Do you remember when your mother handed you hot lemon water or orange juice when you started sneezing or had a running nose? Lemons or oranges contain a lot of Vitamin C and Vitamin C is believed to alleviate symptoms of a cold. Vitamin C as a cure for the common cold was suggested during the 1970s, however, recent studies suggest that Vitamin C does not actually cure a common cold. Clinical trials discovered that Vitamin C did not actually reduce the frequency, duration, or severity of a common cold. If you don’t believe me read this article on WebMD.
Even though studies suggest that Vitamin C does not actually help in the common cold, it is still safe to take Vitamin C (from a natural source, citrus fruits for example) or supplements. In fact, Vitamin C has a lot of proven benefits such as protection against cardiovascular disease, immune system deficiencies, prenatal health problems, and eye disease.
When you are suffering from cold, you are also suggested to drink chicken soup or pork broth. That is because meat products contain a lot of Zinc and zinc is believed to control common cold symptoms. However, clinical studies carried out to determine the effect of zinc on treating common cold have pointed to some other facts. According to the studies, while zinc was able to shorten the duration of the common cold, it made no positive difference in the severity of the cold. When people suffering from cold were given zinc, the cold duration was reduced by one-third, however, zinc did not improve their condition.
While zinc in chicken soup or pork broth may not help you to alleviate the severe symptom of common cold, chicken soup and pork broth have many other benefits and you can still take these foods when you are suffering from cold.
A lot of people also recommend yogurt as a treatment of a cold. Well, yogurt is a probiotic and the healthy bacteria in yogurt help the human body in many ways. But does probiotic like yogurt can alleviate symptoms of the common cold? A clinical trial that included 3700 people of different age groups suggested that those taking yogurt regularly are less likely to suffer from cold.
What does this actually mean to you? Well, you can take zinc-rich foods like meat, eggs, whole grains, nuts, dairy products, legumes or zinc supplements when you are suffering from cold. Zinc will reduce your common cold duration, however, your symptoms will not improve. Zinc has a lot of health benefits including improving the immune system and metabolism, however, too much zinc consumption can also lead to
Ginger is also one of the recommended home remedies for fighting common cold naturally. Those who are a fan of ginger have something to cherish as clinical studies have established that ginger is effective in alleviating the symptoms of the common cold. Likewise, studies have suggested that garlic is not only effective in controlling the common cold but also reduces the chances of catching a common cold substantially. Furthermore, studies also suggest that ginseng and ginseng extracts are also effective in preventing the common cold.
Many of us follow home remedies just like the religion, no question asked. It is good to avoid medication for minor ailments and use natural methods to control and cure common health complications like cold, cough etc. However, when we are using home remedies, we must make sure whether these natural remedies actually work.