Five Cold Remedies You Can Find in Your Kitchen

I have a treat for you this week!  Cold season is upon us,  and I know that we all try our hardest to prevent colds,  but sometimes we can’t. Those pesky germs sneak in when we’re not looking.    That’s why I am so excited that Krissa,  from More Than Mundane,  is going to share  five cold remedies you can find in your kitchen.

****************************

Hello Nap Time is My Time Readers!  I’m thrilled to be here today sharing these five simple cold remedies with you.

Over the past couple years I’ve started trying to find more natural home remedies to use for my family rather than running straight to the drug store when one of us is sick.  Something about having kids has made me want to avoid as many drug store medications as I can…and many of them aren’t recommended for kids anyway!

It can be a little overwhelming to start with,  especially if you’ve spent your whole life dependent on drug store remedies. But some of the best home remedies I’ve tried have come straight from my kitchen…there’s something to be said about eating chicken soup when you’re sick after all!   Here are 5 natural home remedies that I use,  and have found to be effective:

Honey– My daughter is so accustomed to hearing me say,  “Want some honey, honey?”  when she has a sore throat or cough that she says it along with me now.  Honey is great for sore throats and also helps with coughs.  I give my daughter a spoonful before bedtime when she has a cough and it helps keep all the coughing to a minimum.  Just be sure not to give honey to children under two.

Garlic– This is one that might be hard to get the kids to cooperate with, but if you can get them to eat some raw garlic,  it works miracles!  I crush it up with honey and spread it on toast and it’s actually not so bad.  Plus,  with the honey,  it’s a double dose of healing!

Lemon– Not only is lemon great to cut down the length of a cold and help with coughs,  it is also great for cold prevention and building immunity.  To shorten the duration of a cold, squeeze lemon in hot water.  For coughs, add lemon to a spoonful of honey.  To build immunity,  add lemon to a glass of water each morning…or all throughout the day for that matter!  Fresh lemon works great, but I also use lemon essential oil, which is great for those times when lemons aren’t in season.

Ginger– For a sore throat or cough,  make some ginger tea by steeping some peeled,  raw ginger slices in hot water.  Add in some lemon slices and honey for more healing power (and better tasting tea).  Ginger is also a great remedy for nausea, so this tea would be great if you’re experiencing morning sickness as well.

Salt Water Gargle– My mom always had us do this when we had sore throats growing up. I never really enjoyed it much, but it did do the trick!  Just put 1/2 a teaspoon of salt in a small glass of warm/room temperature water and stir to dissolve,  then gargle as long as you can,  spit,  and repeat.

Krissa is the mom to two adorable kids and is busy juggling her time being a  “mostly”  stay at home,  work from home mom,  who is also attempting to part-time homeschool for the first time.  In her not so free time,  she blogs over at More Than Mundane, where she shares recipes,  book reviews,  natural home remedies and more.

Subscribe to her RSS Feed.  Or find her on Pinterest.

****************************

Great tips, Krissa!   Thank you very much for sharing.   I’ll be stocking up on my honey,   garlic,  and ginger for the long winter ahead!

If you’re interested in being a featured guest blogger for Nap Time is My Time,  please visit this page for more details.