Best Drinks for Colds and Flu

Water, warm broth, and oral rehydration solution are three practical drinks for colds and flu, with oral rehydration solution most useful when vomiting or diarrhea causes fluid loss.

The ai symptom analyzer can help you think through symptoms, but it cannot diagnose an illness or replace medical care. You can also browse natural remedies by health goal for other supportive-care options.

What are the 6 best drinks for colds and flu?

These six choices can help you take in fluids or make drinking more comfortable. They are supportive options, not a proven ranking of treatments for colds and flu.

• Water: An accessible first choice for replacing everyday fluid losses.
• Warm broth: Provides fluid and some sodium when food is unappealing.
• Oral rehydration solution: Replaces water and salts lost through vomiting or diarrhea.
• Warm honey water: May soothe an irritated throat in adults and children old enough to have honey.
• Warm tea: Offers a comforting way to drink more fluid.
• Milk or a cultured milk drink: Provides fluid and nourishment if you tolerate it.

No drink cures colds and flu. Choose the option you can comfortably swallow and keep down; plain water is often enough for an uncomplicated illness.

How can these drinks help with colds and flu?

Water

Water replaces fluid lost through normal activities, and your needs may increase if you have a fever or are sweating. Staying hydrated can also help prevent the dry mouth and thirst that make an illness feel more uncomfortable.

Keep water nearby and take frequent sips, particularly if a sore throat makes a full glass difficult. Cool, room-temperature, or warm water is fine; choose whichever feels easiest to drink.

For a flavored option, see detox water for colds and flu. Despite the name, infused water supports hydration rather than special detoxification: the liver and kidneys do most of the body's detoxification, while the lungs and gut help eliminate waste.

Evidence: Hydration is a basic supportive-care measure, but there is limited direct evidence that drinking extra water shortens colds and flu. Drinking far beyond thirst is not necessary and can be harmful.

Warm broth

Warm broth provides fluid and sodium, which can be useful when you are eating less than usual. Its warmth may feel soothing on a sore throat, and the savory flavor can make it easier to drink when plain water is unappealing.

Sip a broth that is warm rather than scalding. If you are hungry, you can have it alongside a light meal; broth alone does not provide the range of nourishment needed for a prolonged illness.

Evidence: Broth is a practical source of fluid and salt, but evidence that it treats colds and flu or shortens recovery is limited. People who need to restrict sodium, including some people with heart or kidney disease, should check the label and follow their clinician's advice.

Oral rehydration solution

Oral rehydration solution contains a specific balance of water, sugar, and salts that helps the gut absorb fluid. It is most useful when vomiting or diarrhea causes substantial fluid and electrolyte loss; most people with a mild cold who are eating and drinking normally do not need it.

Use a commercial oral rehydration solution and follow the package instructions exactly. If nausea makes drinking difficult, try frequent small sips rather than a large amount at once. For a child with vomiting or diarrhea, ask a pediatric clinician about the appropriate product and amount.

Evidence: Oral rehydration solution is an established way to replace fluid and salts lost through diarrhea and vomiting, but it does not treat the respiratory infection itself. Severe dehydration or an inability to keep fluids down needs medical assessment rather than home drinks alone.

Warm honey water

Honey stirred into warm water may coat and temporarily soothe an irritated throat, making the drink more comfortable to swallow. A soothing drink can be useful when coughing or throat pain makes regular fluid intake difficult.

Stir a little honey into water that is warm, not hot enough to burn your mouth. Never give honey to a child younger than 1 year because of the risk of infant botulism; people who need to monitor blood sugar should also account for the honey.

Evidence: No trial of honey water is included in the evidence reviewed here. It may provide temporary comfort, but there is no good reason to expect this drink to cure colds and flu or reliably shorten the illness.

Warm tea

Warm tea can provide fluid and feel soothing when your throat is irritated. Green tea contains plant compounds called catechins, while herbal teas offer a caffeine-free option; neither should be relied on as an antiviral treatment.

Brew the tea as directed on its package and let it cool enough to drink comfortably. Choose a caffeine-free tea if caffeine disturbs your sleep or makes you feel jittery. Check with a clinician before giving herbal products to children or using them during pregnancy, since ingredients and safety vary.

Evidence: In a randomized trial in healthcare workers, a beverage containing catechins and xanthan gum was studied for prevention of respiratory infections. The higher-catechin group had fewer infections than the placebo group, but the study did not test ordinary tea as a treatment for someone already ill with colds or flu.

Milk or a cultured milk drink

Milk provides fluid along with protein and energy, which may be helpful if you have little appetite. A cultured milk drink can offer similar nourishment, although products vary in their ingredients and the microorganisms they contain.

Drink it if you enjoy it and tolerate it. Choose another option if milk makes you feel nauseated or causes digestive symptoms, and do not force it if clear fluids are easier to keep down.

Evidence: A randomized trial in healthy adults found shorter reported upper-respiratory symptom duration in people given a drink containing a specific probiotic strain than in the placebo group. Participants took the drink as part of a study around influenza vaccination; the result does not establish that starting ordinary milk or any probiotic drink treats colds and flu.

Which drinks should you limit or avoid?

Avoid alcohol while you are ill, especially if you are dehydrated or taking medicines that interact with it. It is not a treatment for colds and flu and can make it harder to judge how unwell you feel.

You do not necessarily need to avoid all caffeine: tea and coffee still provide fluid. Limit caffeine if it disrupts sleep, worsens jitteriness, or replaces drinks you find easier to tolerate; rest is important during recovery.

Very sugary drinks may be difficult to tolerate, particularly if you have diarrhea. Sports drinks and juice are not the same as oral rehydration solution, so choose the latter when you need to replace significant fluid and salt losses.

How much should you drink with colds and flu?

There is no single amount that fits everyone. Drink regularly according to thirst and what you can tolerate, and aim for urine that is pale yellow rather than dark; some medicines and supplements can affect urine color.

Fever, sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea can increase fluid needs. If a full drink is difficult, keep a small glass nearby and sip often, gradually increasing the amount as you feel able. You can use more than one of the drinks above rather than trying to rely on a single choice.

Do not force large amounts of fluid. If you have heart failure, kidney disease, or another condition for which you have been told to restrict fluids, follow your care team's plan and ask what to do when you are sick. For infants, continue breast milk or formula and contact a clinician if feeding drops significantly.

When should you see a doctor?

Seek urgent medical care for trouble breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, confusion, blue or gray lips, or signs of severe dehydration such as very little urination, severe dizziness, or inability to keep fluids down. A baby younger than 3 months with a fever needs prompt medical assessment.

Contact a clinician if symptoms are getting worse, improve and then return or worsen, or if a fever persists. Also seek advice if vomiting or diarrhea continues, you cannot drink enough, or you are concerned about a child's hydration.

People who are pregnant, older adults, young children, and people with chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system should seek advice promptly if they may have flu. Prescription flu antivirals work best when started early, usually within 2 days of symptom onset, although a clinician may recommend them later for some people. Drinks are supportive care and should not replace an assessment when it is needed.