Although it isn’t used to treat cold as much as other spices like ginger and cinnamon, garlic also works wonders to fight off cold. You can actually use it as a supplement for ginger in any recipe–although it is a tad bit bitter and unpleasant than ginger.
It’s that time of the year when you usually come down with a nasty cold and your throat feels all itchy, scratchy. While having a cold always makes you miserable, this time around it can also give you quite a scare, what with the novel coronavirus pandemic having effectively put the world on lockdown. So, at the first sign of a sniffle, we suggest you try out some of the most popular and effective home remedies to ensure you feel better in no time at all.
Boil cinnamon or cloves
One of the easiest home remedies for cold is to boil a few pieces of cinnamon or cloves with water for five to 10 minutes and then drink that. Cinnamon and cloves both have antiviral, antibacterial, antiinflammatory and analgesic (similar to a painkiller) properties so they work very well to treat cold and flu. Although you could do this with just one of these spices, using both together works better and faster. You shouldn’t throw away the pieces of cinnamon and cloves while drinking the water—chew on the pieces instead. You could add a spoonful of honey to this if it’s too bitter for you.
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Mix tulsi, ginger and turmeric
Tulsi, ginger and turmeric all work well to treat a cold and using them together will get rid of that nasty cold quickly. Turmeric is known for producing a lot of mucus which clears out your respiratory tract. It also has antiviral, antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties which helps relieve cold. The gingerols and shogaols in ginger are antiinflammatory and get rid of rhinoviruses that cause cold. Ginger can also warm up your body when you’re feeling chilly. Tulsi is antibacterial and thus fights infections and cold.
For this, pour a glass of water to a pan over medium heat. Then add some tulsi leaves, a spoonful of finely chopped ginger pieces and one teaspoon of turmeric powder to it and let it boil for five minutes. Drink this mixture without removing the pieces of ginger or tulsi leaves while it’s still hot.
Ginger juice and honey
This recipe is more for cough and sore throat than cold. Both ginger and honey have antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits which work to soothe cough and sore throat. They soothe the itchiness, irritation and inflammation in your throat and fight tonsillitis. For this, take a big piece of ginger and grind it to extract the juice from it. Now mix it with equal amount of honey and consume that mixture in one go. You will feel a burning sensation on your throat but the cough will get noticeably better in a few hours time. Alternatively, you could also use lemon juice if ginger isn’t readily available or just cut ginger into small pieces and use that instead of ginger juice.
Chew on a piece of bojo
Bojo (also known as Acorus Calamus) is a herb—found almost exclusively in South Asia—that is a really good remedy for cold, cough and sore throat. It is characterized by its long, creeping and branched roots that have an earthy aroma. It is used in many herbal medicines that treat common cold. Although there are some specific traditional recipes utilizing bojo that treat cold and cough, the simplest way to use it for this purpose is by simply cutting off a piece, rinsing it and chewing on it. Unlike other medicinal plants, bojo doesn’t taste bitter and unpleasant, instead, it has a sweet and pleasant aftertaste.
Golden milk
Made from milk, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and honey, golden milk is a traditional recipe used in many countries in the Indian subcontinent to fight cold. All the key ingredients in this recipe have antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Besides curing common cold, drinking this mixture regularly can also boost your mood, reduce joint pain and inflammation, improve memory and overall brain function, lower blood sugar levels, and help in digestion.
To make this, pour a cup of milk into a pot and then add one teaspoon of turmeric, a small piece of freshly grated ginger, a pinch of cinnamon powder (or a small cinnamon flake), and a tablespoon of honey and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour it into a glass—you can strain the milk removing the pieces of ginger and cinnamon if you want to—and drink it while it’s still hot.
Sauteed garlic and ginger
Although it isn’t used to treat cold as much as other spices like ginger and cinnamon, garlic also works wonders to fight off cold. You can actually use it as a supplement for ginger in any recipe—although it is a tad bit bitter and unpleasant than ginger. Or, you can simply saute a few garlic cloves in ghee or just by themselves and eat that to get rid of that cold. You can do the same with ginger. It helps soothe a sore throat and it’s especially helpful when you have coughing fits.
