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Try These Cold Remedies Straight from Your Pantry

By Emily Frost | November 26, 2015 10:47am
 There are remedies you can find in your pantry to help you feel better faster when you're sick.
There are remedies you can find in your pantry to help you feel better faster when you're sick.
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Anchiy

NEW YORK CITY — Say you went out too late on Saturday and then spent the day at a kids' birthday party, or rode the subway during rush hour sandwiched between a cougher and a sneezer.

Now you're not feeling so hot. 

Rather than despair and start cancelling plans, there are ingredients right in your pantry that can help either stave off that cold or weaken it, according to doctors and health experts. 

The following suggestions should not be viewed as a substitute for professional medical advice or a flu shot. Check with your doctor to make sure taking these herbs is a healthy and safe option for you.

Turmeric 

This bright yellow spice, often found in Indian cooking and used in that country to treat illnesses, contains curcumin and is a cousin of ginger. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties, and doctors in the U.S. are now researching whether it could help prevent or treat cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. Turmeric has even been shown to kill viruses and bacteria in animal studies, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. These antibacterial and antiviral properties can help treat a cold, say practicitioners of Aryuvedic medicine, an ancient Indian holistic healing system.

Garlic

Garlic produces the antimicrobial and antiviral compound allicin when it is chopped or crushed, but the compound is destroyed when garlic is cooked. In at least one trial, researchers found that consuming garlic was effective in reducing the incidence of colds and reducing their length. 

"I would say fresh grated garlic trumps all of it," said Natalya Murakhver, an Upper West Side mom who runs Apple to Zucchini, a healthy eating service geared towards parents. 

"When I was little my parents, being Ukrainian immigrants, would rub garlic on a bread heel and it would become spicy and and pungent," she recalled. "Then we would eat it with some butter on top."

Cayenne Pepper

Peppers are Hillary Clinton's secret weapon for keeping her healthy. Some doctors and nutritionists believe capsaicin, the compound found in chilli peppers, has numerous health benefits.

Cayenne pepper clears the sinuses and boosts the immune system, says Dr. Andrew Weil, a well-known doctor focusing on holistic health. Not only that, but cayenne pepper is a good source of vitamin C and B6, a vitamin that helps your body make serotonin. 

"I eat them all the time and they keep me healthy," said Murakhver of various peppers. For her family, she mixes poblano peppers, which are a little milder, into guacamole. 

Ginger

Ginger is among the herbs, including turmeric, that has been "used historically to prevent and treat infection, and which modern science validates for antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects," says Dr. Aviva Romm, who specializes in maternal and child health and natural remedies. 

One popular option is to combine ginger — either slivers of fresh ginger or dried ginger — with hot water and lemon juice for a boost of Vitamin C. You can also add honey. Murakhver swears by a specialty honey from New Zealand and Australia called Mānuka honey, because it's a "natural antibacterial."

Make the Ultimate Elixir 

1/4 tsp turmeric*
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper**
1 tsp honey
1 cup warm water

Mix all of the ingredients together and drink while warm. Keep a spoon handy while drinking to keep mixing the spices if they start to sink to the bottom of your mug. 

* Turmeric can temporarily stain surfaces and ceramic.
** Add more or less cayenne depending on your spice tolerance.