Hi there!
I found some very useful info here. I'll take notes, if you don't mind.
I will share with you that I cured my last flu with a jar of garlic juice. A handful of garlic cloves blended with a bit of salt in 750 ml of still water. I drank that slowly - and tried very hard not to acknowledge the smell :D .
It did wonders to my system. I got rid of the fever and sinus congestion quite fast. My tonsils benefited from the juice, too. If I remember correctly, I started feeling like a human being again within 2 hours after having drank the garlic juice.
A hot bath helped with the muscle ache. The next day I was good to go :)
I can't stand hot peppers - you were quite brave to ingest them, IMO. The best I can do, when I catch a cold, is to drink black tea with a few pieces of ginger in it, as much as I can endure. I also use tea tree oil and clove oil - although the taste is horrible, they are very efficient.