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12/13/11 9:59 A

I put the 'Apple Cider Vinegar' and 'Cayenne Pepper' gargle recipes KURTORTOISE mentioned below together into one mixture (along with a bit of lemon juice),and swallow two tablespoons whenever I feel myself coming down with something. Next morning, I feel right as rain. :)

So far, it's worked for everyone that has tried it.

Edited by: BRAD_ARMPITT at: 12/13/2011 (10:03)

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3/12/11 10:48 A

Great sore throat tips! Thanks!

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2/16/11 10:34 P

"Simple Sore Throat Remedies" from TipNut:

Cayenne Pepper Gargle: Mix 1/8th of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper with 1/2 cup warm water, gargle with this frequently throughout the day.

Salt Water Gargle: Add 1 teaspoon of table salt to a cupful of warm water, gargle with this every other hour or so.

Apple Cider Vinegar Gargle: Mix 2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar with a cup of warm water, gargle every hour.

Ginger Tea: Make a strong tea with freshly grated ginger (about 3 teaspoons per cup of boiling water), steep for about 5 minutes then stir in a spoonful of honey and sip.

Thyme Tea Gargle: Sooth a sore throat with thyme tea. Brew 1 tablespoon dried thyme in 1 cup boiling water. Strain then gargle.

Honey & Lemon Tea: Mix two teaspoons honey and 1 teaspoon lemon juice with one cup of boiling hot water. Allow to cool a bit then drink to soothe throat.

Licorice Root Tea: Brew a tea made with licorice roots (one or two pieces per cup) and sip. You can also brew licorice tea bags or chew on a piece of licorice root to help relieve the pain. Licorice root can affect blood pressure if too much is consumed, not recommended for those who are pregnant or have high blood pressure.

Cloves: To relieve a sore throat, slowly chew on a few cloves.
[NOTE from KURTORTOISE: Cloves can be toxic, so don't overdo this one.]

Green Tea: Sipping a cuppa green tea can help soothe a sore throat, but gargling with it is also recommended since it naturally fights infections. See Tipnut’s Guide To Green Tea for more info on the health benefits of green tea.

Baking Soda & Salt Gargle: Mix 1/2 teaspoon of each baking soda and salt with a 1/2 cup of warm water and gargle a few times each day.

Chamomile Tea: Drink chamomile tea to soothe sore throats, best to start as soon as you feel one coming on.

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12/22/10 6:27 A

That is funny about the herbal remedy for colds....sounds really similar to my mother's "hot totty." Alcohol and honey heated, she didn't have the clovers, however. But you might add a little booze, she swore by it, as did my grandmother. Together, with your cloves, who knows, it might be even better on both ends.!

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12/10/10 12:17 A

I came across someone else's not-the-usual recipe for
HERBAL COLD RELIEF:

"I stumbled on to this remedy and while it is not the tastiest stuff you will ever drink it is a lot better than the commercial stuff and costs approximately 3 cents for a cup full of it. you can’t beat that!"

"Take 2 cups of water and 2 round teaspoons of ground cloves and about 4 teaspoons of sugar or honey and bring it to a boil.
Let boil at least 2 minutes then cover and let stand until cool enough to drink.
Pour it through a coffee filter to strain out the chunky bits, then drink."

"It is strong and bitter but will make your throat instantly feel better and the clove is also an expectorant and an anti-spasmadic so it will quiet the cough and help loosen up the mucus in your chest and sinuses.
For me it worked better than the commercial medicine and with a lot less side effects. It also helped relax the broncial tubes which made my asthma much better and the medicine stays in your system longer than the commercial stuff so you need a lot less of it and a lot less often. Clove is a strong medicinal herb though so don’t over do it and if you have any other health concerns other than the common cold you may need to talk to your doctor before you use it."

NOTE: Cloves can be toxic; it's best to read up on it first. An overview is at Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_of_cloves

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11/11/10 8:08 P

Here's the recipe for horehound cough syrup. Get a bunch of fresh horehound. I try for the strongest kind, stuff that hasn't luxuriated in a watery garden all summer. It is in the open space here, and technically illegal to pick, but I also know that it is considered to be a non-native, noxious weed here.
Wash the leaves and separate from the stems and roughly chop. Use 2 cups leaves. Add with 1 cup water in a pan and boil for 5 to 10 minutes. You'll want this as strong as possible. Let sit until it is cool enough to handle and then strain with a fine-mesh strainer. Measure out the tea and add the required amount. Mix with an equal amount sugar and a glob of honey. Boil the mixture until it forms a thick syrup. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

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11/10/10 9:17 P

I make my own horehound cough syrup. It's waiting in the fridge, in case we get sick. It tastes very interesting, alot bitter, but sort of addictive.

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11/7/10 1:25 A

Someone posted this elsewhere re: Cold & Flu season tips.
It's from a reliable source, but I don't know how much weight I'd put on it --

"Immune System Zappers
Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, in his book "Total Wellness Improve Your Health By Understanding The Body's Healing Systems" lists the following immune zappers:"
"Sugar and other simple carbohydrates. One tablespoon of sugar in any form, sucrose, honey, or fruit juice results in a 50% reduction in white blood cell activity for up to 5 hours."

The above info would eliminate some of our tried and true remedies, although substituting raw honey might be a good compromise.

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 11/7/2010 (01:25)

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11/6/10 9:46 P

From a health newsletter (e-mail) from the UK:

If you're concerned about joint health, or suffer from motion sickness, nausea, or chest congestion, consider a natural anti-inflammatory agent: ginger.

Ginger can be bought as whole fresh or crystallized root; in honey-based syrups; as capsules containing powdered ginger extracts; and as alcohol extracts.

Dried ginger preparations are actually more powerful than fresh due to a chemical conversion and concentration of its natural compounds.

To support healthy joints, take one or two grams of powdered ginger a day.

For nausea and the prevention of motion sickness, take one gram as a preventive and 500mg every four hours as needed, or eat two pieces of crystallized ginger or take ginger syrup or tea.

For congestion, brew tea with one-inch piece of peeled and grated ginger root per two cups of water; bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for five minutes; add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and simmer one minute more. Remove from the heat. Add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, one or two cloves of mashed garlic and honey to taste. Let it cool slightly and strain.

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11/2/10 11:02 P

For a cough and cold, I brew a pot of Bigelow Lemon Lift tea, with sugar and a dollop of brandy.

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10/16/10 11:24 P

I always felt that the best cure for a winter ailment was lots of sleep. A big mug of sleepytime tea with honey, lemon juice, and a capful of whiskey, and a slightly trashy novel can't hurt either.

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10/12/10 7:22 P

If you have a Congestion you can:

Add 2-3 drops each of eucalyptus, lemon & pine oils to a bowlof HOT water. Cover your head with a towel & breathe in deeply.

Cold & Flu Remedies:

Peppermint oil is a remedy for respiratory infection.
Add 2 drops of peppermint, rosemary & lavender oil to boiling water. place a towel over your head & inhale the steam for 5 minutes.

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10/10/10 5:56 P

i sometimes have some decafinated tea before bed in the winter. it is a nice way to relax me and it comforts my throat.

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10/9/10 4:35 P

Reduce Your Risk Of Pneumonia
(Are You Ready For This One?)

"According to studies published in the Journal of Periodontology and the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, regular [professional] cleaning of the teeth and gums by a dentist, coupled with good oral hygiene at home, is associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia."
"Researchers speculate that excessive bacteria in the gum line eventually accumulates in the throat, setting the stage for infection and respiratory problems such as pneumonia."

-- reported in The HSI-Daily Health Newsletter (UK)

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10/7/10 1:54 P

thank you all for all the advice .

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10/5/10 7:58 P

I just want to point out --

Both Frosty99 and 60Sixty suggested using locally-produced raw honey for hayfever. The honey has to come from the area in which you live where the bees use flowers (pollen) that grow in your area.

Vicks VapoRub and similar products have become unpopular because they contain petrolatum (a by-product of petroleum).
Frosty's suggestion (putting it on the chest and feet) is considered safe;
what I, and my mother, had done for decades since I was a kid (putting it under the nostrils) is not.
The petrolatum goes into the lungs and can cause a long-lasting health problem.
Use caution if substituting similar liquid Chinese herbal products (made without petrolatum) because they may contain turpentine.

A recent health article mentioned that while some people have claimed complete success battling toenail fungus with Vicks VapoRub, most people had better results with Tea Tree Oil.

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 10/5/2010 (20:01)

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10/5/10 7:12 P

When my family gets a cough or tickle, we drink a cup of hot tea with 1 Tsp of honey and 1 Tsp of apple cider vinegar. We drink several times a day and it generally clears up in 36 hrs.
If we are coming down with a sore throat, we gargle and then swallow 4 oz of warm water with a T of apple cider vinegar in it. that kills even strep germs.
To avoid hayfever, get local honey and eat a Tsp every day to desensitize your immune system. Local bees get pollen from all the local flowers. We do this spring and fall and seldom have a problem.
I still believe in Vicks Vapo rub-I put it on the bottom of the feet and chest when I feel a cold coming on and never get congested.
Vicks is also good for fungus of the toenail.

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10/5/10 3:27 A

Thank you for copying my recipe, Kurt. Sorry it's more or less repeating what others have posted, I didn't find the thread this morning.
Here's another one, from Japan:
Heat half a cupful of sake with a little sugar
Stir in one beaten egg, so it sets in threads.
Drink hot and go to bed. It's called tamagozake.
Even if it doesn't cure the cold, it will make you feel better
Also in Japan they sell the dregs left over from sake making, basically it's the rice pulp with all the sake pressed out of it, but probably a tiny smidgen of alcohol left it it. It's a children's treat, dipped in sugar. Dissolved in hot water, with a little sugar and ginger added, brought to a boil, it's also a great warming drink for winter. It's called amazake.
In Greece they believe that rubbing the chest with alcohol (the kind they use in hospitals) helps "warm" the body. On Crete they use "first tsikoudhia" for this. Tsikoudhia (like Italian grappa) is distilled from grapeskins left over after wine making. The first tsikoudhia to come out is too strong to drink so it's kept for medicinal purposes.
Another word for tsikoudhia is raki (the English language has the related word arrak) and lately there's been a fashion for rakomelo, or raki mixed with honey. I haven't tried it, I prefer my raki straight, but it's supposed to be for the ladies and for colds. I can try to find a recipe if anyone is interested but I suspect it's just raki (grappa, vodka) with honey dissolved into it, maybe also with spices to make it interesting.
I think most cultures (except Muslim, of course) must have their equivalents of eggnogs and hot toddies as remedies for colds. As I said, the feel-good factor is probably what works, rather than any inherent medicinal properties.
Since we're on the subject, the classic Greek remedy for toothache is to hold a mouthful of ouzo in your mouth near the aching tooth as long as you can. You can spit it out or just swallow it afterwards. Unfortunately demand for ouzo worldwide is so high (incredibly popular in Germany) that most ouzos are now made from pure alcohol and just distilled once with the spices, rather than distilled from scratch from the grapeskins and grapestems as tsikoudhia still is (ask me if you want to know a couple of brands that are still made the proper way by distillation). In Northern Greece they make tsipouro by distillation, often with aniseed added, so it's quite similar to ouzo in taste, but more natural. It's hard to find outside Greece because most is sold in bulk for family use (probably bootleg or moonshine distilleries) and only a few companies bottle it. There was a big debacle about taxing this some years ago, I can't remember the outcome but Husband still gets his in bulk from relatives in Macedonia.

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10/5/10 2:34 A

Here's a slightly different recipe with Ginger & Honey from SUNNY112358 (who posted it on my SparkPage because she was unable to get into the thread at the time)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
1 tsp (or more) honey
"Put these in a mug and fill with hot water. Sip while still as hot as you can bear.
Tip: I keep ginger root in a plastic bag in the freezer. With a good grater such as Microplane I can grate it directly as is, frozen (no need to thaw). I do this straight into the mug and pour the hot water over the grater to get every last bit of ginger off. Likewise for cooking, I just slice off frozen slivers with a good knife. I don't bother to peel but if brown flecks bother you it's easy to scrape the peel off with a teaspoon before slicing/grating."

...and some other tips from SUNNY112358:
-- "For prevention of winter ailments, Vitamin C 500mg daily (also in summer), Echinacea in the winter."
-- "For prevention in your kids, WHO and UNICEF recommend breastfeeding them for at least two years to build up antibodies."

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 10/5/2010 (02:38)

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10/3/10 6:45 P

Ginger is both antibacterial and antiviral so it helps. It's also good for strep throat.

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10/3/10 9:43 A

Paula:
I was really surprised to find cold/flu recipes with ingredients like ginger and pepper because I would expect them to burn the throat or cause discomfort, but I guess not.

Everyone:
The No Artificial Sweeteners Team has a reference post of health article links called "Natural Help For The Flu" --
www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/team_messagebo
ard_thread.asp?board=16072x31837x37018
863
[BTW, that team also has a wealth of information about the dangers of artificial sweeteners.
I also have a blog entry with some recently-published findings against artificial sweeteners (including how they don't help you lose weight) from European studies here:
www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_
individual.asp?blog_id=3504255
Take a look at the info if you're still using them.]

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 10/3/2010 (09:45)

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10/3/10 8:51 A

To battle colds I add 1 oz. grated fresh ginger to the basic honey/lemon tea. For us, it works better than anything else for shortening the duration of the illness.

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10/1/10 10:32 P

I asked a class of foreign students to tell me some homemade remedies to battle colds and flu from their countries -- I was expecting a variety of exotic recipes. However, according to them, practically everyone throughout the world uses Honey & Lemon, or some slight variation of it.

There were also some variations of Ginger Tea/Soup used throughout Asia (usually with brown sugar or honey), all the way down to Madagascar in Africa.

One Italian student said that her father makes a special Tuscan recipe for Vin Brule (warm red wine with spices), and that it always works for everyone in her family.

Some students from Poland, Armenia, and Russia mentioned the only one I hadn't heard of before: Vodka and Pepper -- although they disagreed on the type of pepper (some used Black Pepper, others used Red).
It's not a remedy to be drunk -- it's to be inhaled, so I figured it was for stuffy noses or clogged sinuses. But they said it's used to clear up all the symptoms and that they felt better shortly afterward. All of them admitted that it's really painful for about two minutes, but they all agreed it was worth doing.
I'm not quite sure I'd want to try that one.

I'll be substituting for another class of foreign students next week, so I'll ask them and see if I get any other interesting answers.

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 10/3/2010 (09:27)

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10/1/10 8:24 A

60:
It's very dark [darker varieties of honey supposedly have the most health benefits] and made by bees from Buckwheat Flowers.
www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-health-benef
its-of-buckwheat-honey.htm
It's not easy for me to get that kind here, at least not at a reasonable price (as in: something I can easily afford).

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 10/2/2010 (01:26)

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10/1/10 7:54 A

Kurt,
What is Buckwheat Honey?

I have always heard that local honey is good for preventing reaction to allergies.

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9/30/10 9:28 P

Here are two more recipes:
[from The People's Guide to Nature's Wonder Medicines]

For deep coughs, sore throats, chronic bronchitis, high blood pressure, and circulation problems --

SYRUP #1 [Complicated]

8oz - Minced or Crushed Garlic
8oz - Apple Cider Vinegar OR Distilled Water
1C - Glycerine
1C - Honey
Put Garlic & Vinegar/Water in a wide-mouthed jar; cover and let stand in a warm place for 4 days, shaking a few times each day. Add the Glycerine and let stand for another day. Strain through a cloth, and add honey. Stir thoroughly. Keep cool.
TAKE 1 TABLESPOON THREE TIMES A DAY WITH MEALS.
[NOTE: You could probably speed the first part up to 3 hours by sitting a covered glass bowl over a pot of boiling water -- double boiler style -- but it would kill the live ingredients if you're using unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.]

For an Expectorant --

SYRUP #2 [Easy]

1Pt - Boiling Water
2oz - Minced or Crushed Garlic
1T - Apple Cider Vinegar
Honey
Pour Boiling Water over Garlic. Keep mixture in a cool place for 10 hours. Strain, add Apple Cider Vinegar and enough Honey to make a syrup.
SIP 1 TABLESPOONFUL THREE TIMES A DAY AS AN EXPECTORANT

Variations for Syrup #2 --
TAKE SAME DOSAGE AS REGULAR SYRUP #2.

For Bronchitis, and to encourage sweating:
Add 1/2oz of Grated Horseradish

To soothe Digestive Problems:
Add 1/2oz of bruised Fennel and Caraway Seeds.

*****
The 1996 Edition of The Practical Guide to Home Remedies mentions that people in Germany who survived the Flu epidemic of 1918 increased the amount of garlic in their diets.

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 10/2/2010 (01:30)

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9/30/10 8:14 P

SUGARSMOM2:
We're far from done. I've got some more, and I'm sure others will be posting theirs.

Here are two more with Honey from a 1996 herbal remedies book researched by Dr. Patrick Quillin
[NOTE: I'm using standard recipe notation -- "C" for cup; "T" for tablespoon; "t" for teaspoon]:

The first one's a classic remedy that most people have heard of:

HONEY & LEMON COUGH SYRUP
1/4C - Honey [NOTE: darker types of honey are strongest]
1T - Pure Glycerine (from a drug store)
1T - Fresh Lime or Lemon Juice
Blend well and keep in a covered jar. Take 1 teaspoon ever 2 hours, or as needed.
[It doesn't mention refrigerating the contents.]

SORE THROAT REMEDY
2t - Buckwheat Honey
2t - Glycerine
2t - Lemon Juice
1/2t - Powdered Sugar
Combine ingredients and heat in a jar over hot water. When well blended, remove from heat and shake jar vigorously. Sip 1 teaspoonful slowly at night before going to bed. Use warm or at room temperature.
[I would guess that you'd wear oven mitts when removing the jar from the heat and shaking vigorously.
This is such a simple recipe that I'm sure you can double or triple it with equally successful results.]

Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 9/30/2010 (20:16)

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9/30/10 7:56 P

thank you for this . it will help this winter when my grandkids are wanting cough syrup.

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9/30/10 7:04 P

Homemade chicken soup with lots of onions.

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9/30/10 5:19 P

Everyone here probably has, or knows of, some tried-and-true homemade remedy for winter ailments.

Here's one from HillbillyHousewife.com for cough syrup:

1C - Unsulphured Molasses
1/4C - Cider Vinegar
1/2 - Small Onion (diced)

Boil molasses 5 min.,
Add cider vinegar, boil for 5 more minutes.
Add RAW diced onion, Stir, remove from heat.

Pour mixture onto large greased cookie sheet or platter. Consume all of this while it’s still warm, brush teeth, go to bed.

*****

Are there any concoctions that you, or someone you know, use when someone gets sick during the winter?
Post them here.


Edited by: KURTORTOISE at: 9/30/2010 (17:21)

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