What's the truth about viral TikTok hacks for clearing colds? trends now
A slew of bizarre hacks claiming to clear coughs and colds have emerged on TikTok this year.
One involves shoving a potato in your sock, claiming it draws out viruses through the foot.
Pressing a thumb to the forehead has also been suggested to help by distracting people from their symptoms, while drinking onion water has gained popularity due to the belief it eases a sore throat.
The videos have been viewed millions of times, with a single clip on onion water amassing almost 300,000 views in a month.
Doctors told DailyMail.com that while they are not inherently dangerous, there were 'no convincing scientific' basis behind the techniques.
Zinc and garlic might have some benefit but the science is inconclusive, so going for some Tylenol and getting some rest is the best course of action.
Pictured above are five of the cough and cold remedies being shared on TikTok at the moment. Doctors have said there is no evidence any of them can ease the infections
They said people were likely getting better naturally as the common cold lasts about five days normally, then attributing it to the hack they used.
The remedies have resurfaced online just as common illnesses like flu and RSV return with a vengeance this winter.
It comes after doctors warned the 'dangerous' TikTok trend of taping your mouth shut for weight loss and better sleep could lead to suffocation.
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 tell us that putting pressure on the forehead for 20 seconds can help ease symptoms.
Dr Thomas Moore, a medic at the University of Kansas, told DailyMail.com he 'applauded' people's creativity.
'All these coughs and colds last about five days, for the typical respiratory virus. It can linger, but generally it clears within five days,' he said.
'So when something improves people ascribe it to whatever remedy they chose and start to swear by it.'
'For example, I was actually talking about this to one of our pharmacists the other day 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 kids a shot of whisky and a heavy blanket.'
