1st Health Care News

‘A cold takes seven days or a week…depends how you look at it.’ This is an old adage which I have come to agree of late. The reason is that scientists are yet to determine the real reason for cold and cough and no amount of cough syrups can help you get rid of them (well, I am kind of joking but I really believe this personally). I recently read an entire book on household remedies which can help you fight day-to-day illnesses and help you in reduce the discomfort and most of these are very effective on children. Here are some of them handy tips which are likely to come in very handy:

1)      A sweet concoction of honey and ground basil leaves is perfect for the rattling kind of cough. Not only does it help ease the throat, the anti-bacterial properties of basil leaves help combat minor throat infections as well. For children between 1 to 6 years, you can give one teaspoon of this concoction twice a day. Each spoon should have about 2 to 3 freshly ground basil leaves. The fact that it is a sweet and quite delicious makes it an easy home-based medicine to give to children. Children older than 6 (as well as adults) can have this mixture up to three times a day. If you feel the honey is too thick, go ahead and mix a few drops of warm water.

2)      If you are impressed with the simplicity of the above homemade concoction, this one is likely to get you scrambling for a wide range of herbs and spices. You need to boil a small cup of water with ½ inch fresh ground ginger, 1 medium sized beetle leaf (available in most Indian shops as pan), freshly ground black pepper and some sugar. Bring this to a boil and then strain and have at least four to six teaspoons of this mixture just before you go to bed at night.

You also need to cover yourself well (and stay warm) so that the mixture can ‘do its work’!  I am sure this is sounding a bit complicated, but it is quite simple once you start doing it. The strong taste of this concoction makes it unsuitable for children under the age of two and should only be taken at night. If you find it too strong for your taste, you can add a bit more sugar at the time of boiling.

Other than these two on-the-spot-with-no-side-effects remedy, it is also recommended that you manage the child with lukewarm mustard oil, preferably in a sunny area. Massaging nostrils, chest and the feet can help build resistance to cold and cough as well. Warmed mustard oil with a hint of garlic helps fight even the meanest cough and the pungency of the oil mixed with garlic helps open blocked nose faster than you can say Jack Sawyer.

The benefits of using these simple home remedies are easy to understand….’no side effects’ is the most obvious one. Apart from that children and adults experience no drowsiness when taking these simple herbs and help fight cold and cough in a very organic way. However, do keep in mind that these remedies CANNOT overtake the doctor’s advice under any circumstances and should not be relied on 100%.

The only downside of these remedies? You might have to go a bit out of the way to get the ingredients mentioned, but once you have then, you will be able to experience all the goodness of naturopathy. So go ahead and try them out, you might just end up getting rid of the ugly cough syrup bottle for good.