I only use the pre-packaged broth in recipes. They just don't have enough substance for me to be eaten on their own. I swear by Vietnamese Pho when I have a cold. Latest in Paleo just posted a recipe for it last week. But if I'm sick and don't feel like cooking, I'll go to a Pho restaurant and order a big bowl with extra meat, no noodles (yes, they look at me funny, but whatever). Something about the tendon broth and the herbs just clears me right up. Good luck and get well soon!

Some supplement with 50,000 IU of Vit D3 for a couple of days to nip a cold in the bud. If you are not getting enough sun daily or not supplementing with Vit D3, your immune system not be up to snuff to ward off invading bacteria and virus.

http://paleohacks.com/questions/28750/do-you-know-how-vit-d-assists-the-body-in-warding-off-diseases#axzz1Huv89Cyb

I swear by fenugreek tea and oregano oil. When I start to feel under the weather, I drink the tea all day long (I start to smell it in my sweat!), and take the oil sublingually twice a day. As someone with an immune deficiency, this has kept me healthy and strong (along with the paleo diet) for 4 years!

ok, i have this thing that i do, and it works better than bone broth. better than anything. but, its not for the faint of heart. gird your loins!

ready??

quart of cold water in a saucepan. add 8 (or more) smashed garlic cloves, about 2-3" of fresh ginger, minced and as much cayenne pepper (or de arbol) as you can stand. simmer for a long while- low and slow. turn off the heat and squeeze in the juice of two lemons. drink it AS HOT AS YOU CAN STAND IT. thats important. it has to be hot enough to be sort of uncomfortable, but not so hot as to burn you. reheat if necessary. drink a mug every hour. tomorrow you will feel a thousand percent.

let your partner know that you will stink for a couple of days.

A cold remedy I've made for friends and family and recommended galore:

-garlic cloves -honey -lemon juice

1. Put a couple garlic cloves in a pot (peeled and roughly chopped) with about 3-4 cups of water (you don't need to be exact, just wing it).

2. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, juice a couple lemons right into the pot.

3. Add honey to taste.

4. After it's been boiling for 5min+ or to tenderness of the cloves, turn off the heat and pour a cup.

5. Drink it all up. For best results, drink a couple times throughout the day.

*The garlic really doesn't taste bad, the honey and lemon mask it a bit, and the tea tastes pretty good. *The garlic and honey act to stimulate the immune system!! Revin' up the white blood cells. Divide and conquer. *The honey and lemon soothe the throat.

It may be the gelatin and its amino profile contra muscle meat protein in good natural stock that helps with immune response and anti-inflammatory action. Recent discussion in the paleosphere about this, search masterjohn and ray peat. Perhaps a packet in a can of storebought broth will tide you.

nin jiom (it's honey and herbs) if you end up getting sick with this 'cold'. there's been a brutal form of influenza a going around. also steam tents over a sinkfull of hot water laced with essential oils (eucalyptus/pine/tto/whathaveyou help. ~be well~

I eat garlic. Lots of raw garlic. 2 or 3 cloves at a sitting, once in the morning, and once at night. Sorta like the garlic broth answers above, I just skip the cooking part. I find that it seems more potent raw, and you don't have to drink as much broth. I usually have a glass or two of water with each clove as well to soften the blow to my poor tum tum.

Stay hydrated. Take a steaming hot shower, then as cold as you can stand, then a hot hot bath and soak for awhile.

I've never tried bone broth. I guess I should start making some!

EDIT: I now try to consume at least a cup of bone broth per day. The Meat Hook, near my place in Brooklyn sells giant quart containers of amazing pastured chicken and beef bone broth that's packed with gelatin for $5.99. It truly is nature's perfect food, and I can even drink it when I'm puking my guts and can't keep down water on REALLY hungover days, and it will set me straight.

Tinctures of olive leaf and goldenseal do wonders. You can pick them up at any health food store. Squeeze a dropper-full in a glass of water twice a day until the symptoms begin subsiding. It won't completely prevent a cold, but it'll reduce the symptoms and duration significantly.