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Cold and throat
- For cough/cold: Soak tulasi in hot water and drink. Or wash and eat tulasi leaves.
- For throat, cough, cold: kashayam. Boil whole black peppers in water, mix water with honey and milk (to soften strength)
- For colds: daily vitamin C, including oranges, blueberries, and tablets. Drink hot liquids.
- Drink tea with ginger and pepper.
- Try elderberry extract or elderberry tea for its antiviral properties.
- Good old hot soup like mom used to make is excellent for clearing nasal passages and giving you nutrition at the same time.
- Eat garlic. Not only is it good for your heart, but since the plant is attacked by bacteria and viruses it makes things that help attack them. It might work on humans too.
- The astragalus herb is often used in Chinese medicine for colds and flu.
- Colostrum, the first milk secreted by female mammals after childbirth is supposed to be rich in antibodies. It may or may not help to take a cow's colostrum, however.
- For colds: Rub neem oil on body and foment with a hot water bag.
- For colds and stuffed nasal passages: Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil, neem oil, OR very little Vicks vapor rub into a basin of just-boiled water. Cover head with a towel, lean over the bowl (preferably sitting on the floor or at a table), and inhale deeply and slowly. Blow your nose gently occasionally to remove loosened phlegm. Do not steam longer than 5-10 minutes. Immediately after, blow nose, and rub ice or cold water on face lightly.
- Colds and respiratory infections: take echinacea. Said to stimulate immune system and increase effectiveness of white blood cells. Don't use if you have an autoimmune disease or severe allergies/asthma. Take no longer than 8 weeks, 2-3 capsules per day or 15-20 drops of tincture in half a glass of water, 4-5 times a day.
- Vitamin C - 1 mg a day
- Zinc lozenges help many people with colds rapidly.
- Colds should go away in a week - if not, you may have the flu or another illness.
- For sore throats, take a warm sock and wrap that around
your neck. Perform regular gargling with some salt dissolved in warm water.
- For throat soreness in children, give them warm drinks, like jello dissolved in lukewarm water or even hot chocolate (made without milk). Avoid cold foods and cold drinks, which may help soothe tissues but may worsen the problem.
- For cough, try honey in water with lemon juice or cider vinegar
- For cough, cut off a quarter of a pear. Dig the internal part of pear with a spoon to pour some honey into the sliced pear. Put other pear as a sealing cover on the pear with some honey. Put this pear on water into the pot, boil to make a gel as a medicine. Take this gel in the pear for a medicine about 1 spoon after meal.
- For a stuffed nose in a child, make nose drops by dissolving 1/4 tsp. salt with 1/2 ounce water. Use an eyedropper to insert 2-3 drops in each nostril (you can also use clear saline drops from the drugstore). If it's spring or summer, children can swim in salt water to clear congested nasal passages as well as medication. Give drinks and a dose of Tylenol.
- General cold tips: get lots of rest, drink warm liquids, and add a little pepper and/or ginger to them. You can also boil fennel in water and drink this water warm or lukewarm. Apply warm compresses to forehead and sinuses. Use handkerchiefs when tissues aggravate nose and trigger allergies. Don't give antihistamines for a cold - those are only for allergies - take only cold medication if needed, clear passages, and take mild pain medication if needed.
- Post-nasal drip: it can be good for you, because it means sinuses and other areas are draining. However, it can hurt a lot. If it's due to allergy (you can tell by the sneezing,
watery eyes, itchiness, usually!), antihistamines may help. If it's congestion and headache and stuffiness, it's a cold. It could also be stress. In any case, a little rest will help.
To soothe the throat, drink PLENTY of warm
fluids, especially water. Lukewarm liquid jello or koolaid can be fun for kids and hot herb (no caffeine!) tea works well too. This
will loosen the mucus and help the sinuses and nasal cavities drain. The heat will help soothe the throat, but gargling with hot salty water helps a lot! Also, you can mix a tiny bit of salt into the lukewarm water to make a nasal spray or get a saline nose spray to keep the nose moist. If there's sinus pain (headache and pain/soreness at the apples of the
cheeks), steam inhaling over a bowl of hot water (with some vapor
rub in it!) with a hot towel over the head will help. Gently blow the nose regularly after steaming every minute or so, total no longer than about 15 minutes. If there is yellow or green mucus or if it gets really bad and painful, there's an infection and it's time to see a doctor. Fever may also accompany the infection.
- Honey and lemon are sweet and the sourness and warmth are enough to soothe throats. In fact, any candy will soothe a throat because it causes the mucus to loosen and wets the throat. Honey is considered good because it's also a good source of sugar for your body and the acidic lemon may provide some anti-infection function as well, allowing virus or bacteria parts to be
washed away and digested.
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