I am currently trying, and liking the effects of Alka Seltzer Cold medicine.
No psuedoephederine to jack me up like a long haul truck driver.
Not unpleasant to taste at all.
For a mild cold and congestion, this is working nicely for me.
I tend to sneeze lots. I am a BIGGGG sneezer. When the sneezing is finished I’m all better.
I kinda like a good sneeze 
I always get those zinc lozenges. They’re supposed to cut the cold’s time in half.
Sudafed and Robitussin. Repeat so that you don’t feel symptoms till they go away on their own. Never tylenol cold because it makes me feel like I’m encased in a giant bubble.
OJ, Dristan. Repete as nessesary. Jolt cola to keep energy up. Blow nose often.
Advil Cold & Sinus if it’s a lightweight and I’m going to work. NyQuil if it’s a mean one and I want to lose a few hours. Other than that, hot cranberry juice and honey and a hot shower can work wonders,
I only treat the symptoms I have at the time.
Nasal congestion - Afrin. It’s habit forming, but not if you only use it for a couple of days.
Runny nose - Claritin. Chlorpheniramine if it’s really bad, but this can have nasty side effects on the urinary tract, so I try to avoid it.
Cough/Sore throat - Halls Mentholyptus (the original works best). Cough syrups don’t seem to help me unless they have codeine, and that gives me nightmares.
Fever/Headache - Aspirin. To hell with the pansies, aspirin is the stuff that works.
And, of course, lots of fluids. Usually OJ and ginger ale (the latter of which I only drink when I’m sick, but then I crave it).
Contac C. Lots of it, to mask the symptoms, until I don’t feel sick anymore - then I can stop taking it.
Here’s a cure that may be worse than the ailment (and it might actually kill you).
16 oz fresh-squeeze orange juice
Eccencia tablets
1-2 cloves Garlic, chopped as finely as you can
1-2 dashes of cayenne pepper
double dose of this herbal supplement that has everything you need in a day’s nutrition.
You will think you’re in hell for about a half hour after your first time, but I always feel better (though not perfect) the next morning.
Zicam actually seems to work. There are several forms of it. I’ve only tried the nose swabs.
My daughter uses a Neti pot when her sinuses flare up.
Nyquil - once I discovered that I never bought another product.
Homemade chicken soup.
Well, that and Sudafed or Advil Cold or Thermacare (whatever that fizzy hot orange one is.)
I’m not too brand loyal about my cold medicines, but I do love my chicken soup. Make the stock with plenty of garlic and onions and a couple of dried chile peppers. Clears me right up!
The problem with Echinechia ( however its spelled) is that if you have an allergy to the daisy family, it will make your nose run and you will start to cough.
I’ve witnessed this wonderful effect on my kids first hand, the human guinea pigs.
It’s ok. They still have their sight.
Another vote for Zicam and using a psuedo-neti pot. ( I just use an old Afrin container filled with warm water and flush out my nasal passages that way. I’m cheap, what can I say?)
Cool, I wondered why I seemed to get sick every time I tried that stuff. Thanks Shirley! 
Mild colds: Afrin nose spray (a clear nose and no zombification!), cough drops, and lots of hot Tang.
Major colds: Get the comforter from upstairs, curl up with it on the couch with a box of Kleenex and watch lots of baaaad daytime TV until I get better. This is key; NO virus can withstand more than three days of Regis & Kelly. Much orange juice, dry toast, and canned chicken soup. During the day I don’t bother with drugs, just suffer through it and wait for my immune system to prevail. However, I knock back a shot of the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, why-the-hell-am-I-passed-out-on-the-bathroom-floor medicine at bedtime, because how the hell am I supposed to heal if I can’t sleep?
If I have a cold for 4 days and it doesn’t get any better, I hie myself off to the doctors office to take advantage of my most excellent health insurance and prescription drug plan. Last time I went to the doc it was a full-on case of bronchitis. 
Man, I was about six weeks recovering from that. I’m just finally getting over it (knock on wood.)