Common Cold

Common Cold



. One lemon along with a teaspoon of honey should be diluted in a glass of warm water and taken once or twice a day.
. Garlic soup can be prepared by boiling three or four cloves of chopped garlic in a cup of water and should be taken once a day to reduce the severity of the cold.
. 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.
. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding the tea leaves, is an effective remedy for colds. It must be taken twice daily.
. 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 colds. 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 and drink it three times a day.
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For common cold and cough, prepare 'kashaya' in the foll. way:

. Boil 2 cups of water along with 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp jeera, 4pepper pods, 2 cloves, 10 tulsi leaves and a 1/2 inch of dry ginger.
. Boil till it reduces to 1 cup
. Strain and add sugar/powdered jaggery and drink 3 times in a day.
. If you have a 'ushna prakruti'*, drink only once with warm milk.
*'Ushna prakruti' are those who react to foods with a 'heat' element in them. There are 'vata prakruti' and 'pitta prakruti' as well. This can be basically considered as allergy to certain foods or quantity of foods. For example some people get boils on the skin if they eat too much of 'garam masala'. Those have to watch out and add warm milk to the 'kashaya' to compensate for the additional heat the ingredients provide.