Chicken soup, tea with honey: Do grandma's cold and flu remedies really work? - The Columbus Dispatch
So you've got a cough, runny nose and low-grade fever. You're feeling achy, sluggish and generally miserable. You took a COVID-19 test and, thankfully, it's negative. Congratulations, you've got a case of the common cold!
There are more than 200 different virus strains out there that infect millions of people each year with the cold. While there's currently no way to treat or cure a cold, you can manage the symptoms.
"If someone could come up with a cure for the common cold, you'd be a billionaire," said Dr. Ben Bring, a family medicine specialist at OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital.
People have been experimenting with homemade cold and flu remedies since the beginning of time. But how effective is grandma's chicken noodle soup, hot tea (or toddy) or herbal supplements at relieving your symptoms?
The Dispatch talked with two local health professionals to get their take on some common, at-home cold and flu remedies. Here's what they said:
Chicken noodle soup?
Turns out chicken soup isn't just good for the soul — it can also help relieve cold symptoms.
Bring said some research has been done to see just how effective a bowl of chicken noodle soup in treating the cold.
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An October 2000 study published in the medical journal CHEST found that chicken soup might have anti-inflammatory effects, which could potentially ease symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.
Colds are caused by viral infections that affect the upper respiratory system. The body responds with inflammation, which triggers white blood cells to migrate to the area.
As a side effect, bacteria-devouring white blood cells called neutrophils, stimulate the production of mucous, which may cause such typical cold symptoms as head congestion, coughs and sneezing.
This anti-inflammatory mechanism could theoretically have a medicinal effect, said Dr. Stephen Rennard, the study's author and a professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
But since the study was done in a laboratory and not in humans, and because researchers didn't isolate individual ingredients in the soup, Rennard cautioned that more research needs to be done to get a firm answer.
Even so, there are still plenty of benefits to eating a bowl of steaming soup to help your cold symptoms, Bring said. The broth is hydrating, the vegetables and proteins provide needed nutrients, and steam from the hot liquid can help open up airways.
Soup can also provide needed emotional support during a cold, said Jenn Henning, a nurse practitioner with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's integrative medicine team, which uses both conventional and complementary –– like acupuncture, meditation and other non-traditional –– treatments and therapies to "heal the mind, body and spirit."
"I don't know if there's anything physically in soup that can cure your cold, but our mind plays a big role in any healing," Henning said. "If chicken noodle soup brings you comfort, then go for it."
Hot tea with honey?
Bring and Henning both said a cup of tea can be great in nursing a cold, especially when coupled with ingredients like honey, lemon or ginger. Each have their own benefits that can help people heal.
Sipping warm liquids like herbal teas, as well as drinking plenty of water, is a great way to stay hydrated when you're feeling sick. Hydration is Henning's No. 1 tip for treating cold symptoms.
"The more we drink, the more those mucus secretions thin out," Henning said, which helps us feel less congested.
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Teas such as chamomile and thyme also help ease bronchospasms and calm a cough, Henning said.
Bring said there are multiple studies that have shown the health benefits of honey in treating cold symptoms. Honey has lots of antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, which can coat the throat and reduce severe cough symptoms. (Children under the age of one should not consume honey due to the risk of botulism.)
Adding a squeeze of lemon to your cup, Henning said, can help open the sinuses. And a few slices of ginger root, which has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, have been found to soothe a cough and ease feelings of nausea.
A splash of whiskey would turn your tea into a hot toddy, but is there any medicinal benefit to it? Bring and Henning don't suggest it.
For one, alcohol is dehydrating, which ultimately defeats the purpose of trying to stay hydrated.
Plus, alcohol consumption has skyrocketed during the pandemic, bringing its own set of health problems. "It's hard to be a doctor and recommend alcohol as a cure," Bring said.
His recommendation: Make yourself a hot spicy toddy minus the bourbon.
Vitamin C, zinc and echinacea?
There's been mixed reviews as the whether or not upping your vitamin C and zinc intake at the onset of one's symptoms will reduce the length and severity of a cold.
Echinacea, an herb and root that indigenous peoples have used to treat infections, has also been known to boost the body's immune system and reduce inflammation.
Bring said he's seen studies on the benefits of all three. But he warns not to start popping supplements without talking to your doctor first. Supplements can have health benefits, but they aren't regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Bring said, and it's important to know what you're putting in your body.
Instead, Bring and Henning suggest buying foods that have the extra vitamins and nutrients you're seeking.
Citrus fruits, strawberries and broccoli are rich in vitamin C, and potatoes, nuts, seeds and legumes are some good sources of zinc. Eating a colorful diet full of phytonutrients and antioxidants, Henning said, is helpful in healing the body.
"We say you should eat the rainbow, not the Skittles," she said.
Other flu flim-flam?
Bring and Henning said to steer clear of taking an antibiotic at first sight of cold symptoms. Since the common cold is caused by a virus as opposed to bacteria, an antibiotic will do you no good in fighting off your symptoms.
If symptoms persist longer than 10 days, then Henning said you should visit a provider and see if you might have something other than a cold that an antibiotic could help.
There are plenty of other cold and flu remedies that have no medical consensus yet, they both said.
Henning said she's heard lots of patients say they avoid dairy products when they're sick because they can increase mucus production. While milk and other dairy products can make phlegm thicker and irritate the throat, Henning said it doesn't cause the body to make more phlegm.
It's also unclear whether garlic can relieve your cold symptoms. Bring said garlic contains antimicrobial properties that can be helpful in alleviating symptoms, and it certainly wouldn't hurt adding to your diet, there is insufficient clinical evidence to say it truly works.
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And in these COVID times, Bring said to avoid any "hoax cures" like Ivermectin that could do more harm than good.
Regardless of which cold and flu remedy you may choose Bring and Henning both say to remember to take care of yourself. Get some extra sleep, get your flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine, and take it easy.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
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