|
 Boil
teaspoonful of ginger powder or eucalyptus leaves in one quart
of water & inhale the steam.
Congested nose? Apply eucalyptus oil to the sides of your
nose! Or inhale a pinch of calamus root powder in each nostril
Lemon is the most important among the many home
remedies for common cold. It is beneficial in all types of
cold with fever. Vitamin C-rich lemon juice increases body
resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the
illness. One lemon should be diluted in a glass of warm water,
and a teaspoon of honey should be added to it. This should be
taken once or twice daily.
Garlic soup is an old remedy to reduce the
severity of a cold, and should be taken once daily. The soup
can be prepared by boiling three or four cloves of chopped
garlic in a cup of water. Garlic contains antiseptic and
antispasmodic properties, besides several other medicinal
virtues. The oil contained in this vegetable helps to open up
the respiratory passages. In soup form, it flushes out all
toxins from the system and thus helps bring down fever. Five
drops of garlic oil combined with a teaspoon of onion juice,
and diluted in a cup of water, should be drunk two to three
times a day. This has also been found to be very effective in
the treatment of common cold.
Ginger is another excellent remedy for colds
and coughs. About ten grams of ginger should be cut into small
pieces and boiled in a cup of water. It should then be
strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. This
decoction should be drunk when hot. Ginger tea, prepared by
adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding
the tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for
fevers resulting from cold. It may be taken twice daily.
Lady's fingers are highly valuable in treating
irritation of the throat and a persistent dry cough. This
vegetable is rich in mucilage and acts as a drug to allay
irritation, swelling, and pain. About 100 gm of lady's fingers
should be cut into pieces, and boiled down in half a litre of
water to make a decoction. The steam issuing from this
decoction may also be inhaled once or twice a day to relieve
throat irritation and a dry cough.
The roots of the bitter gourd plant are used in
folk medicine to cure a cold. A teaspoon of the root paste,
mixed with an equal quantity of honey or tulsi leaf juice,
given once every night for a month, acts as an excellent
medicine for colds.
Turmeric is an effective remedy for colds and
throat irritations. Half a teaspoon of fresh turmeric powder
mixed in 30 ml of warm milk, and taken once or twice daily, is
a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder
should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in
it and boiled over a slow fire. This mixture should then be
drunk by the patient. In case of a running cold, smoke from
the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the
discharge from the nose and provide quick relief.
Tamarind-pepper rasam is also considered an
effective home remedy for a cold in South India. Dilute 50 mg
tamarind in 250 ml of water. Boil the diluted tamarind water
for a few minutes with a teaspoon of hot ghee and half a
teaspoon of black pepper powder. This steaming hot rasam has a
flushing effect, and should be taken three times a day. As one
takes it, the nose and eyes water and the nasal blockage is
cleared. |
