This Home Remedy For Cold Symptoms Is Probably Already In Your Pantry

When you have a cold, you can feel really lousy. The Mayo Clinic lists symptoms like a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, congestion, body aches, headache, sneezing, fever, and generally feeling bad as being typical for the common cold. Unfortunately, there's no cure for a cold, says Johns Hopkins Medicine. About all you can do is rest, drink plenty of fluids, and try various remedies to relieve your symptoms.

Often people will take over-the-counter medications for cold symptom relief, including decongestants, cough suppressants, expectorants, antihistamines, and pain relievers, according to Healthline. However, these medications may interact with other medications or conditions. In addition, they may be too much medication for small children. Finally, you may just feel too awful to make a trek to the store to buy them.

What many people may not know is that there are certain home remedies for cold symptoms that you may already have in your pantry, including apple cider vinegar.

WebMD explains that apple cider vinegar is made from apple juice. Yeast is added to the juice so that it can ferment and convert into acetic acid, which is what makes apple cider vinegar taste sour.

Apple cider vinegar has a long history of being used as a home remedy for conditions like varicose veins and sore throat, says WebMD. Mindbodygreen writes that apple cider vinegar is also thought to be able to prevent or reduce the duration of a cold.

WebMD states that there isn't a lot of scientific evidence to prove the claims, but scientists are starting to investigate. Healthline notes that a 2018 study found probiotics like the yeast and bacteria found in unfiltered apple cider vinegar might help boost the immune system, which could help our body battle colds more effectively. They also explain that vinegar contains compounds called polyphenols which can help lessen cold symptoms.

According to WebMD, you should not drink apple cider vinegar straight since it could damage tooth enamel, but you can mix a tablespoon or two with water or tea. Healthline suggests using it as a throat rub so that the strong odor can loosen congestion. To use it as a cough medicine, Food says to mix ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water. A teaspoon of this mixture can be taken as needed.