With the cold and flu season upon us, people often wonder: how do I steer clear of sickness? Fortunately for them, inexpensive, alternative health remedies exist to help all through the devastating runny nose season. 

Starbucks Medicine Ball

With the recently popular app TikTok, life hacks and remedies spread quickly among users: of all these remedies the Starbucks medicine balls remains the most popular, with people swearing by its ability to cure sore throats and colds. The drink includes jade citrus mint green tea, peach tranquility herbal tea, hot water, steamed lemonade and a splash of honey and peppermint syrup. Alongside additional hints of mint and lemon, the tea boasts soothing honey to chase away any sore throat or cough. Similar to the “pink drink,” a customer created this drink and Starbucks eventually gave it an official spot on the menu. 

“I get the medicine ball in the wintertime because it’s a hot drink that tastes very good. It’s also a great drink to get when you are sick because it soothes your throat,” junior Molly Geraci said.

The famous medicine ball drink does contain over 33 grams of sugar in the grande size. For fighting a cold, sugar can actually weaken your immune system. Instead of spending $5 on tea and ingesting a massive amount of sugar, a modified version of the medicine ball can come from home ingredients and with less sugar. The drink only contains mint, green and fruit tea with honey and lemon juice, containing less sugar than the lemonade that Starbucks uses. Just steep and mix the three teas with hot water and add honey and fresh-squeezed lemons. The teas will reduce inflammation and honey and lemon will soothe the throat during a winter cold.

Remedy Shots

The recent trend of wellness shots took the health world by storm: the convenient one-ounce drink can easily cure the feeling of congestion, especially since they often contain turmeric to help with inflammation. To quickly boost your immune system, cut, peel and juice one apple, one lemon, a 2-inch piece of ginger, and one 2-inch piece of turmeric root. Take the shot in the morning to feel decongested almost immediately and back to normal by the afternoon.

The cold season can keep someone in bed covered with tissues for days, missing school or work. To work around this roadblock, these remedies can help inflammation, congestion, sore throats, and boost your immunity for the future.