The common cold is prevalent in Britain all year but there are probably more cases between October and March. Apparently an untreated cold will last seven days, but with treatment it will last a week .

Through the ages, people have sworn by various cold cures.

Disclaimer:- Try them at your own risk.

The Victorians used to place hot, turpentine dampened cloths on their chests. Let’s hope they didn’t then lie next to a roaring fire.

Many people eat oranges because they contain vitamin C. Clove spiked oranges or lemons were thought to ward off germs, (more important in those days, because germs could be a cold, or the bubonic plague!)

Spread goose grease on brown paper and wear it, grease down, on your chest. Wear a thick vest and an old shirt on top. You won’t get lucky but you might get better.

Chewing pieces of raw onion will help alleviate the symptoms and make sure everyone else stays far enough away not to catch it.

Another remedy suggests putting a clove of garlic between your teeth and your cheek, on either side of your mouth, and bearing it for as long as possible. Change your garlic each time and don’t lend used garlic to anyone else.

Soak your feet in hot water with half a cup of mustard powder for half an hour.
Who knows why.

Mix 4 parts of flour, 1 part of mustard and add water to make it into a thick paste. Rub some warm baby oil on your chest and spread paste on top. Tie long strips of cotton or muslin around your torso, underneath old clothes to ensure the paste remains in place. Nobody is likely to lick it off you so make sure you have a wallpaper scraper nearby, for when it sets.

A well-known cold remedy is chicken broth because it is supposed to contain something that reduces inflammation and mucus production. The vegetarian alternative, cheese and onion soup, does not have the same properties. Who would buy a book entitled ‘Cheese and Onion Soup for the Soul?’