Monsoon is ‘THE’ time to catch flu as there is a lot of ‘sneezing’ happening around you. But it is not always the season, sometimes it can be certain food items that do not suit your body but you are too addicted to quit. For example, the aerated drinks we love so much. The monsoon then just becomes a catalyst. Whatever is the cause of your constant torture, you wouldn’t want to be sneezing or coughing all the time. And nobody wants to visit a doctor until it’s very serious let alone gulp allopathic medicines every day. Now that you think of it, allopathic medicines may be the immediate remedy but there is always a chance of you contacting the sickness again. Not to forget the damage allopathic medicines can do to you in the long run. Well aware of your dilemma, I am here with a list of homemade remedies that can help you fight the monster of ‘cold and cough’. Using these easily available items at your home you can make your own medicine! And unlike allopathic medicines, this won’t have any side effects.
10) Turmeric powder, Ghee (Clarified butter) and Salt paste –
Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to the equal amount of Ghee (Clarified Butter made from the milk of Buffalo or cow) and salt to taste. Mix it well to not have any lumps. Swallow a spoonful of the paste. Do it three times a day for better results. Avoid drinking water for an hour after swallowing the paste. Turmeric has an ingredient named curcumin which is known to boost immunity and its medicinal use can be traced back to the ancient Vedic period in India.
9) Basil leaves, Mint leaves, Ginger, Lemon, Parsley ‘kadha’-
Take a 1 1/2 cup of water in a container that can be heated on a stove and add the following ingredients – basil leaves (tulsi) 10-15 pcs, mint leaves 10 pcs, a small piece of ginger (grated), squeeze one small lemon into it and add parsley. Pour the mixture into water and bring it to a boil. Drain the liquid into a cup using a strainer. The traditional ‘Kadha’ is consumed hot and is usually spicy because of the ginger. Avoid drinking water for an hour. Basil leaves are good for health even otherwise. You can chew three to four leaves everyday even if you are fit and healthy.
8) Crushed Basil, Parsley and dried Ginger powder with honey paste –
Crush 5-6 pcs of basil leaves so as to extract juice. Add one teaspoon each of parsley and dried ginger powder. Now add a teaspoon of honey and stir get a paste-like consistency. You can play with the measurements but each of the ingredients should be of equal quantity. Avoid drinking water for an hour. You can have the paste twice in 24 hrs. Do not overdo. They do not have any side effects but they are warm in nature so if consumed in excess, it will increase the heat in the body which can cause pimples, boils or mouth ulcers.
7) Jaggery, Ghee, Pearl Millet (Bajra) flour ‘Rab’-
Take two tablespoons of ghee and heat it. Then add one tablespoon of the flour, stir the mixture for 3-4 minutes until the flour turns crimson brown. Then add 50-60 gms of jaggery and let it melt in the mixture resulting in a semi-fluid liquid. That’s your ‘Rab’ which should be consumed while it is hot. Avoid drinking water for an hour.
6) Roasted Parsley or Parsley oil-
Roasted parsley is to be rubbed against your feet or parsley oil can be applied on your back. Massage with soft hands without pressure in a circular pattern. This will produce heat in your body which will help you fight cold.
5) Black pepper, black sesame seeds, and Turmeric-
This process is a bit lengthy but the powder can be stored for a long time. Take all of the above-mentioned ingredients in the same proportion but make sure to heat the turmeric powder on the stove so it loses its moisture before you mix it with other ingredients. Grind the ingredients to a powder. Take a spoonful of powder everyday with your glass of milk. Do not overdo because black pepper is warm for the body.
4) Pomegranate skin-
Pomegranate skin comes to your aid when you cannot stop coughing. Take a piece of it in your mouth and suck on it. You do not have to chew or swallow it. Suck on it like you suck on a toffee. So you gulp down the properties of the skin with your saliva which help your cause.
3) Onion juice-
The ancestors weren’t wrong about onion having a gazillion uses. Crush the onion and drain its juice using a strainer, apply the juice on your chest. Chew on a gum so as to not cry whilst dealing with onions. Gum busies your brain so your eyes don’t water when you are pealing the onions (in your case the nose won’t water!)
2) Betel (Nagarvel leaves)-
Betel leaves, better known as nagarvel leaves, are to be placed on your chest. A cloth is to be rolled into a soft ball which can be heated on the pan and the heated cloth is then pressed on to the leaves on your chest. Be careful to not burn your skin in the process. Make sure the cloth heat is bearable because the purpose is to treat you and not hurt you. Betel leaves will be easily available in the market.
1) Honey or Jaggery with Ginger juice and/or Turmeric-
You can have ginger juice mixed with equal or lesser amount of honey, suiting your taste. Honey with turmeric also can be consumed. But the former cannot be consumed more than two times a day whereas the latter can be consumed 4-5 times a day because ginger is warm in nature. Jaggery can be used as a replacement for honey.
So, these were your tried and tested homemade remedies for a cough and cold. If you do not see any results even after a week of its consumption then you better schedule the doctor’s appointment that you were dreading so much! But for it to work you cannot be that kid who has ice-cream with a sweater on. Do not indulge in eating food items that could cause the very cold you tried so hard to cure! In that case, these remedies will take time to work or may not work at all for as soon as it heals, you damage. These remedies can also be used to treat body temperature (fever). Please note that these remedies do not treat the allergic reactions that cause sneezing. Lastly, assuming a rare case scenario if your body does not support the treatment or develops a reaction stop the consumption immediately and contact your doctor. So ending on a positive note, let’s just say it’s time to give everything that causes you to sneeze or cough, a ‘cold’ shoulder so that we can look forward to a healthy and mucus-free monsoon.