It was one of the rituals of childhood illness: My mother, after listening to the many hours of throat-clearing and coughing that accompany colds, would appear in my room with a cupful of salty, lukewarm water. "Gargle this," she would order. "It'll help your throat feel better."

Did it? When I was a kid, the jury was out.

According to the New York Times, my mom was definitely onto something.

"A saline solution can draw excess fluid from inflamed tissues in the throat, making them hurt less, said Dr. Philip T. Hagen, editor in chief of the 'Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies,' which is due out in October. Dr. Hagen pointed out that gargling also loosens thick mucus, which can remove irritants like allergens, bacteria and fungi from the throat."

And, it turns out, gargling with salt water can have a dramatic effect on the length and severity of cold symptoms. A study that followed healthy participants for the duration of flu season found that the ones who gargled three times a day experienced a 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory tract infections. These results are supported by another study on cold and flu prevention from the University of Michigan.

The Mayo Clinic recommends this method of gargling with salt water:

"Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a full glass of warm water and gargle the solution for a few seconds before spitting it out."

In the face of this evidence, plus my mother's advice, I think I'm going to reintroduce gargling into my health regimen this winter. Hey — unlike many home health remedies out there, it can't hurt.