Cold, Cough and Sore Throat Remedies

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Ayurevda Remedies_ Cough cold and sore throat remedies

Every winter, there is a common topic of conversation between people: “colds”. Somebody will say “I am just getting over a cold” or “everybody is sick at work”. Even though most of the time colds are not a serious condition, they will keep you out of work or school for several days. Colds can last 2 days to 2 weeks. Alandi student Savitri, Claudia Flores, shares some remedies to help you to get over a cold as fast as possible in the most comfortable way.

Cold and flu remedies

  1. Boil 6-7 clove buds with 2 Tbsp aniseed in 2 cups litter of water and cook down to 1⁄2 cup. Drink with sugar.
  2.   Mix 1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon in 1 tsp. honey. Eat 2-3 x daily.
  3. Apply a paste of nutmeg and milk to the forehead and nose for instant relief.
  4.  Make a paste with 1/2 tsp clove, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and water, then apply it on the forehead (avoid the third eye) for 15 minutes (it is going to burn but it is going to help clean kapha from the sinus.
  5.  Hot water with a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of honey can be taken 2-3 times a day.
  6.  Cook 1-2 turnips with 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, 1/2 tsp turmeric,1/2 tsp cinnamon,1/2 tsp coriander, and 1-2 pinches rock salt. After the turnip is cooked, add 1-2 tsp honey and eat it.
  7. Mix 1 tsp honey and ¼ tsp turmeric. Eat this mix as needed.
  8.  ½ tsp ginger, 1/3 tsp cinnamon,1 pinch cardamom,1 cup hot water,1 tsp honey.
  9.   1 cup warm water, 1 tsp fresh lime, ¼ - ½ tsp chopped fresh ginger, a pinch of rock salt,1 tsp honey and 1/8 tsp coriander powder.
  10.  Make a tea with 1/3 tsp cumin seeds, 1/3 grated ginger, and 1/3 tsp coriander seeds. Boil the spices in 2 cups of water. It is ready when the seeds fall to the bottom.
  11.   Cook a pear with 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp clove,1/8 tsp cardamom, and 1/8 tsp cinnamon.
  12.  Steep 1/4 tsp dry ginger, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp lemongrass powder for about 10 minutes in cup of hot water; strain it, and add honey for sweetness if you like.
  13. Steep 1/3 tsp dry ginger, 2/3 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of cardamon for about 10 minutes in cup of hot water; strain it, and add honey for sweetness if you like.
  14. Boil 1 teaspoon ginger, or a few eucalyptus leaves, in a pint of water. Turn off the stove, put a towel over your head, and inhale the steam. This will relieve congestion and help you feel much better. Just steam alone, with no herbs added at all, will also be beneficial.
  15.  Try ½ teaspoon fennel seed powder mixed with 1 teaspoon natural sugar, 2 or 3 times a day.”
  16.  In a jar, mix 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp goldenseal, and 1 tsp echinacea. Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture with honey twice a day.
  17.    Make a tea from 1 teaspoon tulsi (holy basil) in 1 cup water. Boil for just 1 minute and then drink.
  18. Cough remedies

Regular Cough Remedies

  1.   Prepare a tea  by boiling 24 cloves in 1/2 cup  of water. Take 2 Tbsp this tea with honey three times a day as an expectorant.
  2.   Mix 1 tsp honey with a pinch of clove powder. Take this mixture 2-3x daily.
  3.  Chew a clove with salt. 
  4.   Roast a clove and chew.
  5.   A tea made from ½ teaspoon ginger powder, plus a pinch of clove and a pinch of cinnamon powder in a cupful of boiled water, can offer relief from your cough.
  6.  Make a mixture with ½ tsp bay leaf and 1/4 tsp pippali. Take this mixture in 1 teaspoon honey 2 or 3 times a day. This remedy is a helpful natural remedy for a productive cough.
  7.    1 teaspoon honey mixed with a pinch of clove powder, 2 or 3 times a day.

Dry Cough

  1.   Mix 1 tsp turmeric in a cup of hot milk.
  2.   Eat a banana with a teaspoon of honey and two pinches of black pepper twice daily.
  3.  Chew ¼ teaspoon of ajwan mixed with 1 teaspoon natural organic sugar.
  4.   Make a tea with 1/2 tsp talisadi powder and 1/2 tsp licorice powder.

Persistent Cough

  1.   Mix 1/2 tsp ground mustard and 1/2 tsp ginger  into 1 teaspoon of honey and eat slowly. (Ginger relieves congestion, and mustard has a heating action.) You can use this mixture 2 to 3 times a day for as long as the cough persists.
  2.   Make a mixture of 4 parts garlic powder to 1 part trikatu. Add a little honey. Take this twice a day.

  Child’s Cough

  1.  Try giving the child a drink of ½ cup pomegranate juice with a pinch of ginger powder, a pinch of pippali powder and honey.
  2.   Mix ¼ teaspoon of sitopaladi with 1 teaspoon of honey as an effective cough remedy for children.

Note: However, if the mother is sensitive or allergic to pollen, the child may be allergic to honey. In that case, instead of honey, use maple syrup.

Sore Throat

  •  1 tsp clove, ½ tsp celery seeds, ½ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp ginger,1 tsp ghee, and ½ tsp honey: have ½ tsp of this mixture a couple of times throughout the day.
  •   Chew one whole clove followed by the inner seeds of a cardamom.  Gargle with ½ tsp apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup water a couple of times daily.
  •    1/8 tsp turmeric, 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp tulsi, 1 cup hot water, a few drops of lime, and 1 pinch rock salt
  •     In a jar, make a mixture of 2 tsp ginger, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 3 tsp licorice. Steep 1 teaspoon of this mixture in water for 5 to 10 minutes, and drink up to 3 times a day.

This piece was written by a student of the Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder, Colorado. Learn more about studying ayurveda at our home school, or access your deep wellness with the support of our student practitioners in the Alandi Ayurveda Clinic.