Winter Blues - Squash That Cold And Beat That Cough

Recipes For Food Based Remedies For Cold and Cough

"AahChooo! Mommy I’ve got a booboo in my nose".

"Jeez, my three year old is also getting the flu. I better call daddy to grab a bottle of Tylenol cold on his way home. Oh yes and don’t forget the humidifier, It’s going to be a long night..."

In the throes of winter what with the rain, snow and the wind chill, the flu cough and cold are here to stay.

 Here are a few simple home tips and remedies that I use to make these Cold  winter blues more bearable:

1. Keep a jar of Honey and black pepper powder handy. This is a perfectly safe and simple remedy for soothing coughs and relieving chest congestions. Just take a teaspoon of honey, mix it with half a teaspoon of black pepper powder and take it early in the morning, before going to bed or as needed. Even my three year old loves this mixture and it does work wonders.

2. Keep chicken stock handy in your freezer. It’s a well established fact that hot chicken soup has miraculous healing powers for the head colds or flu. To make chicken stock just boil a chicken and freeze the stock separately in a plastic/freezer bowl, when the stock is frozen , scrape off and discard all the top fatty layer- and you are left with excellent chicken stock. Heat this up and serve with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper to taste or use as a base in different kinds of soup. Of course you don’t have to waste the boiled chicken too. This may be shredded up and used in sandwiches or frozen in a freezer bag to be used later in the soup.

3. Keep a supply of fresh eggs. Again this is good for the cold or flu. Serve a hot soft boiled egg with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. It takes about three minutes to get a hard boiled egg (measured from the moment the water starts boiling). So a good soft boiled egg should be ready in about 2-2.5 minutes of boiling.

4. A spicy herbal tea may not be to every one’s taste but it is good for the cough and the cold especially when taken at night before bed time. Place about three cups of water in a wok and bring it to boil, add teabags (About two) or one teaspoon of tea grains, add about 3-4 cloves, 3-4 whole black peppers, quarter inch of cinnamon stick, quarter inch of Ginger. Let this mixture continue to boil for about fifteen minutes. Pour the tea into cups through a sieve or colander and serve with sugar to taste.

5. Cold's are usually exacerbated by stress. In fact, some highly sensitive people may develop cold like symptoms  in response to stress.  I have personally noticed mild head colds or those colds and flus that are just on the verge of 'onset', almost 'fall away' using de-stressing techniques. The most effective Instantaneous one I found was by listening to Brainwave Entrainment! for eliminating stress. Though of course, teas such as Chamomile and Rooibos (African Red Bush Based Tea)  are also excellent relaxants.

All the above are perfectly harmless and fun techniques to ease your cough, cold and flu experiences. And they have been known to work through the ages. However, they are not intended to replace proper medication. So get on with your lives and give those winter blues a punch squarely in the face.

Caution : The above article is only informative in nature and not intended as medical advise. All conditions requiring medical attention should be referred to the medical profession.

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