First things first: This will not cure your cold (or flu, or sore throat, or consumption, or whatever else this nasty weather is throwing at you). This recipe is simply meant as a salve to calm its symptoms and encourage a healthy constitution.
That said, I’m currently in love with an herbal remedy/all-natural cough syrup that my mother has been making for everyone in our family to fight off cold symptoms — especially those that come with a rough, raw sore throat. It only calls for four ingredients (a few of which you may already have around the house), it tastes great (especially when left to steep overnight) and is incredibly easy to make.
Her recipe is as follows:
“Just slice some lemons and ginger thinly, alternate layering into a jar with some honey in between layers and some squirts of lemon juice. Layer until the jar is full, shake and store in the fridge. When you’re using it, keep filling it with more honey and lemon juice.”
When you can find it, my mother also recommends including turmeric root between the lemon slices with the ginger. Why?
In addition to being good for your skin and complexion (which is why I take a turmeric tablet from Georgia’s Farm to Market every day), turmeric has been shown in clinical studies to have anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties equivalent to a dose of ibuprofen. The turmeric root is only one component of this all-natural cough syrup that makes it effective.
Ginger has long been proven to fight nausea and an upset stomach, which many people tend to get when the drainage from a cold hits their bellies. And like the turmeric root, it’s also effective in providing pain relief similar to ibuprofen.
Honey — aside from sweetening the cough syrup and coating a sore throat — has long been employed for its antimicrobial properties. And recent studies even show that it’s effective in killing the bacteria that cause chronic rhinitis/sinusitis.
As for the lemons, everyone can use a little more Vitamin C in their lives. Just make sure you wash them thoroughly before slicing.
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