Antibiotics are not useful for a viral infection - unless the sufferer has developed, or is overwhelmingly prone, to problematic secondary bacterial infections like sinusitis or otitis media . I came to have a telephone number of my own ready for these patients- the number of the Second Avenue Deli with a recommendation for either Matzoh Ball Soup or Chicken in the Pot. That famous restaurant delivers in New York City, by the way. Many of my patient's families, either Asian themselves or fans of Asian cuisines have preferred Egg Drop Soup. Same kind of helpful remedy.
Chicken broth seems to be a truly time tested remedy.
Having personally experienced its benefits, I endorse it. Many folk remedies are not so helpful, however. If you'd like to read more about that statement, click here for a link to an essay. Herbal remedies lay somewhere between food and drugs. The tea, of course, is a herb as well with biologically active ingredients.