At some point or the other we all succumb to the cold virus and are left sniffing and sneezing all day long with a heavy head.Whenever you have a stuffy nose, those irritating symptoms that you experience are part of a natural healing process showing evidence that your immune system is combating illness. And when you cough ,you are clearing your breathing passages of thick mucus that would otherwise be a carrier of germs to the lungs. So you don’t really don’t want to stop the bodies own cleansing process but would want to assist it to help eliminate the build up of mucus etc.
Ilva of Lucullian delights has tagged me for a Commom Cold Remedies Meme where I am supposed to share my best remedies for common cold.So here I go…
Inspite of the fast changing trends and the growing influence of modern medicine,there are still some valuable traditional herbal remedies today which have remained unchanged over the years.There are innumerable natural,tried and tested methods to alleviate common ailments and which leave no toxic residues or side-effects.The most popular traditional medical system in India is Ayurveda.Ammamma’s(my grandmother) kitchen always had bottles filled with specially formulated herbal remedies(‘churnam’) using herbs and spices like cumin seeds,fennel seeds,dry ginger,amla,cinnamon,mint,clove,turmeric,seasame seeds,neem,garlic,coriander,fenugreek….and many more for common ailments like cold,cough,fever,constipation,diarrhea,loss of appetite,acidity,headaches etc.She was uncompromising in kitchen and health matters..:)
According to Ayurveda, common cold results from an imbalance of the Kapha-Vata dosha.When there is excess of Kapha (cool,moist charactieristics) and excess Vata (reduction of agni or gastric fire) your body develops a cold. Ginger can reduce excess Kapha and restore agni, making it the best medicine for colds and flus.Herbs that can restore balance to Kapha are especially ginger(allam,adrak) and holy basil (tulasi),cinnamon(dalchini),licorice(athimadhuramu,jethimadh), black pepper and cloves(lavanga).
Drinking any of the above powdered herbs (1 tsp) mixed well in a cup of boiled water (let it sit for 10 mts)helps to alleviate cold.
Another excellent remedy is ginger tea.Add a small tsp each of ginger pwd, fennel seeds pwd,cinnamon pwd and a pinch of clove pwd to a cup of boiled water and let it sit covered for 10 mts.Strain and drink.You can have this tea a couple of times a day.
Another simple but very effective remedy is turmeric(pasupu,haldi).GM of The Spice Is Right has been able to overcome her cold woes with turmeric milk,an effective remedy for cold.Drinking this milk can help induce an early recovery.It helps keeping the lungs clear of phlegm and activates the liver.
Garlic is another extremely effective herb!Eating 5-6 raw garlic cloves a day and 1 to 2 raw garlic cloves for a couple of days after you have been relieved of your cold helps build your immune system.If you can’t eat the whole clove,chop it and add it to salads..remember,it should be eaten raw and not cooked.
Hope these natural remedies for common cold help those of you with the cold woes.I am tagging the following food bloggers to learn some home remedies they use to overcome common cold.
Dawna of Always In The Kitchen
Gerald of Foodite
Kat of Cracker Jack’d
Tin of CJ’s Food & Discovery
Zoubida of Kitchen Culture
Meme,Health,Home Remedies,Ayurveda,Ginger
