Theraflu pods for a Keurig type machine. Lots of fluids and rest!

I am a "believer" in Airborne, as are many of the nurses that I work with (under a lot of pressure to work when sick with colds!). It does seem to keep the cold mild, if not preventing it entirely.

Mucinex (guaifenesin) acts to thin mucus, DM (dextromethorphan) is a cough suppressant, Tylenol is for aches/pains/fever. If you don't have those symptoms, don't take those ingredients.

I had a horrible cold (with all the above) a few years ago (had not had any Airborne to take) and finally broke down and took some Theraflu hot elixir. It was like a miracle, within just a few minutes. I'd never had any cold remedy work so well.

Hot shower, Vicks vaporub, plenty of fluids, and rest. I will take something stronger, at night, so I can get some sleep. I usually talk to the pharmacist, so see what they recommend for my symptoms.

Dayquil & Nyquil are the only way we survive colds.

I take large doses of Vitamin C three times a day immediately. Often, the cold stops there and I am fine the next day.

I take Vitamin C daily, can't remember that last time I had a cold. My average is one cold in every seven to ten years.

Blackberry brandy. Doesn't help with a cure, but sure feels good on a sore throat and calms a cough.

And.. Oly, if you drink enough, who cares if you have a cold :)

Airborne, but doesn't work if you already have a cold.

We like Theraflu, as well. Zinc really does help reduce the severity of symptoms as well as the longevity. I keep a supply of camomile+ginger tea on hand, as well as good local honey and fresh lemon.

My husband is more likely to use all manner of products to reduce symptoms but I tend to feel relief with simpler products.

I also take to my warm bed at the first sign of a fever or cold. Sleep is the best cure for me.

Oh, I forgot the Puffs with lotion. When I have a cold regular Kleenex feels like sandpaper

Olychick, I've found relief from sore throats with peach brandy. I warm it up in the microwave (carefully) and it really does the trick. I once had a terrible sore throat that just would not go away. I was tested for strep and it wasn't that - docs were stumped. It hurt so bad that I couldn't eat anything but broth and it kept me awake at night. I did the warm peach brandy for a few days and the sore throat left as quickly as it appeared.

It was probably coincidence that it worked as the virus or whatever was most likely nearing the end of it's course, but regardless, I certainly enjoyed the cure!

Another who takes Airborne immediately at the first sign of not feeling good. It has always worked for me.

Cold-Eze for the zinc gluconate. I learned about it on another gardenweb forum about 20 years ago. Used to take psuedophed for symptom relief but it seems to raise my blood pressure nowadays, so I don't take it any more.

Benedictine. Invented eons ago as a medicine it is an excellent decongestant, Helps your lungs and sinuses. The alcohol and sugar that sooths the throat is there and it is packed with all sorts of medicinal herbs that do lord know what but it really works. You have to take it with caution as too much gives you the willies which makes me think it has ephedra in it which explains the decongesting part. I take a tiny glass (about half an ounce) three or four times daily for a couple of days.

I have never used Benedictine but that used to be what I drank over ice at home. It depends on if I actually have a cold or just sniffles and sneezes. For a cold I drink Gypsy Cold Care tea and then take guaifenesin. If that does not help use one of those multi symptom products like Theraflu.

Depending on your age, if you have high blood pressure or other health problems you might want to talk to your doctor about recommendations.

I do find a hot toddy right before bedtime helps with being able to go to sleep but drinking alcohol with some of the OTC cold medications especially if you are overlapping those meds can send you to lala land permanently.

Advil Cold & Sinus for a head cold, Robitussin DM with Expectorant if it moves down into our chest and lots of Lipton Chicken noodle soup. It’s also helpful and even important to drink a lot of fluids, my DH swears by hot tea & honey.

Alka Seltzer Plus Cold helps me go on with my day if I can't just go to bed.

Since several have posted combinations of things that they take please be careful and read and understand what each of the medications are in every medication you take. Some may have different names but are the same medication. It is easy to overdose yourself when using multiple cold and flu stuff especially if one states take every four hours and another states as an example every 24 hours but they both contain the same medication.

As others have said I clean my nose with the neti pot drink chicken soup and other hot drinks and pile on depending on the symptoms cold and or flu medications. I only take as much as I need and I follow the instructions. I generally add elderberry cough syrup and for a sore throat Sage tea and whole garlic. If I chew on the garlic and let it trickle down my throat I can sleep at night. Yes the stinky Rose works for me.

Husband fills the jetted tub with water as hot as I can stand it. Add some Eucalyptus oil and turn on the jets. He brings me a cup of hot tea with brandy, honey, and lemon. Gets me into bed and I sleep like a baby and sweat it out. I usually am good by morning, and dump all the bed linens in the washer, on hot, on my way out to work.

The minute I feel cold symptoms, I start Sambucol, an herbal antiviral. Some years back, I was so sick with the flu that I couldn't get out of bed (literally and I had dogs that had to be fed and let out) and had to get a friend to stay with me a couple of days. I started on the Sambucol, and by the third day was much better. My friend, a very experienced nurse, said she had never seen anyone so sick get so much better so fast.

I just went through several days of Sambucol to stop a cold from taking hold, and it worked again.

I've never heard of Sambucol. I'll have to see if anyone sells this around here.

He's taking the Mucinex during the day and the Robitussin at night to sleep better. Mucinex seems to keep him awake but Robitussin does not. He is always careful not to take too much meds at one time. He does not consume alcohol at all so, unfortunately, he cannot benefit from the hot toddies! UGH! He's drinking hot tea with local raw honey and lemon. So far, nothing is really doing much but he has no fever and was able to sleep last night. He usually gets this mess about once a year. It is always stubborn and takes two weeks to clear up...GAH!

I don't know if it really works or just my DNA , but long time ago a little old Italian lady told me to consume garlic every day to stay healthy. Garlic is suppose to contain natural antibiotics. I take a garlic pill every day. So far I have been pretty healthy. I figure it isn't going to hurt.

I use Alka Seltzer Plus or DayQuil during the day, and NyQuil at night.

That’s not your DNA functionthenlook, garlic is a natural antibiotic and a daily dose definitely helps to keep one healthy.

I take garlic daily also and am rarely sick. My husband does NOT...HA! Right now, I can feel that I have a little twinge of sickness but nothing that's really holding me down.

For those that are taking Mucinex and other products that keep you awake look at what you are taking. Many cold preparations contain decongestants which can in some people act like a stimulant.

NeoCitran for bedtime and Advil cold and sinus during the day. But I get so few colds I usually just give into it and lay low for the 3 or 4 days that it takes to go through.

I don’t take the supplements, I usually just add a fresh clove to something I eat. I say this while I’m knocking on wood, but I haven’t had a cold in years. My DD and SIL get them often though and DD usually gets pretty sick from them.

Rest more if I can. Wait it out. Guaifenesin to break things up. Aspirin if I have a headache. Sometimes a Vicks type inhaler to to temporarily clear sinuses. Other than the first which does break up congestion anywhere in the body ( I take if for aural fullness) I don't believe in cold remedies.

Mucinex in its original form does NOT contain other stuff. Just the Guaifenesin.

Watchme you have a typo. Your "original form" should be 'does not contain'. My husband's cardiologist warned us of this.

Arkansas girl, Sambucol is available from Amazon.

Nothing like man cold. Sigh.

Guaifenesin can be quite dangerous, I'm surprised it's still on the market.

I live near a lot of Eucalyptus trees, and so I collect the berries/seed pods from the ground and use them in my remedy, which is somewhat similar to Angela's.

Take a large bowl, add crushed Eucalyptus berries and then cover them with boiling water, enough to make sufficient steam. Then put your head over the bowl and cover your head with a bath towel, to keep the steam on your face. While leaning over this way, inhale as much steam as possible into both your nose and mouth. While doing this, mucous will flow from your nose into the bowl, but you will be throwing the water out anyway, and so this won't matter, and it will clean your sinuses. Have something handy to wipe your nose. A nurse had told me that inhaling steam when you are first coming down with a cold can sometimes stop it from developing, as the heat from the steam is supposed to kill the germs. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but at least you get a good facial from it, and it will also clean your pores.

I too take one of the zinc products at first sign of a cold.

I'm sure that all of you know and keep in mind that the common cold is caused by a virus. Nothing "cures" it, nothing brings the end sooner.

Over the counter items may help lessen some symptoms and make you feel better, though some of these can be dangerous for people with other unrelated medical issues (like high blood pressure). Read labels and check with a pharmacist or your physician if you're uncertain. Folk remedies usually do nada, though the ones with that involve alcohol have alcohol, that often makes people feel better whether they're sick or not.

Garlic and cloves are useful for cooking, they'll do nothing for the common cold.

Mayo Clinic gives some guidelines for relief from cold symptoms.

For garlic it is useful according to the studies cited on the Healthline link.

Studies on Elderberry syrup or sambucol are limited but promising according to Medical News today.

According to CNN news chicken soup may be more a bit of a soothing thing rather than a cold and flu shortener but apparently it's a good enough placebo to suggest we keep eating it especially if made with loving care.

For sage which I use there is a lot of information but not sure about the studies as I didn't get a chance to look at them all. Still it's an interesting read.

Personally I think these food-based things are fine since they are not dangerous unless over used crazily. Zinc can be over eaten but I think it's okay for a very short period of time. Follow the instructions on the bottle and generally speaking you're safe to take it.

Sage info

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003706/

Chicken soup

https://www-m.cnn.com/2017/12/01/health/chicken-soup-food-drayer/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323288.php

Garlic information from Healthline

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/garlic-fights-colds-and-flu

Mayo Clinic information for colds

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/cold-remedies/art-20046403

Not a cold remedy and perhaps just being test marketed here but I purchased a box of tissues that supposedly have Vicks in them or are scented with it. I have not opened it so can not state how strong the smell would be. For some it is the smell that is more comforting as it would remind them of earlier days.

Echinacea-4000 IU.

I use Alka Seltzer Plus like a few others. I find if I start it right away and keep it up every 4 hours it does help alleviate the symptoms. I rarely get colds though so I'm happy about that.

My dh on the other hand gets them frequently. He loves NyQuil when he's able to just sleep a lot and it seems to help. He also will get hot and sweaty and once that breaks, the cold seems to be gone. That's never happened to me though.

Hot soup and hot tea definitely help relieve congestion, at least for a little while.

Re. cough syrup, a friend who is into natural remedies sent me a recipe for home-made cough syrup and it works quite well (note, it is pretty spicy due to the ginger):

Cough Syrup

zest of 2 lemons (approx. 1 1/2 T)

1/4 cup fresh ginger peeled and
sliced

1 cup water

1 cup honey

1/2 cup lemon
juice

In a small saucepan, combine lemon zest, sliced ginger and 1 cup
of water. Bring mixture to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then strain through
into a heat-proof measuring cup.

Rinse the saucepan out and pour in 1 cup of honey. On low heat,
warm the honey, but do not allow it to boil. Add the strained lemon ginger
water and the lemon juice. Stir the mixture until it combines to form a thick
syrup.

Pour into a clean jar with a lid.

Note: This can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.

For children ages 1 to 5, use 1/2 to 1 tsp. every 2 hours. For
children ages 5 to 12, use 1 to 2 tsp. every 2 hours. For children 12 and older
and adults, use 1 to 2 T every 4 hours.

Airborne, the effervescent kind. It seems like it sometimes will stop a developing cold in its tracks. I am aware that may be a placebo effect. I don't care. I have pre-existing sinus issues and a head cold is brutal for me. So I will do almost anything to stop one from getting too bad.

I'm glad to read of some products that don't contain Tylenol or antihistimines or decongestants as these always tear up my stomach and add another problem on to the cold/flu.

Kadefol, that sound good! I prefer not to take any of those multiple chemical concoctions sold OTC.

Raye, it really does work well, especially for those annoying "something in your throat" coughs.

SLEEP. I get colds when I am exhausted and sleep really helps. As far as meds go, I try not to take any but in desperation I have tried Nyquil with some success.

Zicam, last time I bought it I accidentally bought the menthol one, it is awful but I still used it twice over the past few months when I started to get a sore throat, runny nose. After a couple days my symptoms went away.

yeonassky, so you know how to do Google searches and the dietitian whose article you linked to knows how to do PubMed searches. But both of you don't necessarily know what to do with what your searches turned up.

When your medical doctor starts recommending you take garlic and sage for your cold, then the random research projects that turn up in PubMed and various internet sites will have been put into context and agreed to.

(FYI, PubMed is nothing more than a catalog of articles. The dietitian describes it as a trusted source. Think of the card catalog at the library. It contains entries for what can be found in the library. Does that make it a "trusted source"? Are all the books listed good books or worth reading? No, of course not. Being in the catalog means they're available to be found, nothing more.

PubMed does the same. Being listed in PubMed is not an endorsement or statement of relevance of the article listed. It's a statement of existence. Lots of worthless and pointless research is done. But an article published exists and so is listed in PubMed. Until further work is done and findings are repeated, research results just hang out and mean nothing. Most aren't followed up on. )