Avoid the Pharmacy:
Fight the Flu With Remedies From the Kitchen
(For a list of things to avoid click here.) ...
The Solutions Are As Close as Your Kitchen
So, what’s a sniffling, coughing, congested flu-sufferer to do? Forget heading to the petri dish that is your local pharmacy – go to the kitchen – there are lots of things you already have that help reduce the misery to a tolerable level without the risk of nasty side effects!
Note: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. These home remedies are for informational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical attention from a professional.
Honey
Specifically, you want to stock up on raw honey, rather than pasteurized. When honey is heated during the pasteurization process many of its health benefits are either lost or diminished. If you don’t have raw honey, use what you have, but when shopping, look specifically for unheated honey.
Honey is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. This means that before you know the source of an illness (virus, fungus or bacteria) you can still begin to treat the problem.
Sprinkle honey with powdered cinnamon and take a teaspoon 3 times per day as soon as you start to feel a little tickle in your throat. This can often prevent the illness from taking hold.
Instead of reaching for the cough syrup, try a teaspoon of honey before bedtime to soothe your cough. Honey taken this way is also very soothing to sore, inflamed throats.
Hot Peppers
Not everyone can tolerate spicy food, particularly when they are sick. However if you can, there is no betteer way to clear your sinuses. Why?
Capsaicin is the natural compound that is found in hot peppers – it’s what gives them their heat. The capsaicin can help thin mucus, causing your nose to run, and thus clearing your nasal passages. You can get a similar effect from freshly cut onions.
A spicy bowl of chili or a fiery Asian stir-fry could be just what the doctor ordered for sinus relief.
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Garlic and Onions
Both garlic and onions contain the compound allicin, a powerful flu fighter. Allicin has strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial characteristics. It is most likely the high content of garlic and onions in homemade chicken soup that gives it the reputation of a “bowl of pennicillin”. In the 18th century in France, peasants drank wine with crushed garlic in it to ward off the Black Plague.
Similarly to the hot peppers, mentioned above, a fragrant soup loaded with these two ingredients can help to clear nasal passages making it easier to breathe.
Ginger
Ginger tea, taken twice per day, can help relieve flu symptoms such as headache, sore throat, congestions and chills. Make the tea by steeping 2 tbsp of fresh ginger in a cup of hot water. It’s not recommended to exceed 4 grams of ginger per day – components in the herb can cause irritation of the mouth, heartburn and diarrhea if taken in excess.
Salt
A gargle made from salt water can relieve a sore throat. As well, it can stop a budding infection in its tracks. Mix I tablespoon of salt with a cup of water and gargle.
Elderberry Syrup
Finally, I want to make one recommendation that isn’t a standard addition to most kitchens. If you purchase one thing to fight off the flu, make it elderberry syrup or extract. Medicinal use of the elderberry goes all the way back to Hippocrates. Around the globe, folk medicine is full of recipes containing elderberries.
Recent research has some some very significant results with the use of elderberry when treating the flu. For anyone concerned about the possibility of a serious pandemic in the future, elderberry is a vital addition to your home pharmacy.
Elderberry may also help reduce the symptoms of cold and flu and shorten the duration of the flu by as much as three days, according to UMMC. The product used in one study was Sambucol, a combination of elderberries and vitamin C, so it wasn’t clear if it was the elderberry alone, or the combination, that had the effect. In a study released by Retroscreen Virology in 2006, a British medical institute associated with Queen Mary College at the University of London, researchers determined that Sambucol was at least 99 percent effective against the avian flu virus H5N1 and significantly neutralized the ability of the virus to infect cells in culture.
Source
Elderberry syrup or extract can be mixed with hot water to make a tea. It can also be added to sparkling water and served cold for a refreshing drink that will sooth a scratchy throat.
Recipe: Homemade Cough Syrup
I always keep a jar of this homemade cough syrup in my refrigerator. It tastes so good that I don’t have to ask my kids twice to take it. You can also stir a few tablespoons of the syrup into hot water for a homemade “Neo-Citran”-style hot drink without all the nasty chemicals.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons, scrubbed and thinly sliced
- 6 tbsp of grated ginger root
- Honey as needed
Directions- In a glass jar, layer the lemon slices and grated ginger until the jar is full.
- Pour honey into the jar, using the blade of a kitchen knife to move the lemon and ginger around and make room for it.
- Store it in the fridge for at least 2 weeks before using it. Then, take 1-2 tsp 3 times per day, as needed, for coughs or sore throats.
Today, I avoid the pharmaceutical solutions because I chose not to use them. One day, we could be in a situation where relief is no longer available a few minutes away at our local pharmacies or department store. It’s important to learn now how to relieve unpleasant symptoms using simple home methods. This will help you to select the most useful items for your stockpile while allowing you to become more comfortable with using natural solutions.
Do you have some home cold and flu remedies from the kitchen that you have used successfully? Please share them in the comments!
Reprinted from The Organic Prepper.
January 11, 2013
Daisy Luther writes daily tips, strategies and prepping ideas at The Organic Prepper and Girls Gone North.