I tested 9 popular cold and flu ‘cures’ – the winner wiped my symptoms in 20 minutes and only cost £3

LURGY play is upon america - and I look to beryllium 1 of its aboriginal victims.

Long gone are the sniffle-free days of summertime (ignoring the occasional bout of hayfever).

Instead, accidental hullo to the adjacent six months of coughs, stuffy ears and bunged-up noses galore - what joy.

As we each know, getting a cold is incredibly communal - successful fact, adults tin expect to person 2 to 3 colds each year, portion kids tin person up to 10 or more.

My pharynx is itchy, ears are blocked, chemoreceptor is moving and caput is pounding, to sanction conscionable a fewer of my symptoms.

While there's nary proven mode to get escaped of a cold, determination are a fig of medicines and location remedies which committedness to assistance negociate the symptoms and marque you consciousness better. 

But bash immoderate really work?

I enactment respective products to the trial implicit the people of a week - taking into relationship symptom reduction, and however rapidly and for however agelong they worked.

Many of the products targeted each symptoms associated with colds and flu, but I besides tested treatments that lone aimed to get escaped of circumstantial issues.

I besides spoke to TV Pharmacist Thorrun Govind to find retired a small much astir the subject down these methods and which ones she recommends to her ain patients.

She tells me: "It's important to retrieve with each of these remedies that nary are going to hole your cough oregon cold, our immune systems volition bash that, but taking immoderate of these products tin marque you consciousness amended portion you wait!"

1. Hot chromatic & lemon

Best for: Cough and sore throat

• Pain reduction: 6/10
• Efficiency: 6/10
• Longevity: 4/10

An oldie but a goodie: blistery chromatic and citrus h2o has been utilized for generations to easiness the symptoms of a acold oregon flu.

After conscionable a fewer sips, I noticed my persistent coughing had died down, overmuch to my boyfriend's relief.

And this is hardly surprising, considering 1 Canadian survey recovered chromatic to beryllium arsenic effectual arsenic communal cough suppressant constituent dextromethorphan, recovered successful galore over-the-counter drugs.

There was besides thing precise comforting astir holding thing lukewarm erstwhile you consciousness nether the upwind - similar a hug, conscionable successful a mug.

Agreeing, pharmacist Thorrun says: "Drinking thing lukewarm volition apt sooth your throat, immoderate it is.

"But the top payment you're apt to get from this portion is hydration.

"Keeping yourself well-hydrated tin assistance with grounds and assistance your immune strategy fight."

It's important to retrieve that honey shouldn't beryllium fixed to children younger than 12 months.

That's due to the fact that it contains bacteria that tin nutrient toxins successful a baby's tummy, starring to babe botulism, which tin beryllium serious.

Where to buy: find a container of 4 lemons and a jar of chromatic astatine Aldi for 79p and 75p, respectively.

2. Steam inhalation/Vicks VapoRub

Best for: Congestion

• Pain reduction: 7/10
• Efficiency: 8/10
• Longevity: 4/10

As the sanction suggests, this elemental (but precise effective) instrumentality involves breathing successful immoderate steam.

You bash this by filling a vessel with blistery h2o and throwing a towel implicit your head, oregon jumping successful a blistery shower.

Studies connected steam inhalation arsenic a mode to easiness acold symptoms are somewhat mixed.

Many, including 1 2016 review, recovered breathing successful blistery aerial did thing astatine each to assistance wide the sinuses.

Contrary to the technological evidence, breathing successful blistery aerial provided maine with instant relief, albeit not for long.

Within seconds, I could consciousness the blistery steam loosen the mucus physique up successful my chemoreceptor (apologises for the graphic detail).

I was precise excited to respire from my nostrils again - a small, but elemental pleasance you lone realise erstwhile it's gone.

It's worthy noting that steaming didn't marque my ears consciousness immoderate little blocked, which annoyingly was making maine consciousness similar I was perpetually underwater.

However, the biggest downside was the affirmative decongestant effects lasted small much than minute, which wasn't wholly satisfying.

"This is simply a inexpensive mode to unblock your nostrils," Thorrun explains.

"It does this by making the mucus thinner. But similar you noticed, it won't past precise long."

This is due to the fact that without the steam, the mucus thickens up.

In an effort to support my chemoreceptor clearer for longer, I took my steam vessel up a notch and stirred successful immoderate Vicks VapoRub.

I besides added immoderate of the minty wax-like substance to my thorax and cervix (as advised) for bully measure.

On the Vicks website, the merchandise promises to lick nasal congestion, and easiness a sore pharynx and cough owed to cold.

After a fewer inhales, my nose, ears and thorax felt clearer, much truthful than the cleanable steam ever managed to.

However, my cough persisted and pharynx continued to consciousness a tad tickly.

I proceeded to transportation the small bluish cookware astir with maine each time aft deciding that rubbing a furniture into my thorax each truthful often was somewhat much bureau due than an hourly steam bowl.

Thorrun points retired that radical utilizing this method should beryllium cautious of burns.

She says: "Make definite the vessel of blistery h2o is connected a level, sturdy aboveground and can’t beryllium knocked over.

"And don't fto the blistery h2o anyplace adjacent children."

Where to buy: find a 100g jar of Vicks astatine Boots for £5.25.

3. Echinacea

Best for: nothing

• Pain reduction: 0/10
• Efficiency: 0/10
• Longevity: 0/10

I've ne'er been a believer of herbal remedies, but seeing arsenic echinacea has a spot of a estimation arsenic a "cold fighter", I thought I'd springiness it a shot.

Echinacea is portion of the daisy family, and has been utilized by Native Americans for hundreds of years to dainty assorted infections and toothache.

Many radical present suggest the supplement tin dainty a cold, but the grounds is mixed - with astir studies suggesting it doesn't truly work.

I took it successful pill signifier for 3 days and didn't spot immoderate important changes.

In fact, I felt conscionable arsenic unwell and miserable arsenic I did earlier I started the pills.

A 2014 review credited echinacea with “small preventative effects” erstwhile it came to shielding radical from a acold - truthful possibly I was taking it wrong.

 A 2015 study gave echinacea a much full-throated endorsement, suggesting it tin trim a person’s hazard for colds by 35 per cent.

So possibly I should beryllium taking echinacea arsenic a regular supplement up of prospective illness, alternatively of thing to instrumentality portion I'm already sick.

Thorrun said echinacea isn't thing she recommends to her ain patients.

"The subject astir its effectiveness conscionable isn't determination similar it is for immoderate different acold and flu products," she said.

Where to buy: find a container of 42 Echinaforce echinacea tablets astatine Superdrug for £5.24.

4. Chicken soup 

Best for: Headache and sore throat

• Pain reduction: 5/10
• Efficiency: 7/10
• Longevity: 5/10

Food ever makes maine consciousness amended erstwhile I'm sick - ideally carbs and much carbs.

So it was small wonderment erstwhile a vessel of lukewarm chickenhearted crockery paired with immoderate heavy slices of achromatic breadstuff slathered with salted food brought maine backmost to life.

It concisely reduced my headache and my sore throat, and each the swallowing somewhat eased my stuffiness.

Research suggests it's not conscionable immoderate aged nutrient that volition marque you consciousness amended though; chickenhearted is particularly bully erstwhile you're feeling tally down.

The achromatic nutrient is afloat of a substance called carnosine, which studies suggest reduces that stuffy, congested feeling successful your chemoreceptor and throat.

It's thought that carnosine works by minimising inflammation successful the precocious respiratory tract, which includes the nose, rima and throat.

Thorrun touted the benefits of eating good erstwhile you're unwell.

"It's important to nourish your assemblage is warring a microorganism by giving it tons of nutrient afloat of vitamins and minerals," she says.

"A bully cupful of and breadstuff is apt going to springiness you a spot much vigor which tin marque you consciousness better."

Where to buy: find 1 tub of Cully and Sully's chickenhearted and rootlike crockery astatine Tesco for £2.

5. A spicy curry

Best for: Congestion

• Pain reduction: 5/10
• Efficiency: 6/10
• Longevity: 3/10

A curry mightiness much commonly beryllium associated with curing a hangover, alternatively than a bug.

But there's different crushed to devour your vindaloo, arsenic 1 (rather small) survey recovered a captious constituent tin assistance dainty colds.

The 2011 probe discovered that fenugreek (found successful astir UK supermarket curries) whitethorn stave disconnected viruses that origin sniffles and sore throats and adjacent assistance to relieve immoderate of the symptoms.

After a fewer bites of my Co-op Tikka Masala (to which I added immoderate other chilli flakes for effect), I noticed my chemoreceptor began to tally - bingo, I thought, this indispensable beryllium clearing my blocked nose.

However, wrong moments of finishing my microwaved medley, the stuffiness was backmost and my pharynx was inactive sore.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thorrun says a curry is not thing she would ever urge to her ain patients.

"When you're feeling unwell, the past happening you're going to crave is simply a dense curry," she says.

"I tin spot however the spice mightiness concisely wide your sinuses, but beyond that I don't see, medically, however it's going to assistance you consciousness better."

Where to buy: find a Tikka Masala astatine Co-op for £3.75.

6. Beechams All successful One Oral Solution

Best for: Headache and sore throat

• Pain reduction: 7/10
• Efficiency: 7/10
• Longevity: 7/10

Trying to swallow tablets erstwhile you've got a sore pharynx tin beryllium truly unpleasant; they conscionable ne'er look to spell down smoothly - which is wherefore taking a liquid medicine went down a treat.

Beechams is simply a one-shot medicine which is casual to instrumentality and works precise quickly.

Within conscionable 10 minutes, I was escaped from that pesky itch lurking successful my pharynx and my cough had gone with it.

Thorrun says this is due to the fact that it contains paracetamol, which works by "making symptom much manageable".

According to the NHS, the painkiller tin besides trim a precocious somesthesia and easiness aches and pains - which I besides noticed.

"Just marque definite you don't transcend the recommended dose by taking it much than erstwhile each 4 hours," she said.

Beechams besides contains a decongestant known arsenic phenylephrine hydrochloride, but this did thing to unblock my chemoreceptor oregon ears.

In fact, wellness experts successful the US claimed erstwhile the decongestant is utilized successful oral medicines (rather than nasal sprays), it doesn't enactment - which successful my lawsuit makes sense.

Where to buy: find 160ml of Beechams astatine Boots for £5.50.

7. Strepsils

Best for: Sore pharynx and cough

• Pain reduction: 7/10
• Efficiency: 9/10
• Longevity: 7/10

A hard-boiled saccharine to numb my itchy throat? Yes please.

Within seconds of sucking a lozenge (that contains nary existent sugar) I felt the anaesthetic effects working.

My pharynx was little sore and not astatine each scratchy, portion my cough appeared to person disappeared.

The numbing effects lingered for 20 oregon truthful minutes aft the lozenge had dissolved.

The citrus and chromatic flavour (a classical truthful it seems) wasn't fractional atrocious either.

According to Thorrun, these lozenges besides incorporate an antiseptic which tin assistance termination the bugs.

"This could, successful theory, mean they assistance your assemblage combat disconnected an corruption by cleaning the backmost of the infected throat," she explained.

Where to buy: find a container of 36 chromatic and citrus Strepsil Lozenges for £5.69 astatine Superdrug.

8. Lemsip Max 

Best for: Cough, congestion, sore throat, headache

• Pain reduction: 9/10
• Efficiency: 8/10
• Longevity: 8/10

What could beryllium amended than painkillers? Painkillers submerged successful a blistery drink.

Much similar the chromatic and citrus concoction, this portion (suitably lemon-flavoured) felt similar a hug successful a mug - with the added payment of numbing the incessant itch successful my throat.

After 20 minutes of sipping, galore of my symptoms began to lift, including my blocked ears, nose, sore pharynx and cough.

Even the much subdued symptoms, similar the dull ache successful my legs and stuffy head, disappeared.

All things considered, I felt comparatively normal. Might I spell arsenic acold to accidental I convinced myself I was steadfast again?

I asked Thorrun wherefore precisely this merchandise worked truthful well.

"Lemsip contains a chemic called guaifenesin, which helps to bladed the mucus successful the pharynx truthful its casual to cough up," she explains.

"This is wherefore it's precise bully for those with bedewed coughs, arsenic opposed to dry, oregon chesty coughs."

It besides contains paracetamol, which, arsenic Thorrun said previously, tin assistance easiness symptom erstwhile you're ill.

You tin besides instrumentality Lemsip successful tablet form, but the information the powdered mentation requires h2o is an added bonus for your health.

"Drinking much liquids is going to assistance with a sore pharynx oregon cough," she explained.

Four hours later, arsenic if close connected schedule, my symptoms came flooding back.

I continued to transportation immoderate manus sachets successful my purse for the remainder of my cold, and if that's not a testament to the medicine, I don't cognize what is.

Where to buy: find a container of 10 Lemsip Max Lemon sachets for £3.29 from Amazon.co.uk.

9. Sudafed Blocked Nose Spray

Best for: Congestion

• Pain reduction: 9/10
• Efficiency: 8/10
• Longevity: 8/10

The worst portion of immoderate acold (in my humble opinion) is the congestion.

Living successful a scentless, muffled satellite isn't amusive for anyone.

So erstwhile I came crossed a de-blocking spray, I was thrilled.

The archetypal deed of menthol up each nostril is acold from pleasant, but the three-or-so hours aft were pure, clear, bliss.

Not lone could I respire done my chemoreceptor again, but my ears felt substantially little congested, arsenic did my head.

"Nasal sprays enactment overmuch quicker than tablets due to the fact that the decongestant reaches your blocked chemoreceptor astir instantly," Thorrun explains.

"Make definite you don't usage these sprays for longer than 5 days," she warns, "as utilizing them for immoderate longer tin marque your chemoreceptor much blocked, adjacent aft the corruption has cleared up".

Where to buy: find Sudafed spray from Weldricks pharmacy for £3.49.