Now, fight the common cold with these DIY home remedies

It's the season of the flu! If you are battling the sniffles, it's time you nip it in the bud before it stretches over a couple of weeks.

We bring you six DIY home remedies for the common cough and cold as suggested by experts.

1)The first step is to increase the intake of fluids and vitamin C for improved immunity. But if you are already fighting the flu a traditional concoction of two tablespoon honey, a few pieces of clove, one stick of cinnamon, a handful of tulsi leaves and an inch of ginger can do wonders! Add all the ingredients to a glass of water. Stir it well and let it boil for 2 minutes. Have the potion twice a day. - Ritika Samaddar, head of dietetics, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Delhi.

Have lots of fluid to keep the flu at bay (Photo: Shutterstock)

2)If you are too lazy to prepare an extensive potion, just add one tablespoon of honey with 8-10 basil leaves in warm water and gulp it down. But you also need to gargle with saltwater twice a day to keep swine flu at bay and in case of heavy congestion take steam inhalation twice a day. - Dr Ameet Kishore, senior consultant, ENT, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi

3)A pinch of turmeric and a ¼ teaspoon of ghee in warm milk is really good for cold and it can modulate the immune system. But, if you still want an alternative, have Kahdha! The grandmother's recipe to cure cold and cough is herbal mix of spices including one stick of cinnamon, couple of cloves, one teaspoon black pepper, an inch of ginger, ¼ teaspoon of desi ghee and a handful of basil leaves. Take a pan and ghee to it. Once it is warm, add the rest of the ingredients and add water in the end. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes. - Ishi Khosla, clinical nutritionist & founder- www.theweightmonitor.com/ founder- Whole Foods India/ founder President- Celiac Society of India

Ginger's anti-inflammatory properties can relieve you from your cold (Photo: Shutterstock)

4)Take a glass of hot water and put an inch of ginger in it. Let the ginger soak for a minute and drink the water. You can repeat it twice a day. Another effective concoction is the paste of cinnamon, lemon and honey. Put all the ingredients in lukewarm water and drink 2-3 times a day. -Dr Neeraj Kumar Tulara, consultant, General Medicine at Dr. L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, Mumbai

5)Tulsi leaves are considered one of the remedies to fight cold; they even work as prevention for cold. Tulsi leaves can be used in various ways. You can directly consume the leaves daily or you can add them to your regular tea. If that does not help, you can also mix some ginger juice in crushed tulsi leaves and add a pinch of honey to it. This mixture can really help you recover. - Neeraj Mehta, fitness expert, nutritionist and director at GFFI Fitness Academy

Tulsi's expectorant properties can relieve you from cough, cold and other respiratory disorders (Photo: Shutterstock)

6)Be well hydrated and drink plenty of fluids, at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. For your sore throat have the potion of ginger infused with lukewarm water and for reducing cough, chew ½ tsp ajwain daily. - Dr Lovneet Batra, chief clinical nutritionist, Fortis La Femme, Delhi