There are many folk remedies, such as ginger, sage, echinacea and basil, that we can use to relieve a cold and cough.
The typical symptoms of a common cold include: head congestion, coughing, headache, fever, difficulty breathing, sneezing, restlessness, watery eyes, aches and pains. People usually ignore the early symptoms of cold and cough, hoping they will go away. Unfortunately, often they don’t, but instead just get worse. So the best thing we should do is do something right at the start.
If you have a scratchy throat, or feel cold, you should try to consume the following remedies:
1. Ginger tea: boil 3 slices of fresh ginger in a cup of water for 5-10 minutes, add a teaspoon of sugar, drink it, twice a day.
2. Sage tea: boil 20g dried sage (or a handful of fresh sage) in a cup of water for 3 minutes, add a teaspoon of sugar (optional), drink it, twice a day.
3. Echinacea tea: use 15g dried echinacea (or 50g fresh echinacea), boil with a cup of water for 3-5 minutes, drink it, twice a day.
4. Basil tea: boil 20g dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil) in a cup of water for 3 minutes, drink it, 2-3 times a day.
5. Tea made of perilla (Zi Su) and ginger: a handful of fresh perilla, 3 slices of fresh ginger, 1 cup of water, boil them for 3 minutes, add a teaspoon of brown sugar, drink it, twice a day.
6. Hot chicken soup with plenty of onions, garlic and chilli pepper: 1-2 pounds of chicken (cut into 1 inch pieces), 1/2 onion, 5 garlics, some chilli pepper (according to the spicy taste), 3 bowls of water, bring to a boil and simmer the soup for 1 hour, then consume 1 bowl, once a day.
7. Decoction made of ginger, green onion root and brown sugar: 3 slices of fresh ginger, 3 green onion roots, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, boil for 3 minutes, drink it, two times per day.
A cold or cough is always in the upper respiratory tract. The above folk remedies can warm up your upper body, and can help fight colds and coughs.
Please note, if your symptoms are not relieved after taken the above remedies, you may need to visit a doctor. Because lung or chest infections can be dangerous.
