Home Remedies for Coughs, Colds and Stomach Virus

For Children 2-3+ years and Adults:

Cold, Cough & Earache Remedies:

1. Honey and lemon: Mix 1 part lemon juice to 1 part honey. Mix well, may mix together better if you heat it for a few seconds in the microwave. This is good for soothing a cough, it is also good for a cold because of its healing properties. I don't know HOW it works, I just know it does.
2. Vitamin C: Ester C is best but it is also the most expensive. Ester C is good because it absorbs into the body better and is not wasted in the through any of the bodily functions. I usually follow the directions on the bottle, but if your child is sick you can give them 250-500mg of the standard (not Ester C) Vitamin C, 3 times/day for a child 2+ years, but if they get diarrhea then lower their dosage.
3. Chicken soup: Of course we all know how to make this, but just in case, here is a simple method. Dice 1 whole chicken breast or use chicken that you already have cooked, add water to cover, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1-2 diced onions, 4 diced carrots, 2 diced celery sticks, & 2-4 diced potatoes if you are not adding noodles. Cook everything well & serve. Why all these veggies? Onions have the same properties as garlic, they help the infection, carrots are high in beta carotene heals the inflamed mucous membranes and strengthens the immune system, celery has wonderful cleansing properties, and potatoes are high in Vitamin C. If you or your child don't want to eat the chicken & veggies, drink the broth, it will also help.
   
4. Garlic: Why use garlic?Here is why: it is a natural antibiotic, it calms a cough, and because of its natural infection fighting properties it actually may help you get better faster by destroying the free radicals in your system. Use garlic internally for earaches, too. Remember we are fighting infection here!
   
5. Giving Garlic to Children: You can give garlic to children by hiding it in a spoonful of applesauce. Here's how: Take a spoon and put a little applesauce on the spoon so that it covers the whole surface. Make an indention in the applesauce with your finger and put 1/8-1/4 tsp garlic powder or the contents of a garlic capsule (the ones with the gelatin shell & powdered garlic inside) in the indention, then cover it with a little more applesauce.
6. Garlic for Adults: Take 1-2 garlic capsules or tablets 3 times a day.
7. Treatment for Earaches: You need a towel and cotton ball. Peroxide: Warm up a little peroxide in the microwave for 5-15 seconds until lukewarm in a medicine cup. Then use a dropper to put it in the ears & dry with a towel. This will clean out the infection. Sweet Oil or Olive oil: Heat the sweet oil up in a cup of hot water for about 8-10 minutes. You put the warm oil in the ears with a dropper, and put a cotton ball in the ear to keep it from dripping everywhere. The warm oil will soothe the earache and help it to get better, but it must be warm. Cold olive oil does not have the same healing properties as warm olive oil.
8. Echinacea, Zinc & C Lozenges: Echinacea is known for speeding up the immune response, Zinc has healing properties, as does Vitamin C. 1/4 - 1/2 lozenge for children.
   
9. Fenugreek & Thyme: Helps to thin the mucous, & helps sinus pressure. This is good for allergy symptoms, too. I only use this for adults.
   

Diarrhea & Vomiting Remedies Or At Least Helps:

1. Blackberries: Blackberry jam, fresh or frozen blackberries, or blackberry juice (sweetened with a little sugar) will help to stop the diarrhea. This is an old remedy given to my mother for severe diarrhea in children (esp.) by a pediatrician.
   
2. Oatmeal gruel: This is simply over cooked oatmeal. You can make it by taking 3/4 cups oatmeal and adding 3 cups water, sugar to taste, and a pinch of salt. Cook this mixture until it resembles a thick pudding. When finished you can add vanilla for flavor. This is also a remedy given to my mother from a pediatrician.
   
3. Dry cereal & Crackers: Rice Chex, Cheerios, saltines, & circle cracker are always good. I don't know exactly how they work, but they just do.
   
4. Homemade Pedialyte: 2 quarts drinking water, 7 Tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, unsweetened koolaid (optional) if you want to flavor it. This is good for diarrhea and upset stomach. This gets the fluid in and settle the stomach.
   

For those of you that also have children suffering from sickness, I hope this helps.

*NOTE: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be. I am simply a mother who has been there. I have tried every remedy that I have listed. If your child is prone to food allergies, PLEASE, please take precautions. Also, I am not encouraging you to not use a doctor, these are only recommendations and they are not guaranteed to help with all children and/or adults. If your child has experienced a long battle with an illness, please take them to the doctor!!!

Blessings!
Heather