4 Ways to Conquer Summer Colds…with Condiments!

There’s nothing that makes you quite as miserable as a summer cold does. Whether you’re battling a stuffy or runny nose, a scratchy throat or one that aches, coughing, congestion, or any other symptoms of the common cold, help is a close as your kitchen. So before you drag yourself to the drugstore to stare bleary-eyed at all the OTC cold remedies on the shelves, try one or more of these spicy homemade helpers:

Horseradish. Drain clogged sinuses by taking 1 teaspoon of grated fresh horseradish up to three times a day until your symptoms subside. Horseradish works wonders whether you add it to a sandwich, spread it on a cracker, mix it into tomato juice, or eat it straight from the spoon. After you’re breathing freely again, a few teaspoons a month should help prevent future sinus woes.

Hot-pepper sauce. Fight back against cold germs by super-charging your chicken soup. Just add a generous splash of hot-pepper sauce to the pot, and slurp your way to better health. Too hot for chicken soup? Then put 10 to 20 drops into a glass of water, and drink up. Repeat the procedure three times a day until you’re rarin’ to go again.

Hot mustard. To clear up congestion, rub a generous amount of spicy brown mustard on your chest, and top it with a hot (but not burning hot!), damp cloth. The aroma of the hot mustard will clear your airways within minutes, and you’ll be breathing freely again.

Yellow mustard. Ease a sore throat with a combination of 1 tablespoon each of yellow mustard, salt, and raw honey added to the juice of half a lemon in a heat-proof container. Then pour in ½ cup of boiling water, and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture cool to lukewarm, and gargle with it two or three times. Fair warning: This remedy won’t win any awards for good flavor, but it’ll put your throat back in the swing of things fast!