Save yourself some money and a trip to the drugstore for that cold medicine. Here are some things you can do at home to quickly relieve cold symptoms and congestion.
Stir up some chicken soup. Researchers believe that there is something special about chicken soup. Maybe it is the heat from the broth, the aromatic smell or some secret ingredient. However, hot chicken soup does humidify the airways and help break up nasal congestion.
Eat some hot and spicy foods such as curry, hot peppers or horseradish. Or, you can try mixing a half a dozen drops of Tabasco sauce in a cup of warm water. Anything that gets your nose running in a hurry. My favorite is all natural hot picante sauce with tortilla chips.
Fiery foods like chili peppers and garlic get the mucus flowing which can help your lungs cough it up and out. Also menthol lozenges may help to relieve cough causing tickles in your throat.
Drink lots of fluids. Anything from water or orange juice to broth. It helps to thin the sticky secretions that clog you up. I personally like hot tea with honey and lemon. Maybe it is the steam, but I find it to help relieve minor congestion.
Hot fluids such as soup and teas helps thin mucus so that it flows more readily. It also increases moisture in your respiratory tract, which helps the mucus slide right out.
Another short term remedy is to take a hot steamy bath or shower. Or heat up a pot of water, turn off the stove and drape a towel over your head and the pot, and inhale the steam. But do make sure that you keep your face far enough away from the pot so you do not burn yourself. Your lungs will fill with soothing steam which may also provide some temporary relief from a cough.
