Quick, help!  Sore throat/runny nose emergency!  I need your ideas for how to kick this cold out of Dodge, like NOW.

I wouldn’t be so alarmed about a winter sniffle, except that I am scheduled to visit my newborn nephew this weekend, and I’d hate for his first memory of his aunt to be a) the weirdo who gave me a virtual hug from across the room or b) that lady who smells like Purell. 

My “nip it in the bud” cold strategies are all of the liquid variety: it’s all about tea.  I busted out my biggest mug, and I’m self-medicating through the healing power of tea.

Round one was a lemongrass green tea with a big blob of honey stirred in (honey is not only an anti-inflammatory, but it is also supposed to boost your immune response).

Round two, which I’m currently sipping, is an orange spice white tea with a hunk of crystallized ginger submerged inside.  Ginger is best known for its properties as a digestive aid, but it is also a decongestant and lends a nice zing to the tea.

Round three will most likely be good old fashioned lemon water.  Between the immune-boosting vitamin C and the anti-viral power of this amazingly healing fruit, I should be good to go.

How do you kick a cold before it takes hold?  Please (please!) share.