🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Common cold is a frequent and widespread illness without specific treatment currently available. Presently, only symptomatic management is possible, allowing natural recovery. This article introduces several unusual remedies—readers are encouraged to try them.
1. Drink Chicken Soup
Two clinical medical centers in the U.S. reported that drinking chicken soup can inhibit inflammation in the throat and respiratory tract, effectively alleviating symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, and sore throat caused by colds. Chicken contains essential amino acids necessary for human health, rich in nutrients, significantly enhancing the body’s resistance to cold viruses. Additionally, chicken contains a special chemical substance that improves blood circulation in the throat and increases secretion in the nasal cavity, which helps maintain clear airways, remove viral pathogens, and accelerate recovery from colds.
2. Eat More Radish
Practical evidence shows that beta-carotene in radishes plays a unique role in preventing and treating colds. Specifically, finely chop a sweet, crisp, juicy radish, extract half a teacup of juice, crush fresh ginger to extract a small amount of ginger juice, mix into the radish juice, then add sugar or honey, stir well, and pour hot water over it as a beverage. Consume three times daily for two consecutive days to clear heat, detoxify, dispel cold, and prevent colds.
3. Drink Sugar-Ginger Tea Together
Since colds are mostly due to external invasion of wind-cold pathogens, symptoms commonly include headache, nasal congestion, runny nose, joint pain, chills, and fever. Prepare a decoction using red sugar, fresh ginger, and black tea in appropriate amounts, drink once or twice daily. Not only does it warm the body and expel cold, but also offers excellent preventive and therapeutic effects against colds.
4. Reduce Salt Intake
Experiments have shown that reducing salt intake increases lysozyme content in saliva, protecting mucosal epithelial cells in the mouth and throat, promoting greater secretion of immunoglobulin A and interferon to combat cold viruses. Therefore, limiting daily salt intake to below 5 grams greatly benefits prevention of colds.
5. Take Honey Powdered
Honey contains various bioactive substances that stimulate immune function. Taking powdered honey twice daily (morning and evening) can effectively treat and prevent colds and other viral diseases.
6. Take Yeast
Professor Dasgupta from the University of California found in experiments that yeast used in bread-making contains a component capable of preventing cold virus replication and spread within human cells, effective for ordinary colds but not for influenza.
7. Eat More Spices
Research from the University of Wisconsin suggests that ginger and dried chili help expel cold viruses and relieve coughing and phlegm. The American Cancer Institute recently revealed garlic enhances immune function. Adding more spices while cooking meals can hasten recovery from colds.
8. Vinegar Nasal Drops and Fumigation
Dilute vinegar with cold boiled water to make a 5%-10% solution, use as nasal drops four to six times daily, two to three drops per nostril. This method shows good efficacy in treating both common and epidemic colds, especially during early stages when it kills latent cold viruses in the nasopharynx. During cold outbreaks, nasal drops provide reliable preventive effects. Additionally, vinegar fumigation treats colds: place 100 grams of vinegar on a stove to fumigate, instantly filling the room with fragrance. Acetic acid molecules disperse in the air, killing airborne cold viruses, effectively preventing colds. During outbreak periods, fumigate vinegar one to two times daily.
9. Rub Hands
The thenar eminence (the fleshy part at the base of the thumb), prominent when the palm is open, occupies a large area of the hand. It has close physiological connections with respiratory organs. Daily rubbing strengthens constitution and reduces susceptibility to colds. Method: Rub the two thenar eminences together until warm. The motion resembles rubbing peanut skins with both palms. Fix one hand and rotate the other’s thenar eminence, alternating hands. Rub the two thenar areas in opposite directions for about one to two minutes until the entire palm feels warm. This promotes blood circulation and enhances metabolism, thus strengthening immunity and making one less prone to colds.
10. Massage Nasal Wings
Make slight fists with both hands, use the back of the bent thumbs to repeatedly rub up and down along the sides of the nasal wings. Perform 15–30 times each morning and afternoon, until local skin turns red and warm. This improves blood flow in the nasal area, stimulates mucus secretion, and through the “directional movement” of cilia, expels cold viruses and harmful metabolic waste products.
11. Acupoint Massage
Use the fingertips (any one of the thumb, index, or middle finger) of both hands to massage points along the nasal passage, Yingxiang, and Biyu. Then use the thick muscle area around the thenar eminence to knead the sensitive zone from Yingxiang to Yintang along both sides of the nasal cavity. Massage the Yongquan point and the sole of the foot until warmth is felt, ensuring smooth flow of meridians and normal blood and qi circulation. This prevents wind-cold invasion and keeps pathogens at bay.
12. Acupuncture Treatment
Acupuncture in China has proven effective for treating colds. When suffering from a cold, seek acupuncture early—it can rapidly relieve nasal congestion and headaches, and gradually normalize elevated body temperature within one day. By regulating the body’s meridians, acupuncture enhances immune function, leading to reliable results. Key acupoints for treating colds include Shangxing, Yintang, Fengchi, Yingxiang, Hegu, and Wai Guan. Retain needles for 15 minutes, once daily. Typically, 2–3 sessions suffice for full recovery.
13. Sleep More
Researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered that during sleep, bacteria in the body produce a substance called "cell wall acid," which boosts immunity and accelerates recovery from colds and other viral illnesses. Thus, they propose sleep itself as a form of therapy, particularly suitable for colds.
14. Inhale Steam
Fill a large teacup with boiling water, lean face over it, and perform deep breathing exercises toward the rising steam until the water cools. Repeat several times daily. This method is especially effective for treating early-stage colds.
15. Wash Face with Cold Water
This practice should begin in summer and continue through autumn and winter to enhance adaptability. Wash your face with cold water every morning and evening. This increases facial blood circulation, enhances disease resistance and cold tolerance, thereby preventing colds.
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