6 Jersey home remedies for the common cold

It's been a couple of years since I've gotten a full blown, long lasting cold. At the first sign of a sore throat, runny nose or cough, I load up on zinc, vitamin C, gargle with salt water and irrigate my sinuses with a neti pot which I'm happy to demonstrate for you at the end of this article. It seems right now in early December just about everyone I know is fighting some kind of cold. Blame it on the unusually wet summer and fall causing mold spores or the early cold temperatures we've been having, but somethin's goin' round!

We asked our Jersey listeners for their home remedies and here are the top ones they swear by.

1. Hot water with cayenne pepper, juice of a whole lemon, turmeric and ginger.
2. Hot tea with Jameson Whiskey, honey and lemon.
3. Putting slices of raw onion in your socks to draw out fever and any bacterial infection.
4. Eating lots of raw garlic first thing in the morning.
5. A pint of Blackberry Brandy and four beers.
6. A hot bath with essential oils and Epsom salts.

These products and methods have not been evaluated by the FDA, blah, blah, blah. Take any of these measures at your own risk. I once heard on a medical show that mass quantities of beet juice will give you more strength and energy. I juiced about half a dozen beets and drank them. I felt so strange and sick, so I googled "drinking beet juice made me sick" and thousand of hits came up. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone. Do your best to stay well this winter and at the first sign of a cold, do something!

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