It seems very likely that humans have struggled with the common cold since the earliest days of life on earth. And they always seem to come with a set of symptoms that may include:

Runny or stuffy nose

Itchy or sore throat

Cough

Congestion

Slight body aches or a mild headache

Sneezing

Watery eyes

Low-grade fever

Mild fatigue

The discharge from the nose may become thicker and yellow or green in color as a common cold runs its course. What makes a cold different from other bugs is that with a cold generally you won't have a high fever. You're also unlikely to experience significant fatigue from a common cold.

The good news—homeopathy can help shorten the intensity and duration of a cold. Here are some great remedies to consider:

• Aconite: Patients needing Aconite will experience the sudden onset of a cold after exposure to cold air. There may be little discharge from the nose or a profuse, hot, watery discharge. Frequent sneezing is not uncommon. The patient is frequently restless and can be anxious as well. The throat may also be involved with burning and stinging pains.
• Allium cepa: Anyone who has ever chopped an onion knows the cold symptoms that match this homeopathic remedy… fluent discharge from the nose and eyes. The discharge from the nose is acrid and the tears from the eyes are profuse and bland. There is often frequent sneezing. The patient is often thirsty and feels worse in the evening and in a warm room.
• Arsenicum album: The patient that responds well to this homeopathic remedy often has a stuffed nose with a watery discharge at the same time and the discharge can make the upper lip red (this last symptom is seen in Allium cepa as well). Arsenicum patients are chilly patients and like Nux vomica patients hover by the radiator or fire. They may suffer with a sore throat and experience burning pains paradoxically made better by warmth. They are also frequently anxious and a bit restless.
• Euphrasia: This homeopathic remedy is called for when the patient’s nasal discharge is profuse and bland while the tears are acrid and irritating to the eye (the opposite of Allium cepa). The patient is often worse at night and on lying down.
• Mercurius solubilis: A family member needing this homeopathic remedy often complains of a kind of creeping chilliness at the onset of a cold. They often have much sneezing and a fluent corrosive discharge from the nose—a discharge that can be green in color and taste a bit sweet or metallic. The frontal sinuses may be particularly sore. A patient needing Mercurius solubilis will often have offensive breath as well as offensive night sweats. They often feel poorly in a warm room but cannot stand being chilled. They are often thirsty for cold drinks despite having a very moist mouth.
• Nux vomica: Patients needing this homeopathic remedy may notice the onset of the cold after exposure to cold, dry air (similar to Aconite). The nose is stuffed and dry initially (and at night) and the throat feels scraped, raw and sore. The discharge from the nose is often very fluent (and at same time stuffed like Ars Alb) in a warm room and during the daytime. There may also be a lot of sneezing. Patients needing this remedy are most often chilly and oversensitive—irritable and touchy.
• Pulsatilla: Family members needing this homeopathic remedy may experience a loss of smell with a thick yellow discharge from the nose and throat and feel much better in the open air. The discharge from the nose is bland. It’s a remedy often called for in weepy, timid, yielding patients. Folks needing this remedy will often experience great stuffiness at night and in a warm room with a fluent discharge in the open air and in the morning.They are often without thirst.

Colds can be challenging to treat homeopathically because many of the symptoms one observes are common from one patient to another. The key is in identifying the symptoms that are unique to your family member.

The essential element to choosing the correct/helpful remedy is ALWAYS the same. One must match the characteristic symptoms of the patient to a remedy capable of producing similar characteristic symptoms to have success. If you choose a remedy with characteristics most similar to the characteristic symptoms of the patient, you will have a happy outcome every time. If you don’t, you will either feel no effect or one that is mild at best.

Dose with either a 30C or 200C potency to start by placing one pellet under the tongue or one pellet in water, stirring vigorously and taking teaspoon doses as needed. Always cease dosing when relief begins and only redose if symptoms again worsen. As with any medical condition, consult with your physician if you have any concerns about the severity of your illness as it may first require medical diagnosis and/or intervention and monitoring.

About Dr. Lisa Samet

Dr. Lisa Samet N.D. provides Washington Homeopathic Products with a regular column on using homeopathy for the family. She's a naturopathic physician who specializes in homeopathic medicine. Dr. Samet graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1998 and has been practicing in Montreal since then. She was born and raised in New York.

Dr. Samet has chosen to focus on homeopathy because in her experience it is the deepest healing modality available in that it does not just soothe or palliate symptoms but can actually stimulate the body to start to heal itself. Dr. Samet sees patients in her Montreal office as well as long distance using Skype. Learn more here: Dr. Lisa Samet