Primary Remedies

Arsenicum album

A person who has frequent colds, sore throats, and chest problems—with burning pain and feelings of weakness, restlessness, and anxiety—may benefit from this remedy. The person’s head may feel hot while the rest of the body is cold, and problems can be worse near midnight. The nose often feels stopped up, and the person may sneeze repeatedly, without relief. White, think, burning mucus may be produced.

Belladonna

This remedy relieves high fever of sudden onset with sweating.

Euphrasia

Red, watery, irritated eyes, frequent sneezing, and a mild, clear nasal discharge suggests a need for this remedy. The person may cough from irritation and from phlegm collecting in the throat. Symptoms can be worse at night, and the person tends to feel better from eating and lying down.

Natrum muriaticum

Colds with clear nasal discharge like egg-white, sneezing (which is often worse in the morning), headache, and a diminished sense of smell or taste may respond to this remedy. The person may develop cold sores around the mouth, and the lips can be chapped and cracked.

Nux vomica

This relieves spasmodic sneezing in the morning, with a dry nose during the night.

Pulsatilla

This remedy relieves non-irritant yellowish nasal discharge with a dry nose at night that becomes runny during the day, and loss of smell and taste.

Other Remedies

Aconitum napellus

This remedy relieves high fever of sudden onset, with a hot face and dry skin, especially after exposure to intense cold.

Allium cepa

This relieves spasmodic sneezing and runny nose with an irritating, watery discharge, improved by fresh air.

Baryta carbonica

This remedy is indicated for people who frequently catch colds from getting chilled. A runny nose and swollen upper lip, swollen lymph nodes, tonsils, and adenoids are typical symptoms. This remedy is often helpful to children who are bashful and slow to develop.

Dulcamara

When a person comes down with a cold after getting wet and chilled, or if colds come on when the weather changes, this remedy should come to mind. A stopped-up nose and face pain are likely. A person who needs Dulcamara also tends to have allergies.

Ferrum phosphoricum

This remedy relieves low-grade fever with weakness and tendency to nosebleeds and earaches.

Gelsemium

Lethargy and aching, with headache and droopy eyes, often indicate this remedy. Fever and chills run up and down the spine, and heat or pressure may be felt in the face and nose. A person who needs Gelsemium often trembles and is shaky, or feels extremely dull. This remedy is often helpful for colds that come on in hot weather.

Hydrastis canadensis

This remedy relieves thick nasal discharge that irritates the throat.

Kali bichromicum

This helps relieve thick, greenish, irritating nasal discharge.

Kali iodatum

This remedy relieves runny nose with acrid watery discharge, with pain at the base of the nose.

Kali muriaticum

This helps relieve ear congestion with cracking sounds in the ear, worsened by the change in pressure.

Mercurius solubilis

A person who needs this remedy is extremely sensitive to temperatures, and experiences night sweats and drooling during sleep. Swollen lymph nodes and bad breath are other indications. The person’s nose may feel raw, and the tonsils or ears often become infected.

Phosphorus

A person whose colds go easily to the chest often responds to this remedy. One nostril may be blocked while the other runs. Hoarseness, laryngitis, and nosebleeds are other likely symptoms. The person often is thirsty for cold drinks and feels better from massage. People who need this remedy often feel weak, “spaced out,” and anxious or fearful when ill.

Rhus toxicodendron

If a cold begins with stiffness and body aches, especially during cool damp weather or weather changes, and leads to nasal congestion or sore throat, this remedy should come to mind. The person feels extremely restless and often paces or fidget. Warmth and motion bring relief, both physically and mentally.

Sulphur iodatum

This remedy relieves lingering symptoms (cough, nasal congestion) after a severe cold or flu.