Every fall, the coughs and sore throats show up at urgent care right on schedule, just like pumpkin spice lattes. The waiting room quickly fills up with sniffly kiddos, scratchy throats, and persistent coughs. And almost every patient asks me some version of the same few questions.
“What can I do for this?”
“Is there anything natural I can take?”
The answer is yes, AND you don’t always need to buy those expensive cough syrups and medications.
Most colds are viral, which means antibiotics won’t help. Also, that codeine cough syrup doesn’t have much research to back it up either – it’s mainly just making you sleepy 😴 What can help is a short list of simple, cheap things that make you feel better while your body does the work.
I dug into the research so I can help you fight off your cold and keep symptoms at a minimum.
I wanted to know what actually works, what’s mostly hype, and what options you have if you don’t want to use honey (which is a controversial vegan topic). I’m a PA-C, but I’m also the mom and wife making tea for everyone in my house when we all get sick. That and chugging immunity shots the moment I get a sore throat…and they actually taste good!
What You’ll Learn
- The one home remedy with the most research behind it 🤧
- What vegans can use instead of honey (and why it may still work) 🍯
- The simple remedies I recommend to patients 🍵
- When a cough or sore throat means you should come in 🏥
- My go-to drinks and soups when I’m sick 🤒
1. Honey has the most research (but vegans have options)
Honey isn’t vegan. And using honey in your diet may be controversial pending where you stand with your veganism or plant-based lifestyle. And I’m going to be totally honest here – we use honey in our household and that’s just my own personal choice, but I want you to have options. Stay with me, because this part is actually good news for vegan folks who prefer not to use honey.
Honey has the strongest research of any home remedy for cough. A big Cochrane review found honey may shorten a cough by a little under a day and help kids (and their parents!) sleep better. A 2021 review from Oxford found honey worked better than usual care for how often and how hard people coughed. It even held its own against some over-the-counter cough medicines.
But here’s a twist. In one of the best honey studies, researchers needed a fake “placebo” that looked and tasted like honey. They chose date syrup. However – honey won. But the kids who got date syrup improved too, just not as much.
Why would a plain sweet syrup help at all? One cough researcher thinks sweet tastes themselves may calm the cough reflex. Sweet things also make you make more saliva, which coats a raw throat. So a lot of the benefit may come from something sweet, thick, and warm.
The vegan swaps
- Date syrup: the closest match to honey in taste and texture
- Maple syrup: easy to find and great in tea
- Agave: thinner, but still sweet and soothing
How much sweetener should you take? Typical doses used in clinical trials ranged from 2.5 to 10 mL (about ½ to 2 teaspoons) of honey given as a single dose ~30 minutes before bedtime. For most adults, I’d recommend 2 tsp.
Allie’s note 🩺 If you eat honey, go for it – it has the most data. If you don’t, a spoonful of date syrup or maple in something warm is a good swap. Just know, the research on the swaps is not quite as good.
🛑 FYI! Never give honey to babies under 1
Honey can cause infant botulism in babies under 12 months.
2. Hot drinks
Ours grandmas were onto something. In a small study, people with a cold drank the same fruit drink either hot or at room temperature. The hot version helped with more symptoms, including sore throat, chills, and feeling tired. The room temperature one only helped with runny nose, cough, and sneezing.
It was a small study (so I don’t call it proof). But a hot drink is cheap, safe, and it keeps you hydrated. So I feel like that’s an easy YES!
Easy options to try:
- Ginger lemon tea with a spoonful of honey, date syrup or maple
- Peppermint tea
- Warm broth or a big bowl of soup
3. Salt water gargles and nasal rinses
This one my mom always recommended!
Gargling salt water is one of the most common things I suggest for a sore throat. The research on gargling alone isn’t huge. But there’s a promising study that combined it with something else.
In a small trial from Scotland, adults who started salt water gargles and salt water nasal rinses within 2 days of catching a cold got better about 2 days sooner. They also used less cold medicine and were less likely to pass it to people at home. The researchers say a bigger study is needed, but I love that result so far.
How I explain it to patients:
- Stir about 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water
- Gargle, spit, and repeat (can do few times a day)
🛑 A safety note on nasal rinses
I used to work in ENT for 5 years and a BIG thing people forget: Only use distilled, sterile, or boiled (then cooled) water in a nasal rinse bottle or neti pot. Never use water straight from the tap. If it sounds like too much work to make your own salt water mixture, you can buy pre-mixed saline from most pharmacies over the counter (personally this is what I do). I love Simply Saline (this mister feels really good in the sinuses).
4. Zinc lozenges
Zinc is kind of a big debate in research right now.
A 2024 Cochrane review looked at 34 studies. Zinc didn’t seem to prevent colds. But when people took it once they were already sick, it may have shortened their cold by about 2 days. The catch? More side effects, like a bad taste in the mouth and an upset stomach.
I covered zinc briefly in my Feel a Cold Coming On? Do This! post, too.
I personally get really nauseated if I take a zinc tablet on an empty stomach, but I’ve used zinc lozenges before without much issue.
Allie’s note 🩺 Start zinc early, within the first day or so of symptoms. If you take other medications, check with your pharmacist or provider first.
5. Vitamin C, elderberry, and echinacea
These remedies are the ones I get asked about the most.
- Vitamin C: taking it regularly may shorten colds a little. It doesn’t seem to prevent them.
- Elderberry: some small studies suggest it may shorten colds and the flu. Bigger, better studies are still needed.
- Echinacea: very popular, but the research is limited and mixed.
If you want to try some of these natural remedies, I share two easy options in my Orange Ginger Immunity Shots and Elderberry Immunity Shots. I usually make a big batch and keep them in my freezer to start taking when I feel a cold coming on.
When to skip the tea and come see us
This part is really important – so please read it.
Disclaimer – this is not medical advice but just for educational purposes.
Most coughs and sore throats get better on their own. Viruses last often 1 week. But some need evaluation. Come in (or call your provider) if you have:
- Trouble breathing, wheezing, or chest pain
- Trouble swallowing, drooling, or a muffled “hot potato” voice”
- A high fever, or a fever that won’t go away
- A unilateral sore throat (most viral sore throats cause pain on both sides of your throat).
- A sore throat with fever but no cough (this can be strep)
- A cough that lasts more than 3 weeks
- Signs of dehydration, like very little urine or feeling dizzy
- Symptoms that start to get better, then suddenly get worse
👶🏻For babies and little kids, trust your gut!
What this looks like in my kitchen
When someone in my house gets sick, these are my go-to’s (for myself included).
A warm ginger lemon tea. Hot water, fresh ginger, a squeeze of lemon, and a spoonful of honey or date syrup.
Hibiscus tea, served warm. My Iced Hibiscus Tea works hot too. It’s tart like cranberry and feels so good on a scratchy throat. It’s also good for blood pressure!
Immunity shots. My Orange Ginger Immunity Shots and Elderberry Immunity Shots are freezer friendly, so I keep a them ready for cold season.
A big pot of soup. Warm liquid feels so good when you’re sick. My Creamy Golden Lentil Soup and Sage Mushroom Lentil Stew both make enough for days! They’re also freezer friendly. I have tons more soup options too.
Thanks for reading this post! Stay healthy!
Allie Petersen MPAS, PA-C
Disclaimer
This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please talk with your own healthcare provider before making changes to your health regimen.
