Some of the Best Natural Remedies for the Cold, Flu and Muscle Aches

By Kris Cooper & Jacqueline Schaalje

Struggling with the spring season and the changing weather? Instead of rushing to the drugstore the next time you are experiencing a cold, flu or have muscle aches, you can try looking in your kitchen cabinet. Many natural remedies involve using products that you already have lying around your home. Natural remedies could be safer and often time work faster than traditional over-the-counter medications or creams. Why not try out a few of these quick cures the next time you are dealing with a common illness or pain? You just might be surprised by how well they can work.

Natural Remedy for the Common Cold

The common cold is something that just about everyone on earth has to deal with from time to time. Did you know that apple cider vinegar can be a natural cure for the common cold? When you have a cold, you essentially have a virus in your system. Cold viruses put your body into an overly acidic state. This can suppress your immune system further and can make it difficult for your body to fight off the virus. However, apple cider vinegar can be a natural remedy that balances your pH levels and makes your body unattractive to harmful germs. If you can’t stand the taste of apple cider vinegar you can combine it with other natural ingredients including honey and lemon to create a natural drinking concoction that can lessen the symptoms of a cold.

Natural Remedy for the Flu

Breathing aromatic steam can be a great way to naturally cure the flu. The flu can leave you feeling less than your best, but you can get rid of the flu fast with a quick natural remedy. Here’s what you can try: fill your bathroom sink with hot water. Just add a few teaspoons of fresh ginger to the water and you will have your own aromatic steam. Place a towel over your head and then lean over the sink to breathe in the steam that rises from the sink.

Natural Remedy for Muscle Aches

Cayenne pepper isn’t just a spice that you can add to your favorite foods. You can also use cayenne pepper as a natural remedy for when you have that annoying ache in your muscles which makes it difficult to bend your knees, swing your arms or even sit down without wanting to scream. Combine cayenne pepper with olive oil to create a rubbing solution that you can apply to aching muscles. The capsaicin in cayenne pepper will send signals to your brain lessening the pain and soreness in your muscles.

Vocabulary and Idiom Quiz

Here are 10 definitions of the bold words in the text, numbered 1 to 10. Type the number of the definition that matches the meaning. The first one has been done for you.

Link to online quiz.

Words:

1 over-the-counter

2 illness

3 remedy

4 cure

5 suppress

6 immune system

7 fight off

8 get rid

9 ache

10 soreness

 

Definitions:

Something that stops a medical problem. You type: 4

Dull pain.

The network in your body that fights against disease.

Block from working properly.

Pain that you feel when a place is touched.

A medicine that you can buy without a doctor’s prescription.

To make free.

Another word for disease.

Something that helps against or cures a (medical) problem.

Defend.

Want to do more Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Quizzes?

Have a look here:

Hair Styles

The Dwarf (Story)

Words with Pa- and Ma-

Summer in Austria

Travel Vocab

Bits and Pieces about the London Underground

and many more.

Or download my story collection for ESL from Amazon: My Super Super Summer Stories.