Salt Water Remedies for Colds

While it sounds too easy to be true it is. Salt water can be a powerful way to relieve cold symptoms. An article on WebMD, explains how to create a salt-water solution that can sprayed in the nasal passage or used in gargling.


For nasal congestion, salt-water rinsing helps break up congestion while also removing virus particles and bacteria from your nose.

Here's how to do make up a batch:

Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces of warm water. Fill a bulb syringe with this mixture (or use a Neti pot, available at most health foods stores). Lean your head over a basin, and using the bulb syringe, gently squirt the salt water into your nose. Hold one nostril closed by applying light finger pressure while squirting the salt mixture into the other nostril. Let it drain. Repeat two to three times, and then treat the other nostril.

And to relive a sore throat that often preceds a cold, you can use a half teaspoon of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water four times daily.