A doctor who appeared on BBC Morning Live has offered a dose of clarity on what helps the common cold. Highlighting which remedies genuinely help to ease symptoms - and which ones are nothing but old wives’ tales, the expert suggested it could be time to look in your cupboard.

Speaking to the show's presenters, Dr Oscar Duke explained that while coldsare a routine part of British winters, there are steps people can take to feel better, faster. But alongside those simple, evidence-backed methods, he warned viewers not to be fooled by generational myths.

He said: "It's that time of year and it always inevitable comes along just at the moment of the big event you’ve been waiting for or the office party or whatever it is that is getting you excited as you approach Christmas.

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"Of course, we’re all inside, all the viruses that caused these things are lurking and being spread - mainly airborne or in close contact, and as the weather gets colder, we're shoved inside into these smaller spaces which have less ventilation."

How to relieve cold symptoms

In response to the question, can you cure a cold, he said no and explained: "A cold is caused by a virus...they evolve and change all the time, sometimes becoming more severe, which is why we get worsening symptoms and because they are changing and mutating, we can get the cold again. So that’s why it’s such a problem and why it is difficult to get a cure.”

Playing a game with the doctor, the presenters asked him about some old wives' tales and whether or not they are worth trying. Dr Oscar Duke held up a red 'no' panel and a green 'no' panel to help bust the myths we are often told.

Three ways to get rid of a cold - is it true? Honey

Firstly, he was asked whether or not honey is an old wives’ tale or if it really helps with colds. He said, "Not actually a bad idea. If you go to the NICE guidance for acute cough, you will find honey in there as something you can do to self-help at home.

"Some studies have shown some benefit again, not curing, but reducing the severity of the symptoms so they get patient to give a score of how bad their symptoms are and it does go down by a couple of points for people using honey.

"So people using honey, lemon and ginger - it’s soothing. It’s a bit of sugar. It will make them feel a little bit better - often you have in a warm drink and that’s helpful as well because that warmth is nice for the back of the throat. So we will give honey a yes."

Garlic

Garlic can be added to so many dishes - but it could also be used to help your cold...or could it? Dr Oscar said: "I hear a lot of chat about garlic and garlic has some anti-inflammatory properties. But overall I see a lot of patients who are a big fan of garlic.

"People really believe in this, and if it works for you and it’s not doing any harm, then why not give it a try - even if there is a placebo effect. But I’ve got to say the number of people whose throats I have to look into who I’ve just had a whole bulb garlic. I’m never grateful for that.

"I would not recommend putting in your ear, which I’ve had people do that. I've had to remove bits of garlic from their ear, but overall it’s going to be a no for the garlic."

They did, however, joke that the pungent garlic smell could work as people will keep away from each other, meaning nobody catches or spreads it.

Onions

A viewer wrote in to say that their mum used to hang a bag of onions on the door. Is this going to help or not, they asked. The BBC doctor said: "Well, I think this is something that you hear about and it comes from history - even in the 1600s when we didn’t really fully understand how viruses and things were spread, they thought that there was something in the foul air.

"So in terms of plagues, and all these sorts of conditions, they would hang these bags of onions on the back of the door. The air probably didn’t smell great anyway, but if you were breathing in a different smell, then maybe you weren’t getting it. Obviously that does not help, and it’s going to be a definite no."