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A number of bizarre hacks have surfaced on TikTok this year claiming to relieve coughs and colds.
One consists of putting a potato in the sock, claiming that it extracts viruses through the foot.
It has also been suggested that pressing a thumb to the forehead helps distract people from their symptoms, while drinking onion water has gained popularity due to the belief that it soothes a sore throat.
The videos have been viewed millions of times, with a single clip about onion water racking up nearly 300,000 views in a month.
Doctors told DailyMail.com that while they are not inherently dangerous, there was no “compelling scientific” basis behind the techniques.
Zinc and garlic may have some benefit, but the science is inconclusive, so taking some Tylenol and getting some rest is the best course of action.
Pictured above are five of the cough and cold remedies that are being shared on TikTok right now. Doctors have said there is no evidence that any of them can relieve infections.
They said that people were probably getting better naturally, since the common cold normally lasts about five days, and later chalked it up to the trick they used.
The remedies have resurfaced online just as common illnesses like the flu and RSV make a comeback this winter.
It comes after doctors warned that TikTok’s “dangerous” trend of taping your mouth to lose weight and get better sleep could lead to choking.
In one clip, viewed by 289,000 people, a mother tells viewers that leaving a slice of raw potato in her son’s sock overnight made his cold go away.
Another shows a teenager confidently telling us that pressing on the forehead for 20 seconds can help alleviate symptoms.
Dr Thomas Moore, a physician at the University of Kansas, told DailyMail.com that he ‘applauded’ people’s creativity.
‘All these coughs and colds last about five days, due to the typical respiratory virus. It can persist, but it usually goes away in five days,” he said.
“So when something gets better, people attribute it to whatever remedy they choose and start to trust it.”
“For example, the other day I was talking about this to one of our pharmacists whose parents are healthcare workers in Switzerland and have science degrees.
“She says her mother still swears by putting onions in her socks to help ease her symptoms, while her older relatives still recommend an old remedy of giving sick children a shot of whiskey and a thick blanket.”
But for the two that have been studied, the zinc and garlic treatments, the few papers available were inconclusive.
Laboratory studies suggest that zinc may prevent rhinoviruses, one of the viruses that cause the common cold, from invading cells.
Some papers found that people who took zinc supplements had a reduction in the duration of their infections by a few days.
But Dr. Pritish Tosh, a Mayo Clinic physician, said: “Taken together, the research shows mixed results for zinc and colds.” For that reason, zinc cannot be recommended for shortening cold symptoms.
Garlic is known to be packed with sulfur compounds, such as allicins, which can help kill bacteria, but not viruses.
But very few studies have looked at its ability to fight colds.
A 2020 The meta-analysis found only one article it was able to review, which said that out of 146 people, those who took garlic every day for three months had fewer colds.
Their results need to be backed up by more rigorous research.
Dr Moore added: ‘Potatoes in the sock, that’s certainly imaginative. I don’t understand the reason for that.
‘Pressing your thumb in the center of your forehead, that will distract you, give you something else to focus on so you don’t feel so bad.
‘Garlic in honey, I must say that in Germany pharmacies prescribe certain teas for respiratory conditions, many of which have garlic or honey in them for people to drink.
‘Works? Probably not. But it’s supportive care that makes people feel better and like they’re doing something.
“In terms of scientific data, there are no convincing scientific papers saying these work, but if it makes you feel better, that’s what these remedies are all about.”
The doctors add that regardless of whether the remedies work, they are all safe to use and do not pose a health risk, unless someone has an allergy.
Many of the remedies have been around for centuries, dating back to medieval times.
They’ve been back in the spotlight amid a resurgence of coughs and colds.