Cold and Cough Remedies from Lifehacker Readers' Grandparents [What You Said]

[Field Nurse]

Every family has passed down a few old-timey, homespun cures for common ailments. Our readers shared a number of their own discussing yesterday's DIY throat soother; here's a closer look at what's in everyone's home-remedy cabinets.
Photo by BlueEyeDA73.

ImTheGarbageman goes for the blunt numb-and-soothe approach:

Equal parts Honey, Whiskey and lemon juice. Take by spoonfull as needed. Great for sore throat.
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Note that if whiskey ain't your sippin' spirit of choice, RenRen suggests tequila can fly as well. Boilerplate reminders, though—the liquor itself doesn't cure anything, the U.S. drinking age is 21, and overdoing anything—especially spirits—is a bad idea, cold/cough or not.
Flypen noted that our linked recipe isn't new thinking, exactly, and might have some positive side-effects:

This is an old Ayurvedic formula. Also very good for general de-toxification of the body. Best time to drink this is as soon as you get up and on an empty stomach. For all those weight watchers, this also has fat burning qualities (you can take off the honey, if counting calories).
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Also noted by SujayaPandion II is that there's no reason a bag of tea—Lipton yellow-bagged, in particular—can't jump into the mix. And ChristopherWeber says a little fresh tumeric can boost the natural anti-sick power.
StartingAces' suggestion for a "congestion/sinus kind of sick" only requires the kind of stuff most kitchens have on-hand:

I simmer veggie broth with as much fresh garlic and real chili powder as I can tolerate. Toss that in a thermos and sip as needed.
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Hopefully you're not planning a first date later that day.

Digerati swears by his apple cider vinegar, and points to a Seize The Page write-up that gives a lot more detail—a bit too much detail, in fact, if the very stuff of your congestion grosses you out—on how a seriously old-time cure can be mixed in palatable ways. We're partial to the hot apple cider idea, in fact. Photo by Andyrob.
If you've got the guts, and the spice-tolerant palate, platoreborn has a sinus-clearing gargling agent he'd like to recommend:

1/2 ounce hot sauce
1/2 ounce juice from banana peppers. Gargle then swallow. Sounds terrible, but it helps clear sinuses and sore throats. It burns a little bit, but doesn't taste that bad.
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Douglas Lau was one of many to cite an Asian-sourced remedy involving cooked Coca-Cola, and was kind enough to drop the recipe for a throat-soothing drink:

Ingredients
1. Can of Coke
2. 1/2 a lemon
3. 1 inch of ginger
Steps
1. Slice the 1/2 lemon and the ginger into thin slivers
2. Put'em both into a pot
3. Pour the can of Coke into the pot
4. Boil at medium for around 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Finish!"
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Photo by slushpup.
Those are a few of our commenters home remedies for what ails them. Have you tried any of these, or the original? Tell us which no-drug-store-visit-required remedies have worked for you—and which really didn't—in the comments.


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