We can’t prevent you from getting sick, but we can offer up some DIY cures that will help you kick a cold naturally.
Check out these four recipes for homemade cold remedies:
Cough and Cold Syrup
To alleviate the symptoms of a cold and shorten its duration.
You Will Need:
raw honey
coconut oil
fresh lemon
cinnamon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients until well mixed. (Do not heat your honey. Heating destroys the beneficial enzymes. If you must heat your honey, do so at the lowest temperature possible)
Spicy Cider Decongestant and Expectorant
To thin out mucus and expel it by loosening it up.
You Will Need:
cayenne pepper
honey
lemon juice
ginger
apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Pour ¼ cup of lemon juice and ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar in pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of raw organic honey and ¼-½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and powdered ginger each (the latter amount makes it quite strong.)
Store in a jar in a cool, dark place indefinitely.
Herbal Cough Drops
To stop coughing.
You Will Need:
peppermint
chamomile
cinnamon
ginger
Directions:
Steep peppermint, chamomile, cinnamon, and ginger in boiling water for 10 minutes or more.
Strain off water, and pour into a small saucepan.
Add honey.
Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to boil.
Clip candy thermometer to the side of your pan.
Continue boiling until mixture reaches 300º.
Watch carefully, it is really easy to burn when it gets this hot!
Let mixture cool for 5-10 minutes, until it starts to get syrupy.
At this point you can add a few drops of healing/antibacterial essential oils (this is totally optional!)
Drop by small spoonfuls onto parchment paper and let cool.
Dust with slippery elm bark, or at the very least, cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca starch to absorb condensation and prevent them from sticking together in storage.
Store in an airtight container.
Vapor Rub 
To relieve congestion.
You Will Need:
coconut oil
cocoa butter
beeswax
eucalyptus essential oil
peppermint essential oil
lavender essential oil
rosemary essential oil
tea tree essential oil
Directions:
In a saucepan, over low heat, add the coconut oil and cocoa butter. Melt.
Once melted, add the beeswax. Melt.
Remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to sit in the saucepan for 5 minutes. This will allow the mixture to cool so the oils aren’t damaged.
After 5 minutes, add the eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, and tea tree oils to the coconut oil mixture. Combine with a spoon.
Pour the mixture into a glass jar. This recipe will make one 4 oz. jar of vapor rub. As the mixture cools the liquid will solidify, making it a creamy, spreadable rub.
All these recipes are pretty easy to make, but working in a kitchen with plenty of counter space (like the kitchens at 100 Midtown in Atlanta and Cayce Cove in Cayce, South Carolina) certainly doesn’t hurt.
Any homemade cold remedies you swear by? Share them in the comments!
Images courtesy of Frugal Farm Wife and Live Simply.