can vouch for their effectiveness.

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