Common Cold

General Cold Symptoms

Go for Goldenseal

To help fight the viral infection that causes the common cold, goldenseal is a natural choice because it's loaded with berberine, a botanical antibiotic. Make an infusion from a teaspoonful of dried goldenseal and hot water. Let the mixture steep for 10 minutes before straining. Drink three cups a day until you bounce back.

As an alternative, take one-half to one teaspoonful of goldenseal tincture twice a day. Simpler still, goldenseal capsules are available at health food stores-and increasingly at drugstores as well.

Echinacea Update

At the first sign of the sniffles or a stuffy feeling in your head, crack open the echinacea. This popular herbal cold remedy stimulates the immune system to fight an infection before it causes congestion, chills and the need to pull the covers over your head. Take one to three capsules every two hours for best results as soon as symptoms start. Waiting too long can render the treatment ineffective, as can taking echinacea for long periods of time-it is most effective with short-term use.

Two Herbs Can Be Better than One

According to herbalists, goldenseal and echinacea are the dynamic cold-fighting duo. But beware of the formulations on the market that combine the two herbs: Sometimes taking two "anti-cold" herbs offers no more cold-fighting ammunition than a single one. Echinacea must be taken much more frequently than goldenseal to really "do in" a cold. And in high quantities, goldenseal can be toxic and leach vitamin B from the body. To get the most from both herbal remedies, take them in separate doses according to a physician's advice or package instructions.

Good ol' Garlic

The jury is still out on whether garlic can ward off evil spirits and vampires, but some alternative practitioners believe that garlic can help fight the common cold. Chew or swallow a whole clove every couple of hours. The goal when you have a bad cold? You want to have garlic breath.

Open Senses on the Go

Can't smell? Can't taste? Sprinkle a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil onto a cotton ball and store in an old pill bottle. When you begin to feel congested, uncap the bottle and take a few deep breaths of the mentholated oil. You'll feel your passages open, and your senses will quickly return.

Make a Runny Nose Run More- Then Less

Stuffy nose? It might be the right time to try nasal irrigation (sometimes called nasal douching). Don't be frightened; it's simple, say holistic physicians who recommend it. It will cleanse sinus passages, soothe inflammation and reduce congestion. In your kitchen or bathroom:

1. Make a solution mixing one-half teaspoon of salt and one-half cup of warm water in a small paper cup.
2. Bend the lip of the cup to make a small spout.
3. Tilt your head back and to the right, then slowly pour the salt water into your left nostril. The water will flow out of your right nostril. If it flows down the back of your throat instead, tip the top of your head farther to the right.
4. Refill the cup and tilt your head back and to the left to cleanse your right nasal passage in the same manner. Blow your nose when done to help clear the water.

Repeat once daily until congestion subsides.

Liquid Aid

What is the often-invoked but too-often ignored rule for overcoming the common cold? Drink lots of fluids. In fact, doing so actually does a lot of good to stimulate the body's ability to drain the lungs and sinuses. The prescription: At least eight glasses a day of such liquids as herbal tea, water or fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

Herbal Energy Booster

Sick and tired. Tired and sick. To stave off the sluggish feelings that surface with even the mildest cold or viral illness, it may help to take three 500-mg doses of ginseng daily. And although there are four main types of ginseng, it is American ginseng that stimulates the immune system and is purported to give the body the energy boost it needs while battling infection.

Working with the Elements

Heat and wind. Can you feel them when you're fighting a cold? According to Chinese medical principles, when the body is overcome by these elements, the imbalance causes a cold. To achieve a more healthful harmony, you might try Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pien, a cold formula made from forsythia and honeysuckle that is believed to push heat and wind from the lungs and respiratory tract. When you first feel a cold coming on, take six tablets every three hours. This treatment should keep the cold virus from taking hold in your system. It's easy enough to find in the Chinatowns of major cities and in well-stocked herb shops.

Spicy Cold Therapy

Do you have a cold? Then feel the burn of cayenne pepper. This scorching seasoning­in its rawest forms-gets the body's fluids flowing, which in turn works to drain stuffy sinuses. Even tiny airways leading in and out of the lungs will open up a bit in answer to cayenne's call. Sprinkle powdered cayenne or a drop or two of liquid extract into your favorite soup for super spicy therapy.

Elderberry Cold Fighter

As a natural replacement for over-the-counter cold concoctions, swallow a tablespoon of sambucol extract every few hours. Sambucol, from brightly colored elderberries, is loaded with bioflavonoids and vitamin C-a powerful pair that herbalists believe work in concert to knock out the viral infections that cause colds. Find sambucol at your local health food store.

Better Way to Use Vitamin C

With all the talk over the years about vitamin C and the common cold, those who have studied the vitamin's effect mostly suggest taking the vitamin once a cold sets in.

There are two things to remember about vitamin C therapy for colds.

• Vitamin C has not consistently been shown to prevent colds. Its value lies in helping to reduce symptoms and their duration once you are afflicted.
• Most people don't take enough vitamin C to do them any good. For a "treatment" dose, take 1,000 to 2,000 mg a day-in two or four 500-mg doses-in order to shorten the duration of the cold and minimize severity of symptoms.

Note: At high levels of vitamin C intake, up to 3,000 mg a day or more, diarrhea becomes a frequently cited side effect.

Decongestant Vapor-Better than Steam

When it comes to colds and deep-down congestion, some steam is better than others-in this case, with eucalyptus, made from the gum tree (and a popular essential oil). Boil one quart of water, preferably distilled, and remove from heat. Add 5 to 10 drops of eucalyptus oil, stir and pour into a large pot. Test the heat with your hand before placing your face over the pot. Once the water has cooled to a comfortable temperature, drape a towel over your head to trap the steam as you breathe in the decongesting vapors. Bonus: Your face will get a mini­detoxification treatment in the process.

Acupressure for Nasal Relief

If you've ever prevented a sneeze by pressing inward on the mustache area of your upper lip with your index finger, you're aware that pressure applied to the skin can affect the sinuses and nasal passages. The same theory underlies the idea of self-administered acupressure for the common cold, in which both hands are used. Here's how to perform it:

1. Start with your middle fingers at the base of the cheekbones, directly below the iris of each eye.
2. Next, press all four fingers upward and hold for up to 30 seconds.
3. Then release and repeat.

The goal is to reduce both congestion and pain related to the sinuses. You should feel immediate relief, but this depends on how congested you are. (The technique is more effective at the onset of a cold than three days into one.) Likewise, the number of repetitions needed depends on the severity of congestion.

Treat Your Cold Gingerly

Trade in your bottle of ginger ale for a steaming hot cup of ginger tea. Ginger is known to boost immune system activity and may well help your body beat a cold. Stir two teaspoons of grated ginger root into a cup of boiling water and allow the mixture to steep. Strain and sip. For extra soothing and sweetness, add a teaspoon of honey.

Catch That Cold Before It Catches You

At the first sign of a scratchy throat or spike of a fever, a dose of gelsemium may put you on the road to a quick recovery. This homeopathic remedy treats many cold and flu symptoms that strike when defenses are down. Take a 30C preparation three times a day until you're back on your feet.

Runny Eyes

A Runny Eye for a Runny Eye

For the watery eyes that sometimes accompany colds, homeopaths recommend allium cepa tablets. Derived from onions, this treatment works on the homeopathic principle that "like cures like"-that a trace amount of what causes a condition can cure it. The theory in brief involves stimulating one's immune system, then directing it toward a specific organ, condition or system. The prescription: A 30C preparation once or twice a day.

Sneezing

A Hands-on Way to Beat Sneezes

When you feel a sneeze coming on, don't hold your breath. Instead, work the acupressure point in the fold between your forefinger and thumb to alleviate sniffles and other cold symptoms. Use your right hand to apply pressure to the fold on your left hand for at least a minute. Then repeat the technique, switching hands.

Also, try pressing on your face beside each nostril for relief of similar symptoms.