5 Top Homeopathic Remedies for Colds

The common cold can incapacitate you from one to three weeks.

It's highly contagious through airborne particles, or through contact with objects from an already infected person. If your cold goes untreated and you are very ill, it can transform into pneumonia, bronchitis, or other serious respiratory issues-especially if you're already vulnerable to them. So what can you do to help speed recovery and prevent a cold from turning into something worse?

Consider a safe, effective homeopathic remedies for colds before you reach for over-the-counter decongestants. There have been two double-blind studies for treating colds with homeopathic remedies. In both, the results showed that patients who took the homeopathic remedy recovered faster, had fewer symptoms, and did not need to take prescription medication. The patients recovered quickly and didn't experience any of the irritating, lingering, and sometimes dangerous side effects of conventional cold remedies.

Did You Know?

Homeopathic remedies are highly individualized, so look for one that most closely matches your specific set of symptoms.

Common Cold Symptoms

• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Sore throat
• Fever
• Headache

Here are 5 of the most frequently used homeopathic remedies for colds:

1. Eupatorium perfoliatum: This remedy is indicated for colds accompanied by sore bones and hoarseness, along with sneezing, a runny nose, or a dry, stuffed-up nose. Hoarseness may be accompanied with a dry sore throat, and patients will often lose their voice. The chest becomes sore, especially behind the sternum. There is a hoarse cough, with a tickling in the larynx; the cough will be worse while lying on your back. It may hurt to inhale; the bronchi will feel raw and hot.

2. Sabadilla officinalis: This remedy has an amazing effect on the mucous membranes of the nose. It is great for allergies, hay fever, and colds. Indicated for colds characterized by lots of sneezing with copious watery discharge, which worsens from pollen or the smell of flowers. Itchy nose feels like a tickling inside. It may feel like there is a lump in the throat, with a constant need to swallow.

3. Allium cepa: Derived from onions, this remedy works best for people who feel worse in a warm room or in dampness, and better in the open air. Typical symptoms include watery discharges from the nose and eyes that can burn the skin, and sensitivity to the smell of flowers. Inhaling a cut onion will give you a good idea as to what these symptoms feel like. So the idea that diluted onion extracts can remedy these symptoms is a perfect example of the homeopathic principle of "like cures like."

4. Euphrasia officinalis: This remedy works best on colds or allergies that mostly affect the eyes. Symptoms include thick, yellowish discharge from the eyes and burning pains in the eyes that worsen in bright light. The nose runs copiously during the day, but is stuffed up at night. Coughing is caused by irritation in the larynx and produces phlegm.

5. Pulsatilla nigricans: This remedy is indicated when mucus discharges are profuse, bland, thick, and yellowish-green. The patient may have a dry cough in the evening that worsens lying down. If the cold is accompanied by an ear infection, it will worsen at night and produce yellowish-green discharge. The eyes can have yellowish-green, thick discharge as well.

There are many more homeopathic remedies available tied to many more specific sets of symptoms-and therefore to each individual person. If you can't find the right fit with the ones listed above, contact a qualified homeopath to find the one that's best for you.

Written by Avghi Constantinides for Better Nutrition and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.