Cold season is upon us. Try as you might to avoid the sneezes and the sniffles, catching something is pretty much inevitable. Feeling lousy is the pits, so unless your Mom still lives within chicken soup-feeding range, you’ll want to be prepared to administer your own TLC.
Hippocrates spoke our kind of language when he said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” (Although, we’d like to add drinks to his sage advice.) No matter the ailment, reaching into your pantry and fridge for a cure sure beats the medicine cabinet. Not only will natural remedies ease your symptoms, but they’ll give your immune system a boost, getting you back on your feet checking off your holiday to-do list before you know it. These tasty antidotes may well prevent that case of the sniffles in the first place.
Ugh, you know that scratchy sore throat that always precedes the worst cold ever? Put the kettle on and let Throat Soothe Tea do its thing. That tickle is no match for this comforting blend of licorice root, rose hips, orange and lemon peel, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Save the silken sachet for a second mug (pyramid-shaped tea bags keep for at least one more use), get a good night’s sleep and by morning you’ll be up and at ‘em.
When the fatigue that accompanies most viruses hits you like a ton of bricks, grab the Switchel. This drink of choice for pooped Vermont farmers 200 years ago still works its revitalizing magic today. Nothing but water, maple syrup, raw apple cider vinegar and ginger, the ingredients deliver a (delicious) slap to the face, yanking the weariest of souls back to life.
Eating pickled garlic might not do much for your breath, but neither does being sick. And there isn’t a more potent antioxidant around, so we’re popping this Pickled Garlic like they’re Luden’s. And even if they don’t actually fight off colds before they start, they’ll keep anyone with a cold far, far away.
The name Fire Cider says it all – this is combustible stuff. Apple cider vinegar, honey, oranges, lemons, onions, horseradish, ginger, habanero pepper, garlic and turmeric unite in a germ-fighting elixir not for the faint of heart, but also not as indigestible as you might think. Shake n’ Take it straight up (as its label instructs) or add it to a Hot Toddy. Refills encouraged.
Honey cures so many woes that we’re stashing Raw Wildflower Honey Sticks in our purses, desk drawers, glove compartments and overnight bags. Antibacterial power combined with its throat-soothing nature make it an inexpensive, over-the-counter medicine that goes down like a spoonful of sugar! Slurp them as is, or squeeze them into your tea and there’ll be no need to call us in the morning.
You heard the doctor, stock up!