Ugh. It’s the beginning of cold season and I am one of the latest victims. But relegation to the couch today won’t be so bad for several reasons: There are lots of NFL games on TV, and from the library I have DVDs of the Young Ones and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai at the ready.

Usually my go to cold remedy is hot and sour soup or the classic American chicken noodle soup with a grilled cheese. This short NPR story mentions a few cures for the common cold from China, Italy and India. In China, to prevent a cold, a soup made of mustard greens and sweet potatoes is served. It Italy, Lidia Bastianich cites an aunt’s tea made from bay leaves, sage, lemon and honey. And perhaps a bit more intense: Horseradish tea.

Vikram Sunderam, executive chef at the restaurant Rasika in Washington, D.C., relies on old “grandmother’s recipes.” His favorite go-to cold cure is a simple spoonful of ginger juice and honey. For kids, he recommends roasting ajwain, or carom seeds. “You inhale the aroma,” he says. “It’s similar to thyme.” Source: NPR

My cousin who is a doctor in the UK, suggests the Ayurvedic solution of milk with a pinch of turmeric.

What are your cold remedies?