Sick Days :: Kitchen Remedies

  

The little man had the after-Christmas flu right along with me. Just these days we are both entering into the realm of normal.
Now it would seem the little lass and the working man are going to pick up where we left off and will be in need of care over the next few days...
So it continues!

I always turn to the kitchen when sickness descends upon the household... or even threatens to do so.

Our first line of defense is ginger tea. We have been making this tea for over 15 years and it is wonderful for knocking down what comes knocking or soothing and warming when the bugs do get through the door.

Get-Well Ginger Tea

3 1/2 cups water
1 inch fresh ginger (sliced thin)
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1-2 Tbs. whole cloves
Juice from 1 whole med. lemon
3-4 Tbs. honey

Put water, ginger, cinnamon sticks and cloves in small saucepan.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Simmer 20 min.
Strain.
Add lemon and honey.

We usually drink it while warm but it can also be sipped throughout the day warming as needed.
The kids take very generous amounts of lemon and honey then drink warm.
It if is feeling particularly strong and spicy to them I cool it with more water. When they were younger I would also give it with a medicine dropper.

Other things we use...

Onion:

For stuffy nose or cough at bedtime I chop an onion and place it either in a bowl or wrapped in cheesecloth then place it at the bedside. Sometimes I tie the bundle to the kids headboard. It works wonderful for opening up airways.

I also make an onion antibiotic of sorts. This recipe was originally found in A Kid's Herb Book.
I chop one onion. Place it into a small saucepan. Cover with juice of one lemon and enough water to just cover. Simmer for 20 min. Carefully blend in blender. Add 2-3 tablespoons honey and 1/4 tsp Cheyenne pepper. Take one tsp. 3-4 times a day. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.
The little man will take this but my wee girl will not.

Cinnamon:

Along with adding cinnamon to the ginger tea above we take it with honey.
Mix 1 tsp. honey with 1 tsp. ground cinnamon. Eat the paste. Do this a few times a day if feeling threatened with sickness or while sick.

Lemon:

A favorite for sore throat. We drink water with fresh squeezed lemon juice to sooth.


More tidbits...

~ I try to keep a hunk of ginger root frozen in the freezer. Works great.

~ I also keep homemade lemon cubes in the freezer as we don't always have fresh lemons on hand like we did in California with our never-ending-lemon-tree.

~ We eat more garlic while sickness is in the house (mixed into our food of course - The man only tried to eat a whole raw garlic clove once... it worked but it was killer going down!)

~ A book I turn to for advice when we are sick is Natural Baby and Childcare. It has great descriptions of various common ailments and give both conventional and a variety of alternative treatments. Love all the options.

Hoping you find little use for the above information in the new year... but it is here if you need it!

Do you have any kitchen remedies you love?

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