Some common home remedies for flu and colds, like eating chicken soup and gargling, work. — 123rf.com
COLDS, flu and other ailments may be making the rounds where you live, and if you catch something, you may be hunting around for a remedy.
We polled some scientists on which popular home treatments actually work.
Remedy: Gargling helps a sore throat.
Effectiveness: It works.
Facts: Gargling with a saline solution or herbal tea moistens your mucous membranes, though this only affects the surface. "The inflammation in the deeper regions of the mucous membrane remains unaffected," says Germany's Stiftung Gesundheitswissen, a health foundation. There is not enough scientific evidence that gargling works to treat a sore throat.
However, gargling can at least relieve the pain. Studies show a 15% salt spray can help treat a painful viral sore throat, says Germany's Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA).
Remedy: Inhalation to clear the sinuses.
Effectiveness: Unclear.
Facts: Many people will try steaming over a bowl of hot water when they have a cold and this is often beneficial. Inhaling helps the natural cleansing function of the mucous membranes and the warm steam moistens your membranes, says the German health foundation.
Studies show that inhaling does not make a cold worse, though symptoms don't improve significantly, says the Cochrane research network.
If you try this, use steam at about 38 to 42 degrees Celsius, says the BZgA, citing the Societies for Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery and the Society for General and Family Medicine.
Remedy: Hot lemon to treat a cold.
Effectiveness: Sometimes.
Facts: Fresh lemons contain vitamin C, which your immune system needs, says the BZgA. However, at most, only mix lemon juice with slightly warmer water so as not to destroy the heat-sensitive vitamin. "The effectiveness of this home remedy for an existing cold has not yet been proven," says Germany's BZgA.
Remedy: Chicken soup.
Effectiveness: Yes.
Facts: Many people make a comforting chicken noodle soup to help when someone falls ill and this really does help. The heat from chicken soup makes your blood vessels dilate and improves the blood flow to your tissues, says the German health foundation. "In general, warm liquids can loosen secretions and help them drain better." Chicken soup also gives your ailing body key nutrients and it has an anti-inflammatory effect, according to a study by the University of Nebraska in the US.
Remedy: Ginger stimulates your immune system.
Effectiveness: True.
Facts: Ginger stimulates the immune system, with small amounts of ginger found to put white blood cells on the alert, according to a study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University in Munich.
Ginger contains many medically effective substances, says Roman Huber, head of the University Centre for Naturopathy in Freiburg. It contains substances that are anti-inflammatory and protect your cells, according to the BZgA. – dpa
