Before you continue reading, note that I’m not a doctor or a medical worker. I am not giving any advice and you should see your doctor for a diagnosis.
If you are like me then you always look for some home made or natural remedies to treat the first symptoms of flu, like cough, fever, throat pain, headache and many more.Since I was a boy my parents and grandparents always tried to get rid of these symptoms with some hard core home made stuff and if nothing worked then the medicine would kick in with some antibiotics and all kinds of syrups and pills.Below are 3 most typical symptoms which occur in most cases of flu and cold.
These natural and home made remedies can be used by adults, as well as children.
- Throat pain
- Cough
- Increased body temperature
Throat pain
Having a red throat followed by sharp pain can be really annoying, just like any other flu symptom. Today there are a lot of sprays and pastilles which are great for easing the pain and fighting the virus or bacteria. If you are not able to go to the pharmacy or you avoid the medicines for some reason the following few recipes could come handy.
Caramel milk
Some also call it Gold Milk, it is traditionally used to boost immunity and support recovery from upper respiratory infection symptoms like cough, bronchitis and sore throat. Maybe you haven't heard of this one before, but it's pretty widespread in South East Europe. Most importantly, this cure really works! It's also pretty tasty, if you like sweet caramel and children will not find it yucky. It has a really strong smell, but it is sure to clear your head.
What you will need and how to prepare it:
- 2 spoons of sugar
- 0.2 L Milk (glass of milk)
- Pot or a small pan for cooking
After a couple of minutes, it will start melting. You want it completely liquid and golden brown, but not dark brown, not burning.
When the sugar melts, pour the milk inside. When you pour the milk the sugar will become rock solid. Don’t let this concern you. Keep stirring with a spoon for some more minutes until the milk heats up and the sugar melts again.
Pay attention and do not let the milk boil, cook it just enough for sugar to melt, you will feel with the spoon when the sugar has melted and remove from the heat if the temperature is too high.
Drink the caramel milk warm and enjoy.
Herbal Antiseptic Gargle
Sage, camomile, mint or thyme tea makes an excellent gargle because of their astringent, antiseptic properties. For a gargle, make a regular tea, best would be to use Sage tea… add 2 teaspoons of sage leaves (or thyme), to 1 cup of boiling water. Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes. Let cool before gargling, but not too much, should remain warm. Use it several times a day.
Soaked Cloth to Heat the Throat
Applying a cloth soaked in warm alcohol to the throat is inducing a warming reaction and directing the germ-fighting white blood cells to the area. This warming effect is maintained by a dry cloth covering applied over the wet cloth which warms up.
What you will need and how to prepare it:
Take a cooking pot and pour some alcohol & water inside (approx. 70% alcohol 30% water split, or a 100ml of alcohol and 50ml of water). Water is added in case the alcohol is too strong and using pure alcohol could burn your skin. For the best effect use brandy which was made from grapes left after wine making. Should be available in more or less any store or supermarket…
Dip a cotton cloth in warm alcohol and wring it out so that it does not drip when applied. Wrap it around the neck. Place a larger piece of dry cloth or wool flannel over the wet cotton, extending about a ½ inch on each side. Wrap it around the neck and pin it securely. Leave it on for 1 to 2 hours and then repeat the procedure, warm up the alcohol again. It would be good if you can sleep with it and leave it on during the night, also during the night do not take it off to repeat the procedure.
Cough
If you suffer from that boring and resilient cough and you are stuck with that green, yellow and brown slime in your lungs I have a tip for you.
Note: Use this only if you do not have a fever and/or increased body temperature!
Believe it or not, and as odd as it may seem, lard of fat from a badger or a turkey is great to get rid of the cough. I see it’s also available now in many pharmacies. In the past when I was a boy you could find it only as home made stuff in rural areas, especially the badger one.
How to apply it and what should you do with it??Just take a teaspoon of the lard from a jar and rub it on the skin of your upper body, in your lungs area.
Increased body temperature
Having a flu and suffering from a virus or bacteria is almost always followed by an increased body temperature. You can use some syrups and pills which ease those symptoms and reduce the temperature, yet those remedies you can use only a couple of times a day, usually you take a dose every 6 to 8 hours.
In case you still have an increased body temperature and you have to wait for some more hours for the next dose there is something you could do to reduce the temperature in the meantime.
Luckily, the medicine industry and technologies have advanced and now we have a pallet of remedies to treat almost everything. Yet, save these tips for latter, just in case you need a plan B.
Cheers
