It’s that time of year again. With the changing of seasons comes the return of plague-like symptoms taking hold of your classmates and making your college experience more of a frustration than it needs to be.

You’re sitting in a lecture and your professor poses a question to the class. No one volunteers an answer, not out of lack of engagement or insufficient knowledge of the topic, but because no one heard the question. As soon as your professor opened his/her mouth to quiz the group, someone in the front row decided they had to lose a lung and drown out the sound of everything happening around them.

And living in such close quarters doesn’t help matters. If your roommate’s sick, there’s a good chance you’re going to catch whatever they’ve got one way or another.

Though there’s no known sure-fire “cure” for the common cold, a number of strange remedies have surfaced over the years. Here are some of our favorites:

1) Wet socks to clear congestion

First, warm your feet in some hot water. Soak a pair of thin socks in cold water, ring them out and put them on. Then, put a pair of dry, thick socks on over the wet ones and wear them to bed. It’s been said that this will draw blood to your feet, and the boosted circulation will help relieve congestion. A little strange, but perhaps worth a shot.

2) Chocolate to treat coughing

It’s been said that eating chocolate can lessen the severity of coughs. This is because theobromine, a substance found in chocolate, is said to suppress the sensory nerves in your throat, soothing the pain and scratchiness. And besides, did you really need an excuse to eat some chocolate?

3) The spider cure

If you have a fever and, more importantly, NOT a weak stomach, you might consider an ancient folk remedy. It’s been said that catching a daddy-long-legs, pulling off its legs and swallowing the spider while it’s still alive will alleviate even the most intense of fevers.

4) The Hot Toddy

As if college students needed another excuse to drink, in this case it might be worth the go. In addition to “solving” an assortment of other problems in your life, it might just help you combat your cold. A Hot Toddy is traditionally a mixed drink containing a shot of whiskey, boiling water and lemon. Rumor has it that the concoction can soothe your throat, ease congestion and help you sleep. Go easy on the sauce though, as too much alcohol can inhibit the immune system and do more harm than good.

5) Lizard soup cure

Most of us reach for chicken and noodle soup when we’re feeling under the weather, but the Chinese have a different idea. Catching lizards and boiling them in broth is was a popular remedy back in the day to cure fevers and the flu. Though lizards might be a bit harder to come by than spiders here in Kent, this soup is suppose to work miracles.

Have your own strange home remedies? Leave us a comment below letting us know what old-country cures Grandma swore up and down about back when you were little.

Contact Justin Lagore at [email protected].