hot water and lemon

A combination of sleep (the most underrated curative in the world) and, if you can stomach it, something spicy that'll clear your sinuses. Get well soon!

Nightnurse in sufficient quantity will get you drunk but also turn your pee green. Sudofed or any ephedrine containing decongestant is good. Whiskey Mac is I believe an urban legend as a cure...it just puts you into a state of semi-somnolence where you no longer give a monkeys. Trying to do something positive and eliminate self pity is good as is vitamin C.

*Has massive craving for Whiskey mac...hits yet another doughnut*

chop an onion in really really tiny bits ... cover it with sugar and leave overnight on a windowsill ... in the morning it will be a kind of syrupy stuff and you have a couple of teaspoons of it now and then when you feel like it ... i haven't ever tried this and don't know the significance of the windowsill ... another thing which i haven't tried but which apparently cures all ills ... chop small a couple of cloves of garlic ... grate some ginger and boil in some water for 10 mins ... imbibe or swish onto bits of you which have any kind of infection (including fungal) ... cover yourself in teatrea and eucalyptus oils ... when i get a cold coming on i take echinacea and zinc lozenges and vitamin C and drink loads of water and rest as much as poss ... it definitely helps ... hope you feel better soon ...

I have recently discovered Propolis which works far better than echinacea. It comes from the wonder Manuka Honey of New Zealand and is available from www.thehoneydoctor.com I have no shares or stake or mate in this company!

no but you have to be midas to afford it ... echinacea is quite cheap these days ... oh and lib ... keep your feet warm ... sleep with the window open but wear very cosy bedsocks ...

Justin Timberlake. Watch the Princess Bride. Agree with IFB about the essential oils - fill a washing-up bowl with hot water (not boiling but steaming) and put a couple of drops each of eucalyptus and tea tree in, then do the fun weird towel-over-head thing, breathing deep. You'll feel like your head is in the oven, but it does work. (Also add a couple peppermint if you have a sore throat too). Hope you feel better soon lib

... and a wee willie winkie hat Nah, just drink a sledge-load of whiskey. You'll feel absolute shite when you wake up but, hey!, that's the worse you're going to feel. From that point on the day can only get better and when the hangover finally goes you'll be running about saying "colds -Pah" I'm joking, of course.(christ, I never used to have say that around here!) Speaking of coughing, some of you may know I go ten-pin bowling (although I'm probably going to jack it in at the end of this season) and there is a sort of tradition wherby you slap hands with everyone if you get a mark (strike or spare) and press knuckles if you get neither (yes, I know, don't say anything). Last Friday as I returned from my go, everyone held out their hands but one woman had an explosive phlegmy cough into her right hand before holding it out to me. I'm normally pretty polite (not that you'd believe it from some of my posts here!) but I was so revolted i said words to the effect of "You've got to be kidding? Do you honestly think I'm going anywhere near that?" and tapped her on her back (in the asumption that snot can't perform U-turns). She didn't speak to me for the rest of the night. Which was a relief.

Yep, if poss, sleep. Sleep is good. (I can't believe they're actually looking into a pill that could enable people to go without it, I’m sure it's not meant for common consumption, but still, it cannot be a good idea.) Also, if you ever get the shivers – don’t take any paracetamol etc designed to take your temperature down. Getting the shivers is your body’s way of forcing you to dive under the duvet to raise your body temperature to help fight the virus. Oh and when you do wake up from under your duvet (and the big frumpy dressing gown and real wool jumper that you don't wear anymore cos. you can't be arsed to hand wash it) watch old black and white movies - that helps too.

gosh whisky must be restorative ... i thought petrelhead was dead ...

Almost everyone I know has had a real b*stard of a cold during the past month. Mine is still lingering after 3 weeks. Sleep is definitely the biggest help, plenty of hot drinks and a decongestant - I use olbas oil. A full day on the sofa with a duvet, tea, and large packet of chocolate digestives is also good ......... anytime, not just for colds.

"chop an onion in really really tiny bits ... cover it with sugar and leave overnight on a windowsill ... have a couple of teaspoons of it now and then when you feel like it ..." when will anyone ever possibly feel like last night's chopped onion and sugar syrup scraped off a windowsill? I'd rather have the cold. I agree with Stormy because I feel duty bound to... stormy are you stalking me? If you are could you pick up some milk on your way over next time... cheers. My mate once bought a lump of cheese from a guy who had sneezed into his hand before wrapping it up. He walked out and dropped it straight into the bin (even though he'd not complained and still paid for the frigger) I asked him why and he said he didn't want to offend the guy behind the counter but saw a viscose web between the guy's fingers as he handed it over!!! ewwwwww!!!!!

Hey Lib. Ginger and garlic and lemon in hot water and the Princess Bride. Maybe a box of paints and a hot cross bun with marmalade. Span