Cold? Cough? Covid? David Needleman offers homeopathic remedies to prevent or treat them all
In late 2019 and early 2020, the number of callers to the Homeopathic Helpline dramatically increased as the Covid-19 pandemic began to take hold. During the first few months of the pandemic, we answered hundreds of extra calls, most relating to symptoms of the flu, which were many and varied.
However, I did notice a pattern, and some months before it became public knowledge, we discovered that the loss of smell and taste was a significant symptom. It became a defining symptom of the pandemic, and although many people were successfully cured of Covid-19 and its symptoms, some victims of this side effect have not fully recovered.
At the time, the best remedy for it was Natrum Muriaticum. Other remedies that helped in the early stages included Bryonia, Phosphorus and Camphor (especially for the icy chills).
Later in the course of the illness, we found that China, Arsenicum Album, and Eupatorium Perfoliatum eased the symptoms. Less often, Lobelia Inflata, Aconite, Argentum Nitric, Kali Phos, Kali Bich and Oxygen (in homeopathic potency) all proved helpful.
Some of these remedies are available only from dedicated homeopathic pharmacies as they are not in the over-the-counter ranges of the more familiar products available. Many of the people who’d called the Helpline phoned back when the symptom picture changed, both to seek further help and to thank us when their family member had recovered.
I’m delighted to say that of all the hundreds of people we helped, there were never any reports of tragedies.
In a normal year, however, seasonal flu begins in October and runs until early March or April.
When the symptoms of the flu come on very quickly (like a thunderstorm), the first remedy is often Aconite. After taking this for the first onset, the picture will often change, sometimes to Gelsemium, sometimes to other remedies.
While Aconite is good for a dramatic, sudden development, Gelsemium is the right remedy for a slower and achier onset typical of colds and flus. To help you determine simply and at home what remedies will work best for your symptoms, I have produced the following table.
| REMEDY | NOSE | EYE/MOUTH | BETTER or WORSE | OTHER |
| ACONITE | Frequent sneezing. Nose stopped up. | Thirsty. | Worse in stuffy atmosphere. | Colds of sudden onset from chilling, often with high temperature. |
| ALLIUM CEPA | Much sneezing. Nose streams. | Eye streams. Lips sore. Hot and thirsty. | Worse in warm room. Better in fresh air. | Rawness may extend to throat and chest. Tickle in back of throat. |
| ARSEN ALBUM | Sneezing frequent and painful. Thin, watery discharge and burning. | Thirsty for small amounts of water. Lips sore. Philtrum sore. | Worse in cold air and after eating. | Extremely chilly. Intense tickle in nose at one particular spot. |
| BELLADONNA | Nose swollen red, sore and hot. Not much discharge. | Throat raw, sore and hoarse. | Worse when lying down and with noise and draft. | Violent headache. Very thirsty. Restless. |
| BRYONIA | Much sneezing, then tendency to spread to chest. | Eyes red and watery. Lips and mouth dry and great thirst. | Better when lying down and keeping still. | Onset delayed and symptoms slow developing. |
| DULCAMARA | Sneezing severe. | Eyes red and sore throat. | Worse in cold room. Worse in damp rooms and musty cellars. | Neck still, pains in back and limbs. |
| GELSEMIUM | For influenza-type cold. Discharge makes nostrils sore. | Eyelids heavy. Coated tongue. | Better near a fire. Often caused by a change in the weather. | Headache and chills. Tickling and tearing cough. Frequent need to pass water. Achy limbs. |
| HEPAR SULPH | Much sneezing. Watery discharge later becomes thick, yellow and offensive. | Eyes and lids red and inflamed. Eyeballs sore to the touch. Gums and mouth painful to touch. Feeling of a hair or splinter in the throat. | Worse in the least draft. | Peevish and hypersensitive. |
| KALI BICH | Pressure and pain at root of nose. Fetid smell. Discharge thick, ropy, greenish yellow. Tough elastic plugs from the nose. Loss of smell. Violent sneezing. | Discharge ropy and yellow. Conjunctivitis. Iritis. Mapped tongue, red, shining, smooth and dry. Feeling of a hair on tongue. | Symptoms worse in the morning. | General weakness. Catarrhs. Tough, stringy, viscid secretions. |
| MERC SOL/VIV | Much sneezing. Nostrils raw, ulcerated. Acrid discharge. | Sweetish metallic taste. Gums spongy, recede, bleed easily. Fetid odor from mouth. Thick, yellow discharge from the eyes. Iritis. Tongue shows indent marks. | All symptoms worse at night, from warmth of bed, from cold and wet weather. Worse during perspiration. | Breath, excretions, and body smell foul. Tendency to form pus. Inability to cope with minor temperature changes. |
| NUX VOMICA | Much sneezing. Nose alternately blocked and running. | Mouth dry. | Better outdoors. | Extremely chilly, can’t get warm and excessively irritable. |
| PHOSPHORUS | Nose alternately blocked or running, or one nostril blocked and the other discharging. | Throat sore, voice hoarse. | Worse with temperature change. | Cold begins in chest or throat. Streaks of blood in tissue. |
| PULSATILLA | Nose stuffed up. Thick, yellow discharge. | Chapped, peeling lips. Loss of appetite. | Better outdoors. Worse coming into a warm room. | Cold is persistent. Pains in face and nose. Chills. |
Apart from Dulcamara, all the remedies in this table are usually contained in the standard kits available from most homeopathic pharmacies.
Many of those pharmacies also produce their own prophylactic combinations to prevent and/or treat the onset of seasonal colds and flus. And they often update them each year using that year’s flu vaccination as a homeopathic remedy.
The bestselling anti-cold and -flu remedy in the world—outselling many over-the-counter conventional remedies—is the proprietary product Oscillococcinum, made by Boiron in France. Although it’s usually taken for prevention, if you get a cold or flu, it can also be used as a treatment. Another similar remedy for colds and flu is Influenzinum, as the name on the tin suggests, also by Boiron.
Coughs tend to accompany or follow the usual achy cold and flu symptoms. However, their treatment is often complicated by an inadequate understanding of their nature.
Is it dry? Is it phlegmy? Is it worse at any particular time of day? And are you able to tell the difference? Is it expectorating or non-expectorating?
If possible, I always ask the sufferer to cough for me so that I can hear the timbre of the cough and whether it’s a single cough or a paroxysm, each requiring a different remedy.
One other consideration: whooping cough is on the rise. In the first three months of 2024 in the UK, more than 2,600 cases of whooping cough were diagnosed. Many patients don’t realize they have it, as not everyone suffers the characteristic “whoop.” Nevertheless, it can be persistent—one reason it’s also called “the hundred-day cough.”
The first-line homeopathic treatment is often Pertussin (made from pertussis, which is whooping cough). I usually suggest giving it to all in the household as well as the patient.
If you already have the remedy, take whatever potency you have to start off. But I usually prefer the 10M potency and a frequency of one dose twice a day for two days before you move on to the remedy that fits the picture best.
Here’s another chart of remedies for a variety of coughs. Some of them have been listed in both tables because their individual pictures cover a range of different areas.
| REMEDY | TYPE OF COUGH | MUCUS or PHLEGM | TIME OF DAY | BETTER or WORSE | OTHER |
| ANT TART | Feeling of suffocation. Persistent rattling. | Large amounts of sticky phlegm difficult to expectorate. | Worse evening. | Better sitting up. | Weakness, drowsiness, white coated tongue, like a severe smoker’s cough. |
| ACONITE | Short, dry cough or hard, ringing cough. | Mucous membranes dry, nose stopped up. | Worse at night and after midnight. Sudden onset. | Worse after exposure to cold, dry winds. Better in open air. | Acute-onset anxiety. |
| BRYONIA | Dry, hard, spasmodic, painful cough. | Tough mucous in trachea. | Worse at night and in a warm room. | Worse with movement and in cold, dry weather. Better with rest and pressure. | Very thirsty for cold water. Irritable mood. Wants to be warm. |
| CAUSTICUM | Hard cough, racks whole chest. Loss of voice. | Inability to expectorate. Swallows phlegm. | Can’t lie down at night. Worse in warmth of bed. | Better with cold drinks (sips of water). Worse in cold, dry winds. Better with humidity. | Burning, rawness and soreness are characteristic. |
| DROSERA | Tickle in larynx brings on deep spasmodic (paroxysmal) cough with retching and gagging. | Yellow expectoration. Can be very dry. | Worse at night. | Better in open air. Worse lying down. | Hoarseness, croup. |
| HEPAR SULPH | Spasmodic, wet cough. Croup with loose, rattly cough. | Loose phlegm. | Worse when lying down at night and waking in the morning. | Worse in dry, cold winds, cool air, or draft. Worse with mercury. Worse with touch. Better in damp weather. Better after eating. | Blocked nose.
Blocked ear. |
| IPECAC | Spasmodic, suffocating cough with wheezing. Sudden attack. | Blocked nose, chest seems full of phlegm, does not yield to coughing. | Worse periodically, yearly attacks. | Worse in warm, moist wind. Worse when lying down. | Particularly useful for young people’s acute symptoms. Nausea not relieved by vomiting. |
| PHOSPHORUS | Dry, hard, tickly cough. | Chronic catarrh with slight hemorrhage. |
Worse in evenings. |
Worse with temperature change. Worse when talking or active. | Tightness in chest, headache. Nervous and anxious. |
| RUMEX | Spasmodic, dry cough. | Tough, stringy phlegm. | Worse when lying down at night and waking in the morning (see Hepar Sulph). | Worse in cold air. Better with head under blankets. | Hoarseness and constant desire to hawk. |
Of the remedies in the table, Causticum, Rumex and Spongia are usually available only from a dedicated homeopathic pharmacy. If you can’t get Spongia, here’s a cheat version: taking Hepar Sulph and Phosphorus together will approximate the picture of Spongia and in fact often works better than Spongia on its own.
Both tables offer a snapshot of good home remedies, most of which are readily available. But do remember that other remedies might fit the original picture, and if you’ve taken what appears to be the most appropriate and nothing happens, then it’s time for professional help.
In homeopathy, your constitution is your complete health picture, and the remedy used to improve your overall health is your constitutional remedy. Many people respond well to this remedy alongside the acute treatment for their symptoms of illness, but a constitutional remedy does not stay a remedy for life.
It addresses a moment in time, which may continue to remain so for a while, but when your constitution is addressed with the appropriate remedy and potency, it will often change.
We also should not forget self-help, a very important aspect of healing from acute illnesses. Vitamin C in the appropriate strength, zinc, good nutrition, hydration, fresh air and exercise all contribute to recovery and the maintenance of good health.
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