The best way to blow out a head cold though is to juice one lemon, heat it up, add grated ginger and (if possible) slippery elm, plus a little honey, and drink. Nasty yes, but effective!

Herbs:
Garlic is great. But it only does its real magic raw - cooking it breaks down the antimicrobial and antiviral alkaloids, as well as many of its antioxident and analgeisic components.

Ginger is an expectorant, as well as having a settling effect on nausea. It's also pretty potently antimicrobial, which helps.

Rasberries and blueberries (and anything else in the Rosaceae) are good sources of vitamins B and C, both key to immune function, and are highly astringent, which helps a sore throat.

If you're having trouble sleeping, a sage tea is both strongly anti-microbial and mildly narcotic. Not recommended if you're taking NyQuil or Benadryl.

Chamomile tea and Altoids. No scientific backing for this, but peppermint can settle the stomach and certainly makes your mouth taste better. Chamomile smells nice and tastes comforting, and there was something in the news last week about it relieving muscle spasms as well.

Thanks folks, you rock.

For a sore throat and/or swollen glands, warm, very salty waters used as a gargle is key.