Along with cool weather, and yummy bhajias, monsoon also brings along various diseases like cold, cough and the flu. During monsoon, your immunity tends to decrease due to which you become more prone to different health issues also, the sudden fluctuation in the temperature also hampers your health. However, it is not always advisable to pop in a tablet for even simpler issues like a minor cough or cold, you may sometimes also want to try out the natural remedies that have been trusted since ages in India.

India probably is the home of all natural home remedies that actually work. There are many natural ingredients also mentioned in Ayurveda that work miraculously on cold and cough. Here are a few natural remedies for cough and cold that actually work!

  1. Holy Basil, Cinnamon and Honey Kadha: Kadhas are India's favourite home remedy for common cold and cough. All you have to do is heat a glass full of water and add 3-4 leaves of holy basil, a stick of cinnamon, a few drops of lemon juice, few Julians of ginger and boil all of these ingredients well. Now add a small spoon of honey and sip the mix like tea.

  2. Ginger Tea: There is nothing like ginger for cough and cold. Ginger tea is probably the best way to consume the bitter ginger. A warm cup of ginger tea helps ease out congestion and speeds up recovery.

  3. Turmeric Milk: Haldi doodh aka Turmeric latte/milk is an age-old home remedy of cough and cold. Turmeric is known for its antibacterial properties and is also rich in various antioxidants. The combination of turmeric and milk helps fight cold.

  4. Hot salt-water gargle: This works perfectly in treating cough and cold. Warm salt water helps is soothing inflammation and getting rid of congestion in the chest. It also helps soothe blocked nose.

  5. Amla: Rich in antioxidants this superfood is packed with various nutrients. Eating amla helps build your immune system and even fight cold and cough. You can chew dried amlas or add amla to your dals. You can even consume amla in form of pickles.

  6. Garlic:  Rich in the compound allicin, Garlic is a perfect antimicrobial food to eat when you have a cough or cold. It helps build your immunity and also improve the blood circulation. You might want to simply roast a clove or two of Garlic in ghee and consume it with your food.

However, you must remember that home remedies are just supplements to improve your overall health and help build immunity and they don't substitute medication. If you see that your symptoms of cough and cold persist, it could be a hidden symptom of any other underlying health condition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 25, 2018 08:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).