Eat plenty of leeks and green onions- These herbs have powerful cold fighting properties. You can eat healthy vegetable soup with leeks or green onions in it. This will make you sweat, but don't take a shower while you have fever. Just clean your body with wet towel and change the night clothes and sleep well.

Fluids- Drink plenty of cold and hot liquids. Water, caffeine-free tea, fruit juice, or broth based soups. When you have cold, liquids thin and loosen mucus and help get it moving out of your body. Also chicken soup (well, really any hot liquid) helps move viruses and germs out of the nose more quickly. Avoid caffeine. The diuretic effect of caffeine in fluids like coffee, tea, and soda drinks make them less helpful than water or decaffeinated beverages when you have a cold.

Citrus fruits- Reach for citrus fruits to increase your vitamin C intake. Drink orange juice for breakfast, snack on half a grapefruit, or add tangerine slices to a lunchtime salad. Getting an increased amount of vitamin C is especially important if you smoke, as smoking increases both your risk of catching a cold and your body's need for this protective vitamin.

Vitamin C sources- Citrus fruits aren't the only foods high in vitamin C. Potatoes, green peppers, strawberries and pineapple can help as your daily cold-fighting food arsenal.

According to ayurveda
Hot Lemon Drink with Ginger and Honey- Freshly-squeezed lemon juice contains a healthy dose of vitamin C, commonly taken in supplement form to treat colds. Adding fresh grated root ginger helps to relieve nausea, suppress coughs and settle the stomach.

Garlic- This fragrant bulb contains a flavoring agent called alliin which acts as a decongestant. Garlic is also believed to act as an antioxidant and destroy free-radicals, the active oxygen molecules that damage cells, so add garlic liberally to your favourite foods.

Amalaki- Amalaki fruit powder is high in natural antioxidants, is believed to have the most concentrated source of vitamin C in the plant kingdom, and is in a form that makes it easy for the body to assimilate. It is also known to have rejuvenative and revitalizing properties. Recommendation: 1 teaspoon, or 2 tablets, with warm water before bed.

To reduce or avoid congestion- Treat yourself to a soothing tea, using fresh or ground spices: 2 parts ginger, 3 parts cinnamon, and pinch of cardamom. Keep in hot water for 10–15 minutes. When the tea has cooled down, add a little raw honey.