Friday 25 March 2011

COLDS

# Herbs 'n' Spice is warm 'n' nice
Combine 28 grams sliced fresh ginger, 1 broken up cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 3 cloves, 1slice of lime, 1/2 liter water. Simmer for 15 minutes, strain. Drink a hot cupful every 2 hours. The lime has plenty of vitamin C (a recommended cold fighter) while the ginger and spices provide the antibacterial effect



# OR
Add 1/2" ginger, 6 tulsi leaves, 1 bay leaf, 3 peppercorns, and 1 clove to 1/2 liter water with palm sugar to taste. Boil for 15 minutes. Strain and drink hot, as often as you please. The pepper dilates blood vessels in the nose and stimulates secretions which help drain sinuses. Chilli powder or red pepper also has the same effect and, in addition, possesses anti inflammatory properties.

# Juice a Ginger
Take an inch of ginger and wash thoroughly. Scrape the skin and chop into 3 to 4 pieces. Add a tablespoon of water. Churn thoroughly in a mixer and strain out the juice in a gauzy cloth. Discard the pulp. Add a teaspoon of honey (a mild antibacterial), a pinch of turmeric (today a proven antiseptic), stir well. Drink half in the morning and half in the evening. The mixture keeps well under refrigeration.

# Chug some chicken soup
It attacks a cold or flu in at least three ways: The fluids and minerals help rehydrate and energise your body; the spices provide decongestant benefits; and if you huddle over your bowl as you eat, your mucous membranes will get a soothing steam bath.
Bring a liter of chicken broth to a boil. Add a teaspoon of chilli powder and a thumb sized piece of ginger, grated. Simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish each bowl with a raw, minced garlic clove and chopped scallions. Have four bowls a day when you are at your sickest.

# Go for a Garlic
Its pungent active ingredient, allicin (the same one in onions), works especially well against infections such as bronchitis and sinusitis, which often result from colds and flu. Some experts believe allicin destroys the cold and flu viruses themselves, though this theory hasn't been scientifically proven.
Eat one or two cloves a day of raw or lightly sauteed garlic, all at once or in small doses.

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