The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. It is caused by rhinoviruses, coronavirus, enteroviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza. The usual route is by inhaling airborne particles spread by an infected person coughing or sneezing; however, viruses can survive on surfaces and be picked up by physical contact.

Typical symptoms are a runny nose, congested sinuses, sore throat (pharyngitis), fever, headache, itching eyes, muscle aches and pains, fatigue, and a cough. The cough may be dry or productive and can linger for weeks. A cold can also progress to bronchitis or pneumonia.

There are no specific medicines for treating viral infections because of the diversity of viruses involved, so anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDS) are prescribed in an attempt to reduce fever and pain. Antibiotics are still commonly given as well; however, these have no influence on viruses, and instead cause disruption to the gut’s microbial balance which hinders general immune function and recovery.

Treatment

General

Catching a cold, like any illness, is a time to stay at home, rest and recuperate while it takes its course. Nevertheless, we live in an age when we are expected to continue to perform at work without convalescence, and so are encouraged to suppress symptoms with NSAIDS, the result being that the body never fully recovers or clears itself of accumulated wastes. Unfortunately we help spread the virus by infecting other people.

While a virulent strain of virus will infect all but the strongest among us, a key reason that we become prone to infection is chronic overwork or stress, which weakens our immune system. It is therefore important to make preparations for the cold season, especially for those people who have a vulnerable constitution with a history of frequent colds, bronchitis, or asthma.

Diet

A correct diet is the kind which provides adequate nutrients to build the constitution and ensure a robust immune system. Convenience foods weaken health generally because they contain a combination of refined sugars and factory fats, with few essential micro-nutrients to support metabolism and health. The consumption of refined sugars is particularly a problem because it suppresses immune cell function.

Furthermore, we need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated; eat vitamin rich foods, especially those containing vitamin A, C, and D; and get adequate zinc which is necessary for all aspects of immunity. These nutrients are found in fresh fruit and berries, green leafy vegetables, and healthy oils, such as olive oil, nut oils and fish oil.

Cod liver oil is an old-fashioned prophylactic which contains vitamins A and D, and omega-3 oil. We can also take vitamin C and zinc supplements.

During the cold it helps to reduce solid food intake, and instead consume broths, fruit juices, lemon and honey drinks, and herb teas. Herbs will shorten the length of a cold.

Herbs

Garlic is a valuable herb for the treatment of colds and it can be made into a syrup with honey and apple cider vinegar, or crushed and mixed into olive oil before being rubbed into children’s feet. You will soon smell it on their breath as it travels thought their circulatory systems.

Echinacea root or astragalus will help build immunity and ward off colds, as with Siberian ginseng. Siberian ginseng or Indian ginseng will also help manage stress.

There are many herbs to treat a cold: elder berry, peppermint, and yarrow are a traditional combination; white horehound, boneset, or hyssop are also good for treating a cold; eyebright will help with catarrh, sneezing, and watery eyes; drosera or liquorice root are good for a dry cough; mullein, thyme, or garlic will encourage expectoration; white horehound or elecampane are prescribed for a more chronic cold with yellow expectoration.

Herbs such as sage and thyme make a good gargle for a sore throat, or can be used to treat  post-nasal drip. Cayenne pepper or ginger can be added to a lemon and honey drink.

A cough syrup can easily be made from dry herbs: mallow, white horehound, and liquorice root can be steeped in hot water for 5-10 minutes then the liquid sweetened with honey. Another syrup can be made by finely chopping three onions, covering them with honey, adding half a cup of horehound leaves and liquorice root to the liquid, then simmering for 30 minutes before straining.¹

Eucalyptus, tea tree or thyme oil can also be inhaled in steam form a covered bowl in order to relieve congestion of the nose and sinuses. Ten drops of oil to a cup of water.

Tissue Salts

Ferrum phos is useful if used early enough to treat a cold. Potassium chloride is used when congestion starts and there are swollen lymph nodes. Kali sulph has a rattling chest, useful in the protracted coughs of children, with croupy hoarseness and yellow expectoration. Calc sulph is more chronic with a purulent, yellow or green expectoration, as is the case with bronchitis or pneumonia.

Homeopathy

Use 30c two hourly in water, then spread to four hourly, tapering off with improvement.

Aconite—Ailment from exposure to dry, cold wind; red, flushed face; anxious, restless, tosses about; feverish, hot, thirsty.

Allium-c—tears as from smoke in the eyes; watery, acrid, profuse coryza from the nose burns the upper lip; raw throat, cold goes down to chest; worse evening.

Ant-t—loose, rattling, productive cough, chokes, suffocative; white tongue; must sit up to breath; worse after meals.

Ars—cold begins in nose; person always takes cold, suffers draughts; sneezing from every change of weather; thin watery acrid discharge; hard, dry, tickly cough; thirst for sips of warm water; worse cold, damp, night; restless, anxious, and weak; asthmatic.

Bell—sudden cold; cold from exposure to dry wind or from haircut; violent heat and throbbing, red, dry, inflamed, flushed; bounding pulse; worse jarring, touch, light, company; better rest in bed, lemonade.

Bry—slow onset, gradually feels worse, looks stupid and is sleepy; irritable, leave alone;  dry, thirsty, worse exertion of any kind; cough painful, presses hands against abdomen and chest; gagging and vomiting with cough.

Drosera—barking cough, coughs up profuse sputa; nausea and vomiting; tickly cough in the  evening; fatigue; worse warmth, lying down.

Euphrasia—complaints centred in the eyes, profuse lachrymation, burning, blinks, photophobia; cough daytime; bland fluent coryza from nose.

Gels—slow onset flu, shivers and chills run up and down the back, beginning in hands or feet; sneezing early morning, fluent coryza, no thirst; weak and trembling, wants to be held; heavy eyelids; bursting headache beginning in the neck, goes over head to vertex and eyeballs.

Hepar-s—sick from exposure to dry, cold wind; irritable, over-sensitive; chronic, suffocative cough with yellow/ green coryza, loose; wheezing and rattling; sensation of bone in throat; profuse sweat day and night; cannot bear to be uncovered; bronchitis.

Kali-b—ill from exposure to cold; thick yellow discharge, ropy; congested sinuses, pain a root of nose extending to eyes.

Merc—cough wracking; worse at night, warmth of bed, damp; profuse perspiration; breath and body smell bad; catarrh with sneezing, fluent, acrid, corrosive.

Nat-m—sensitive to weather change especially cold to warm; chilly morning around 10am; catarrh like egg white, may be salty; cough with tears; tendency to cold sores.

Nux-v—great heat in whole body; face red, hot; sneezing, one nostril blocked; worse dry, windy weather; can’t get warm, chilly on least movement or from being uncovered; gas, sour belching; irritable.

Phos— high temp, red face, tight chest, dry hacking cough; thirst for cold water soon vomited; bronchitis.

Puls—coryza worse in a stuffy room, lying down, better in the open; green, bland discharge; short of breath, must sit up; drowsy, listless, thirstless all complaints; chilly, feels like cold water running up and down the back.

Rhus-t—restless and anxious, feels better when moving about; sensitive to open air, cold, wet, draft; sneezing with fluent coryza; sore throat with swollen glands; dry, hoarse cough, coughing starts when head is put out of covers; pain in limbs; chill as if dashed with cold water; thirsty.

Spongia—dry, barking cough, like a saw; worse eating and drinking, or warm; anxious wheezy, short of breath; post-nasal discharge chokes at night.

Disclaimer: this article is intended for the purpose of general education only, and is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment advice, or a prescription that is given in a consultation with a qualified physician.

References:

1.         Shipard I. How Can I Use Herbs In My Daily Life? Nambour: David Stewart; 2003.