It’s that time of year when you or your classmates have to miss a day of class thanks to the flu. It’s a virus that will go away on its own for the most part, but it’s worth buying a few over-the-counter medications to treat annoying symptoms. Apart from pharmaceuticals, there are alternate remedies to help you, and you can already find them in the cupboards of your kitchen or on the shelves of any local grocery store!

As students, many of us don’t have the privilege to miss even one day of class because we’ll fall behind. This is why having classmates’ phone numbers is always a good backup and you should email your professors about your absence as soon as possible. And if your professor still fails you for not showing up to an exam for having a 103 degree fever … by all means show up and sneeze on their face. Just kidding. Don’t do that. Simply, only if it’s an emergency and you know you did your best to be courteous, involve the chairs of your department. They are here to help you.

We asked CSUN students what are some of their recommended home remedies. Based on the answers posted on our Instagram, here are a few tips to beat the flu:

Stay home, hydrated, and rest
Should you fall under the weather, as a responsible human, staying in bed is the best thing you can do for yourself and for the people around you. Your friends are not being mean, they want you to get better and they just don’t want to get sick, too. The same goes for them — if you don’t want to shake their hand, it’s out of courtesy to not get them sick, not because you suddenly turned into a germaphobe. Drink lots of water — especially if you have a fever. Staying in bed also becomes a good excuse to binge-watch shows.

Honey with lime
The go-to remedy to smooth out that sore throat. The popularity of these two ingredients as remedies stem from their nutritional properties. Honey is known to have antimicrobial elements and limes are packed with vitamin C. It’s good to take these items prior to getting a cold, or right after, and they will make you feel good while your immune system does most of the fighting.

Ginger tea
Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that could also help relieve your flu symptoms. When going through a throat infection, it could help to soothe your tonsils and its warmth, when taken in the form of tea, could alleviate some of that congestion. If tea is not your thing, try slicing the ginger in small pieces and eat it with warm water or get some tablets from the store.

Soup or broth
When combating the flu, warm foods are your best friend. Soups are filled with delicious vegetables and noodles that will fill you up and rehydrate you as you stay home and rest. Try to not go for the cup of noodles and get something more authentic. Of course, avoid anything cold, which is bound to make you feel worse.

Vapor Rub
When all else fails, Vicks’ classic product will help you fall asleep at night to that minty fragrance rubbed all over your chest, which you probably won’t be able to smell, anyway. You can’t go wrong with grandma’s go-to remedies, so perhaps you may want to keep that tradition going. Choose what works best for you to cope with your flu and hopefully you will get better soon.