Post by estatigua (Tiggy) on Dec 3, 2006 20:52:23 GMT -5
Cough and Cold Remedies
HONEY THROAT SYRUP
Take several cloves of fresh garlic.
(Please don't use the genetically altered, odorless variety. It has lost its healing virtue.)
Place the garlic in a blender with the juice of half a lemon. Blend until smooth.
Add 1 cup raw honey and blend again.
This mixture can be taken in teasthingy doses for a sore
throat, or strained through a cheesecloth and bottled for later use.
Old Fashioned Garlic And Onion Soup
For Colds, Flu, Respiratory Infections,
Or For Prevention During The Winter Months
4 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 whole heads of garlic
2 tsp thyme
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp each fresh basil and parsely
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
sea salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
Saute the oinons, garlic and thyme in olive oil until golden brown.
This step sweetens and mellows the intensity of the garlic and
onions. To peel the garlic cloves, smash the individual cloves with the flat side of a chef's knife, then slip out of skins. Add the garlic and onions to a soup kettle (or slow cooker) to cook with the vegetable broth, white wine and bay leaf.
Slowly cook for 2 or 3 hours (or overnight if using a slow cooker).
Strain liquid, and then add honey, fresh basil and parsely, sea
salt, fresh ground pepper and cayenne. Sip on this hot soup throughout the day, or have for launch or dinner as a first course.
Ginger Tea
1 inch or so fresh ginger root, sliced thin or grated
1/2 a fresh lemon, sliced (peel & all)
1 clove garlic, mashed
~2 c water
Very generous teasthingy of honey
Place water, ginger, lemon, & garlic in saucepan; bring to boil,
then turn down heat and simmer gently for 20 min. Strain into mugs and add lots of honey. The tea *will* get stronger if you let it sit!
Most invigorating!
The garlic adds a bit of bitterness, but the honey masks that. This tea is very soothing to the throat and warms and opens the chest and nasal passages. Plus there are all those vitamins and other good things! make this tea at the first sign of a cold, it will help you fight it fight it off. It more effective than the commercial hot lemon remedies, and of course cheaper!
Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster
Helps relieve chest congestion due to colds.
1 tbsp dry mustard
1/4 cup flour
Lukewarm water
Sift together mustard and flour in a bowl. Slowly add just enough water to make a paste. Spread the plaster on a piece of muslin big enough to cover chest. Cover with another piece of muslin.
Make sure the skin is dry. Place the mustard plaster on the chest. Check frequently and discontinue if there is any kind of allergic reaction. Remove when skin begins to turn red, usually after 10-20 minutes, and don't leave on any longer than 30 minutes at a time. Then rub the chest with petroleum jelly to keep the heat in. Treat twice daily until congestion clears up.
NOTE: For children, reduce amount of flour to 6 tbsp.
Simple Cough Syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup honey
1/4 cup warm water
Combine lemon juice and honey in a bowl. Slowly stir in the water.
Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator - take 1-2 tbsp as needed for cough.
To soothe a sore throat, add 1 tbsp of mixture to a cup of comfrey root,chamomile or rosemary tea.
Cranberry Soup
1 cup cranberries
2 cups water
Honey to taste
1 tbsp potato starch
Heat cranberries and water together until cranberry skins open. Strain and add honey to taste. Bring mixture close to a boil, then remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix starch with 2 tbsp cold water. Slowly add this mixture to the cranberry juice - stir vigorously.
Return mixture to heat and bring to full boil, stirring until it thickens and becomes slightly transparent. Store in refrigerator in a covered container. Serve with warm cream. Soothes colds, and is a good source of vitamins C and B
Hyssop Cough Syrup
Licorice flavored, soothes sore throats.
2 tbsp dried hyssop (flower tops) or 1/3 cup fresh hyssop (chopped flowers)
1/4 cup water
1 cup honey
1 tsp aniseed
In a saucepan combine honey and water. Stir until the mixture is consistency of pancake syrup. Bring slowly to a boil (over a medium heat). Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Use 1-2 tbsp water to moisten the dried hyssop. Crush the aniseed.
Stir both into the honey. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to cool. While the mixture is still a little warm, strain into a jar. When completely cooled, screw on the lid. Should keep for 1 week.
Glycerine Lemon Cough Syrup
1 lemon
2 tbsp glycerine
2 tbsp honey
Heat the lemon by boiling it in water for 10 minutes. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Add the glycerine and honey. Take 1 teasthingy as needed.
Marshmallow Cough Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice or juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp chopped dried marshmallow root
In a small saucepan, bring the marshmallow root and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain liquid into another
saucepan (should result in about 1 cup). Over a low heat, slowly stir in the sugar until it becomes thick and granules completely dissolve. (Stir in more water if the mixture becomes too thick.) Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice. Transfer to a container and allow to cool before covering tightly.
Lemon Cayenne Throat Soother
Mix 1 teasthingy honey with
1 teasthingy lemon juice and dash of cayenne pepper.
Take like cough syrup. This does not prevent cough, but does relieve throat pain in two ways.
First, the honey and lemon coat the throat. Second, the cayenne pepper brings blood cells needed to fight off infection to the throat area.
Herbal Steam (Good for children) Adults can use it too.
1 quart water
3 drops eucalyptus ,tea tree or lavender essential oil
Heat water in a pot until it boils. Remove from heat. Add essential oil. Place child's face over the steaming pot, put a towel over the back of the child's head and tuck the ends around the pan to create a mini-sauna. Caution: Make sure that the steam is not too hot-it should be comfortable for the child. And make sure she keeps her eyes closed so that the essential oils do not sting. Some children think steaming is fun, but others will object. If so, it may help to eliminate the towel. What is important is to have the child breathe the steam twice a day, or as needed. Covering your child's chest and throat with a vapor rub of these same herbs is another way to reduce congestion, fight infection and increase blood circulation in the chest area. If you read the label on any commercial vapor balm, you will notice that it contains components of many antiseptic essential oils, including thymol (from thyme), menthol (from mint) and eucalyptol (from eucalyptus ). You can buy a commercial balm that contains these essential oils at the natural food store, or you can make your own. Once you apply the Vapor Rub, you can increase its warmth and action by laying a warm piece of flannel on your child's chest.
Vapor Rub
¼ teasthingy eucalyptus essential oil 1/8 teasthingy each peppermint and thyme essential oils ¼ cup olive oil Combine ingredients in a glass bottle. Shake well. Gently massage onto chest and throat.
A sore throat can also be soothed with preparations of licorice and slippery elm. To stop your child's coughing, add anise, peppermint or eucalyptus to these treatments. As useful as coughing is to breaking up congestion, it can interfere with breathing or sleeping and can irritate the throat. The herbs discussed above are thought to work by suppressing the brain's cough reflex. As an added benefit, they are also antihistamines (which relieve sinus and lung congestion). Two more herbs, rose hips and lemon grass, provide the "anti-infection" vitamins C and A, respectively. These herbs can be taken as tea, but cough syrup or lozenges will work better to soothe your child's sore or ticklish throat, since they coat the throat. You can purchase herbal cough syrups and lozenges at natural food stores and most drugstores. Or you can make your own herbal cough syrup.
Honeyed Licorice Sticks
½ cup water 2 pieces of licorice root, about 5 inches long (available at natural food store) 1 tbsp honey 1 teaspon lemon extract or 5 drops lemon essential oil (optional) Plac water, licorice and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the extract or essential oil, if desired, and let sit 5 minutes. Strain out sticks and let cool. Store in refrigerator. Note: Remember not to give honey to children under 2 years old.
Sage Tea ( A little bitter so honey is a must)
1 cup boiling water 1 teasthingy garden sage leaves ¼ teasthingy honey (optional) Pour boiling water over leaves and steep for 15 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste (remember not to give honey to children under 2 years of age). For a 50-pound child, give at least half a cup (if they wants more, that's perfectly okay).
For whooping cough, follow the treatments suggested for coughs in general. Be sure to use the Vapor Rub (see above), since thyme has long been considered an effective treatment for whooping cough.
Ease Your Tummy Tea
8 oz peppermint leaves * 8 oz lemon balm leaves * 8 oz fennel seeds (bruised) Mix the herbs thoroughly, and store in an air tight container. For a cup of tea, use 1 tsp in a cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes and strain out the herbs.
HONEY THROAT SYRUP
Take several cloves of fresh garlic.
(Please don't use the genetically altered, odorless variety. It has lost its healing virtue.)
Place the garlic in a blender with the juice of half a lemon. Blend until smooth.
Add 1 cup raw honey and blend again.
This mixture can be taken in teasthingy doses for a sore
throat, or strained through a cheesecloth and bottled for later use.
Old Fashioned Garlic And Onion Soup
For Colds, Flu, Respiratory Infections,
Or For Prevention During The Winter Months
4 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 whole heads of garlic
2 tsp thyme
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp each fresh basil and parsely
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
sea salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
Saute the oinons, garlic and thyme in olive oil until golden brown.
This step sweetens and mellows the intensity of the garlic and
onions. To peel the garlic cloves, smash the individual cloves with the flat side of a chef's knife, then slip out of skins. Add the garlic and onions to a soup kettle (or slow cooker) to cook with the vegetable broth, white wine and bay leaf.
Slowly cook for 2 or 3 hours (or overnight if using a slow cooker).
Strain liquid, and then add honey, fresh basil and parsely, sea
salt, fresh ground pepper and cayenne. Sip on this hot soup throughout the day, or have for launch or dinner as a first course.
Ginger Tea
1 inch or so fresh ginger root, sliced thin or grated
1/2 a fresh lemon, sliced (peel & all)
1 clove garlic, mashed
~2 c water
Very generous teasthingy of honey
Place water, ginger, lemon, & garlic in saucepan; bring to boil,
then turn down heat and simmer gently for 20 min. Strain into mugs and add lots of honey. The tea *will* get stronger if you let it sit!
Most invigorating!
The garlic adds a bit of bitterness, but the honey masks that. This tea is very soothing to the throat and warms and opens the chest and nasal passages. Plus there are all those vitamins and other good things! make this tea at the first sign of a cold, it will help you fight it fight it off. It more effective than the commercial hot lemon remedies, and of course cheaper!
Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster
Helps relieve chest congestion due to colds.
1 tbsp dry mustard
1/4 cup flour
Lukewarm water
Sift together mustard and flour in a bowl. Slowly add just enough water to make a paste. Spread the plaster on a piece of muslin big enough to cover chest. Cover with another piece of muslin.
Make sure the skin is dry. Place the mustard plaster on the chest. Check frequently and discontinue if there is any kind of allergic reaction. Remove when skin begins to turn red, usually after 10-20 minutes, and don't leave on any longer than 30 minutes at a time. Then rub the chest with petroleum jelly to keep the heat in. Treat twice daily until congestion clears up.
NOTE: For children, reduce amount of flour to 6 tbsp.
Simple Cough Syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup honey
1/4 cup warm water
Combine lemon juice and honey in a bowl. Slowly stir in the water.
Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator - take 1-2 tbsp as needed for cough.
To soothe a sore throat, add 1 tbsp of mixture to a cup of comfrey root,chamomile or rosemary tea.
Cranberry Soup
1 cup cranberries
2 cups water
Honey to taste
1 tbsp potato starch
Heat cranberries and water together until cranberry skins open. Strain and add honey to taste. Bring mixture close to a boil, then remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix starch with 2 tbsp cold water. Slowly add this mixture to the cranberry juice - stir vigorously.
Return mixture to heat and bring to full boil, stirring until it thickens and becomes slightly transparent. Store in refrigerator in a covered container. Serve with warm cream. Soothes colds, and is a good source of vitamins C and B
Hyssop Cough Syrup
Licorice flavored, soothes sore throats.
2 tbsp dried hyssop (flower tops) or 1/3 cup fresh hyssop (chopped flowers)
1/4 cup water
1 cup honey
1 tsp aniseed
In a saucepan combine honey and water. Stir until the mixture is consistency of pancake syrup. Bring slowly to a boil (over a medium heat). Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Use 1-2 tbsp water to moisten the dried hyssop. Crush the aniseed.
Stir both into the honey. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to cool. While the mixture is still a little warm, strain into a jar. When completely cooled, screw on the lid. Should keep for 1 week.
Glycerine Lemon Cough Syrup
1 lemon
2 tbsp glycerine
2 tbsp honey
Heat the lemon by boiling it in water for 10 minutes. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Add the glycerine and honey. Take 1 teasthingy as needed.
Marshmallow Cough Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice or juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp chopped dried marshmallow root
In a small saucepan, bring the marshmallow root and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain liquid into another
saucepan (should result in about 1 cup). Over a low heat, slowly stir in the sugar until it becomes thick and granules completely dissolve. (Stir in more water if the mixture becomes too thick.) Remove from heat and stir in the orange juice. Transfer to a container and allow to cool before covering tightly.
Lemon Cayenne Throat Soother
Mix 1 teasthingy honey with
1 teasthingy lemon juice and dash of cayenne pepper.
Take like cough syrup. This does not prevent cough, but does relieve throat pain in two ways.
First, the honey and lemon coat the throat. Second, the cayenne pepper brings blood cells needed to fight off infection to the throat area.
Herbal Steam (Good for children) Adults can use it too.
1 quart water
3 drops eucalyptus ,tea tree or lavender essential oil
Heat water in a pot until it boils. Remove from heat. Add essential oil. Place child's face over the steaming pot, put a towel over the back of the child's head and tuck the ends around the pan to create a mini-sauna. Caution: Make sure that the steam is not too hot-it should be comfortable for the child. And make sure she keeps her eyes closed so that the essential oils do not sting. Some children think steaming is fun, but others will object. If so, it may help to eliminate the towel. What is important is to have the child breathe the steam twice a day, or as needed. Covering your child's chest and throat with a vapor rub of these same herbs is another way to reduce congestion, fight infection and increase blood circulation in the chest area. If you read the label on any commercial vapor balm, you will notice that it contains components of many antiseptic essential oils, including thymol (from thyme), menthol (from mint) and eucalyptol (from eucalyptus ). You can buy a commercial balm that contains these essential oils at the natural food store, or you can make your own. Once you apply the Vapor Rub, you can increase its warmth and action by laying a warm piece of flannel on your child's chest.
Vapor Rub
¼ teasthingy eucalyptus essential oil 1/8 teasthingy each peppermint and thyme essential oils ¼ cup olive oil Combine ingredients in a glass bottle. Shake well. Gently massage onto chest and throat.
A sore throat can also be soothed with preparations of licorice and slippery elm. To stop your child's coughing, add anise, peppermint or eucalyptus to these treatments. As useful as coughing is to breaking up congestion, it can interfere with breathing or sleeping and can irritate the throat. The herbs discussed above are thought to work by suppressing the brain's cough reflex. As an added benefit, they are also antihistamines (which relieve sinus and lung congestion). Two more herbs, rose hips and lemon grass, provide the "anti-infection" vitamins C and A, respectively. These herbs can be taken as tea, but cough syrup or lozenges will work better to soothe your child's sore or ticklish throat, since they coat the throat. You can purchase herbal cough syrups and lozenges at natural food stores and most drugstores. Or you can make your own herbal cough syrup.
Honeyed Licorice Sticks
½ cup water 2 pieces of licorice root, about 5 inches long (available at natural food store) 1 tbsp honey 1 teaspon lemon extract or 5 drops lemon essential oil (optional) Plac water, licorice and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the extract or essential oil, if desired, and let sit 5 minutes. Strain out sticks and let cool. Store in refrigerator. Note: Remember not to give honey to children under 2 years old.
Sage Tea ( A little bitter so honey is a must)
1 cup boiling water 1 teasthingy garden sage leaves ¼ teasthingy honey (optional) Pour boiling water over leaves and steep for 15 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste (remember not to give honey to children under 2 years of age). For a 50-pound child, give at least half a cup (if they wants more, that's perfectly okay).
For whooping cough, follow the treatments suggested for coughs in general. Be sure to use the Vapor Rub (see above), since thyme has long been considered an effective treatment for whooping cough.
Ease Your Tummy Tea
8 oz peppermint leaves * 8 oz lemon balm leaves * 8 oz fennel seeds (bruised) Mix the herbs thoroughly, and store in an air tight container. For a cup of tea, use 1 tsp in a cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes and strain out the herbs.