Cold and flu remedies
Last updated: 27 Feb 2005
Cheap, healthy and easy-to-make alternatives to paracetamol and cough mixtures
Useful Links:
* National Institiute of Medical Herbalists: Infoline 01392 426 022
The links above are to third parties’ websites, the contents of which are not the responsibility of GMTV.
Garlic and Honey Syrup
* Put 10 sliced garlic cloves in a jar
* Add honey and leave for a few hours
* You can either take this syrup as it is, or add a few teaspoons to hot water.
The honey draws the juice from the garlic, which makes a healing syrup good for sore throats and chest infections.
Both the garlic and the honey are antiseptic, which will help to kill the bacteria. Garlic also has sulphur compounds which are anti microbial and help the body fight infection. Garlic can stimulate cell growth
Sage, Rosemary & Thyme Throat Gargle
* Crush all the herbs with a pestle and mortar
* Add a teaspoon of each herb to a teapot and cover with boiling water
* Allow to cool and gargle
* You can also drink this hot, with a pinch of fresh ginger - it will help to sweat out a cold
All of these herbs have antiseptic properties. Sage is used to relieve excess mucous buildup. You can also chew the fresh leaves to soothe sore throats.
Rosemary is a good decongestant and is also good at easing muscle pain.
Thyme is a powerful antiseptic and is good for bronchial problems and ginger is good for strengthening and healing the respiritory system. It also removes congestion, soothes sore throats, removes headaches and body aches.
Onion Cough Syrup
* Finely chop an onion and put it in a bowl of sugar. The sugar draws out the juice from the onion and you have a cough syrup!
The same ingredient that brings tears to your eyes gives onions their ability to fight disease. This sulphur compound also thins the blood and helps prevent dangerous clots while lowering blood pressure and possibly reducing cholesterol levels. Onions also possess the ability to kill a wide variety of germs.
And, for asthma victims, onion extract may even relieve allergy-induced bronchial constriction.
Recipes courtesy of Dee Atkinson, owneer of Napiers Herbal Dispensary
Herbal Advice Line - 0906 8020 117
Onions are supposed to be a sort of antibiotic. Slice an onion and saute it until caramelized and eat.
Anyone remember that movie from like the early '70s titled something like "Lilies of the Valley"? I tried a search but couldn't find it. About all I remember was the man got sick and the little girl put boiled onions on his chest. I don't know how onions on the outside of you would do any good, but whatever.
Some of the most interesting recipes I’ve found online at sites like allrecipes.com and cooks.com, etc. is to use their search function and insert the word GRANDMA’s or GRANDPA’s — some very interesting olde time goodies. Also, there were some very interesting old family concoctions that I once found using the word ‘COUGH’ at various recipe sites.
I haven’t stayed current on it, but last month NPR had a long story about a canned pumpkin shortage this season.
I see there are quite a few stories at google about it — I know I read somewhere online that in some parts of the U.S. that it was very difficult to find any canned pumpkin, but not so, where I am.
So I picked up a couple cans of each different brand available here — usually I wait until the post-holiday sales to buy clearance-priced canned pumpkin, but I don’t know if there will be much leftover canned pumpkin this year, so I decided to pay full price, NOW, just in case.