My father's home remedies for cough and cold during monsoon. 1) Try to make this medicine out of tulsi and ginger. Take 7 to 10 tulsi leaves and wash them nicely. Take 1inch ginger, wash it and remove the skin. Crush the leaves and ginger with a pestle and mortar. Do not grind it. Crush it nicely and then squeeze it to get the juice with ur clean bare hands. To this juice add a tsp of honey. Only 1 or 2 tbsp it will become. Have this tincture first thing jn the morning on empty stomach. This remedy cures as well as prevents cough and cold. My father used to make it for me and my sister.
2) U can also make a tea out of tulsi, ginger, black pepper, cloves, bay leaves, cardamom. Add salt to taste and mishri. Store this ale in a thermoflask and sip it all day.
3) Try to suck on half a inch ginger coated with salt or only a clove for long time by placing it under the tongue near the molars. The juice will be released slowly and soothe the throat.
4) U can also try sunthi ( powder of dried ginger) along with some warm ghee. Mix it with ur steaming hot rice in lunch time.
5) when I was in hostel and not too well to do all this, I used to rely on only hot water. I would carry my thermoflask like a kid to every where for those 3 to 4 days. And just chew 7 to 8 tulsi leaves if available. Initially i didnt know that these remedies were actually so helpful. When i caught cough and cold in college, i visisted a lot of my professors who would give me various cough syrups with codeine, dextromethorphan, guaphensin, ephedrine etc but with no relief. Finally one of them gave me cough syrup reswas which was effective after finishing 2 bottles. So when ever i used catch cold, the persisting cough tooke two weeks to go even with this syrup. Then i became irritated with such long duration and tried to remeber my father's remedies. Amazing when i started doing it, i was relieved within 3 to 4 days. By the time the cold has gone, cough is also gone. No residual cough! All these natural ingredients are also safe in pregnancy and help to build immunity also.