The common cold is a viral infection and as yet there is no specific cure for it but cold congestion remedies can help cope with it. Antibiotics used too frequently are not advisable as they cause more harm than good in long run. The best way to deal with a cold is to have foods that boost your immune system thus enabling your body to fight off the infection.



The common cold is invariably associated with nasal stuffiness and congestion. Hot liquids and steam inhalation relieve nasal congestion and help to prevent dehydration, making them the best cold congestion remedies. Congestion is caused by the swelling of the mucus membranes of the nasal passage and the throat and can cause great discomfort.


You can prepare one of the most effective and simplest decongestants at home. Dissolve a few pinches of table salt in half a cup of warm water. Use a dropper filled with this saline solution to carefully put just a few drops into your nose.


Keep your head tilted up towards the ceiling to allow the solution to run all the way to the back of your nasal passages. This will help to soothe the inflamed membranes as well as promote their drainage. Steam inhalation is a completely safe method to help to unclog a stuffy nose. You can use it to supplement any other treatment and maximise its effects. Steam inhalation allows your body to naturally expel virus laden mucous and thus speed up the process of recovery. Add a few drops of Eucalyptus or Peppermint oil to the water to increase its efficacy.
Drink a glass of warm water every hour or so and try to stay as warm as possible. This will keep congestion at bay but it usually means that you will have to deal with a runny nose. Since the mucous membranes in your throat are swollen, you might not really feel like eating. Having a lot of chicken and mixed vegetable broths will help to combat both congestion as well as the infection. Mustard paste is another great traditional remedy for chest congestion. It is a rubefacient and will cause the skin to become warm and eliminate internal congestion. However mustard is also an irritant and so it is advisable that you do not apply the poultice directly to your skin.  You can also add a pinch of freshly ground mustard seeds to your soup to help to keep your nasal passages clear as well. These are some of the most effective cold congestion remedies and are sure to help relieve the problem and accelerate healing.