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These home remedies will come handy during common cold and cough. Try out these natural remedies before you start popping pills.
Nature is wonderful, not just for travel and to admire its beauty, but also for the immense benefits in the form of herbs that it offers. Herbs act as all natural and wonder medicines when you are down, and an added advantage of building immunity simultaneously. Especially when kids are down with fever, cold and cough many times a year, as their resistance power is still getting built.
For my son, we take him to the doctor after my home remedy attempts are either taking time or when he needs immediate help, but definitely not before giving a handmade simple drink at home. Even the pediatrician gives the same medicine every time for few days to see if it subsides with the basic dose. Children are bound to catch the flu or something similar as now the season of schools has started and it takes a while for them to settle down.
Apart from different recipes we follow to beat the cold, few simple tips like drinking only warm water, salt water gargling, applying steam at regular intervals, etc. do their bit. For more information on different options for which diet to follow, check the following list here.
This is by far the best medicine and a time tested one for cold and cough. When you don’t have much time, you can always resort to haldi milk but this kashayam is far more effective with many herbs.
Recipe here.
Now when it comes to solids this is your best bet and is served as the famous illness recipe! As our body tries to fight many infections, it is better to eat a light meal and not use more resources on digestion. Moong dal is easily digestible and hence kichidi is the most preferred during illnesses
Soups are another easy way to take care of your dietary requirements during cold. It is hot, liquid, light on your tummy and nutritious – all the required qualities for a fulfilling meal during a cold.
This is a south Indian favourite which is usually had with rice, but you can also have it as a soup. It is common that our food tastes a bit bland and tasteless when we have fever, cold and cough, and there is nothing that beats a tangy, spicy rasam!
For those who are afraid to try out a kashayam or prefer to have just a chai, throw in some spices to make it a perfect drink for cold. Added benefit is that, this need not be prepared especially for someone at home with cold and cough, but can be equally enjoyed by one and all with rains in season!
Dalia porridge is another good variant to have during cold. Though this recipe is specified for kids, adults can enjoy it equally. Dalia can also be made as khichidi, but if you are bored with the same khichidi every time you fall ill, then do try this sweetened dalia porridge for a change!
This tea is made without milk with all the necessary ingredients to get rid of a sore throat caused by a cold and cough. Unlike masala chai, this is made without milk and tastes refreshing with the dash of lemon juice. It can be served warm or hot, and feels very light.
I strongly recommend to make place for this awesome plant in your garden, doesn’t matter how small the garden is! This is a wonder leaf which acts on cold and cough and is good especially for kids. I have been using the drink made with these leaves and can see a significant improvement in recovery.
Many of us might have had betel nut leaf as part of thamboolam or paan, and know that it aids in good digestion. That is not all – it is good for your cold as well. Try out this simple kashayam to see the results.
To be honest, I feel little lazy at times, to follow a particular remedy recipe each time, but that doesn’t stop me from fighting the cold and cough the homely way – just that I make the process simpler.
My simple homemade way of beating a cold has been a kashayam made with whichever spices are available at home which include most of the following (whatever is at hand at any given time, and what I feel like using) – Indian borage, tulsi, mint, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, turmeric, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom, jaggery, honey, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, ajwain/carom seeds, star anise, nutmeg, etc. Now boil everything with water till the water becomes half and then filter it. Make about half a litre of this, and have this drink a couple of times a day!
Do you have a time tested home remedy for cold and cough? Please do share it here!
Image source: lemon ginger honey tea by Shutterstock.
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