Reaching for the lozenges or Vicks could help if you’ve got the flu, but hot honey and lemon or even garlic and onions might be just as good.
Winter bugs have surged over the past few weeks leaving millions battling sniffles, coughs, temperatures and chills.
Sadly, the old adage is true: there’s no cure for the common cold. Or flu, for that matter.
But there are some simple methods that will stop you from suffering the worst symptoms and help you feel perkier — and they don’t involve taking medication or shelling out for expensive cough remedies.
Pharmacist Dr Leyla Hannbeck, explained that staying hydrated and drinking plenty of fluids is vital.
A hot sweet drink, such as a cup of honey with lemon or blackcurrant, is a simple way of relieving the symptoms of a sore throat.
‘Having tea with honey and lemon and ginger is a great way to feel better,’ she told MailOnline.
She added: ‘Honey has anti-inflammatory properties, lemon contains vitamin C which supports the immune system and is effective particularly against respiratory viruses such as the flu virus and ginger has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and can help with muscle pain in flu.’
There is no way of curing the flu. But there are some simple at-home remedies that can help sufferers feel a bit better
Official NHS guidance says there’s ‘little evidence’ vitamin C prevents colds or speeds up recovery.
But one review of the evidence supporting taking vitamin C to fight off colds, published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine in 2016, ruled that data does ‘show a decreased severity and duration of colds when vitamin C is consumed at doses at or above 200mg a day’.
Similarly, a bowel of chicken soup can be soothing for flu symptoms.
That’s because a chicken soup is a source of healthy and easily digested calories and nutrients. Plus, it will help you stay hydrated.
‘Chicken soup contains nutritious ingredients such as protein (in chicken), garlic and vegetables that help boost the immune system and help with the congestion. Also its warm and the steam helps too,’ Dr Hannbeck said.
A 1998 study by the American College of Chest Physicians looked at the effect the comforting broth has on our immune cells.
It suggested chicken soup may contain a number of substances with medicinal properties, including an anti-inflammatory effect.
A chicken soup may also be made with garlic and onions, which are both sources of zinc — a vital mineral critical for the development of cells that form the immune system.
A hot sweet drink, such as a cup of honey with lemon or blackcurrant, is a simple way of relieving the symptoms of a cough and sore throat
There is some suggestion that taking a zinc supplement could help your body fight off common colds.
One Cochrane Library review investigated previous data from eight trials involving more than 900 volunteers on whether zinc could alleviate cold symptoms.
Scientists found that taking small 10-40mg doses of zinc supplements over a few days might be helpful in reducing the duration of a cold.
However, supplements are not always necessary because the mineral is naturally found in red meat and dairy products and most people can get all the zinc they need from their diet alone.
Although taking supplements can help boost your zinc levels, the NHS recommends avoiding taking more than 25mg of zinc a day as too much can cause gastrointestinal issues and even weaken your immune system.
Adding garlic to food, including chicken soup, could cut the amount of time someone is sick.
One study by researchers in Sussex gave 146 healthy adults either a placebo or a daily garlic supplement for 12 weeks over winter.
The group given the placebo contracted 65 colds, resulting in 366 days of sickness – whereas those who had garlic supplements only contracted 24 colds, with 111 days of sickness between them.
A chicken soup is a source of healthy and easily digested calories and nutrients. Plus, it will help you stay hydrated
Other nutrients found in chicken soup may also have medicinal properties.
One study conducted over the winters of 2016 and 2017 found taking a multivitamin containing vitamins A, D, C, E, B6, B12, folic acid, zinc, selenium, copper and iron can reduce the frequency and duration of a cold.
Gogol Mogol is another famous remedy for a sore throat that contains sugar, raw egg, honey, milk and unsalted butter.
Just like a hot lemon and ginger the eastern European beverage is thought to soothe the throat and make it feel less scratchy because the honey and the eggs coat the throat.
But there are no studies which measure the effectiveness of the drink.
Steam inhalation, which can help loosen mucus in the nose and sinuses, ease a sore throat and hoarseness, is a remedy recommended by Dr Hannbeck.
She added that a few drops of eucalyptus oil in the hot water can also be soothing to breathe in.
Professor Ron Eccles, an expert in biosciences at Cardiff University, and the former director of its Common Cold Centre, also previously told the MailOnline that hot steam or a warm sweet drink can help the symptoms of a cold or flu.
He once studied the effects of consuming a comforting hot drink on a stuffy nose.
The 2008 study found drinking hot blackcurrant cordial provides immediate relief from a runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness.
In contrast, a room temperature drink only relieved symptoms of a runny nose, cough and sneezing.
Professor Eccles said that any hot sweet drink should have the same effect.
He explained the steam in the hot drink can soften and break down mucus, making it easier to breathe. It also reduces the swelling of a sore throat, but experts aren’t completely sure why.
A warm shower or steaming bath will likely have the same effects — relieving nasal congestion, a cough and sore throat, explained Professor Eccles.
In addition to these home-made treatments Dr Hannbeck recommended taking over the counter pain killers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to help with muscle pain and fever.
These can be bought from a pharmacy but Dr Hannbeck urged those with an underlying condition or who are taking other medicines to speak with the pharmacist first.
Other treatments she suggested include saline nasal drops to help with blocked nose, ointments with eucalyptus or peppermint that can be used topically to soothe cough symptoms and congestion, and echinacea which is a herbal medicine that has anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects.
Dr Hannbeck stressed that those who find their symptoms get worse or do not improve, particularly if they have difficulty breathing, should speak to a healthcare professional.