Just about any time you have a common cold, you’re dealing with an imbalance of Kapha dosha. Remember some of the attributes of Kapha: cold, wet, slow, heavy, sticky. Now think about the symptoms you have during a cold: runny and/or stuffy nose, lots of mucous, sneezing, coughing, low energy, etc. Can you feel the resemblance? If it still doesn’t make sense just think about mucous, the epitome of Kapha.

Ayurvedic Treatments for Colds

To help move all of that ick out of the body as quickly as possible, try some of the following home remedies:

• Use a neti pot. Rinse the nasal passages with warm salt water as often as you want during a cold to move the mucous out of your sinuses.
• Drink lots of ginger tea. (Link to “Low Energy” Ayu 101 article that has directions on how to make ginger tea?) This drink heats the body from the inside out and turns up a slow, sluggish metabolism. Ginger is also one of a few herbs that is balancing for all doshas.
• Once you’re on the mend and no longer contagious, do a full-body scrub with garbanzo flour. Put one half to one cup of garbanzo/chick pea flour in a bowl, and stir in enough massage oil to make a thick paste. Get into the shower before you turn the water on, and rub the paste all over your body, paying special attention to the areas of your body where you have lots of lymph nodes (e.g. armpits, sternum, throat, groin, backs of knees…). When you’re finished scrubbing, rinse the paste off your skin with warm water. This body scrub will stimulate the movement of lymphatic fluid and speed the healing. And garbanzo flour is widely used in Ayurvedic treatments to balance Kapha by stimulating the skin and drawing out fluids. Soak in a warm bath after rinsing.
• If you have access to a steam room or sauna, indulge! The heat and the sweating is great for excess Kapha. Moderate exercise toward the end of your cold can also move mucous out of your body quickly.
• In general, stay warm, eat light, and stay away from mucous producing foods like dairy products.