I hate being sick, especially since I work in the medicinal herb business. If I am down with any cold or flu symptoms I usually get the line “I thought you were supposed to be healthy?” Or, “Don’t you have something for that?” Well I don’t get sick very often but I do have two children and a wife who is in the child care biz. And we all know what creative disease carriers those cute little kiddos can be.
If I do find myself starting to become aware of oncoming illness, I may turn to some of the many wonderful immune strengthening herbs we make here at KHP. But Hanna taught us that there are many other approaches we can take. Now I realize that I just blogged about immunity recently, but I want to mention one of my favorite recipes that Hanna left for us. It is a sore throat helper like no other and is simple to make with ingredients found in most kitchens.
Hanna’s Sore Throat Recipe
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- dashes of red pepper flakes
Crush the garlic with a fork or the back of a spoon and drop it in a tea cup then add the lemon and hot pepper. Add honey and hot water to the mix, stir and sip it down while it’s still hot.
You can feel it going to work right away on the trouble spots as it targets the pests that are trying to set up residence in your throat. This home remedy is great since it’s fast-acting and you instantly feel better. What home remedies do you use?
I’ve used a similar remedy for years. Ginger is good to add too. But Vitamin D, from sun or supplements, is crucial for immunity -and recent studies show that MOST people are deficient because of all the fear of the sun -source of all life. Not me. I’ve been a high-altitude sun worshipper for 40 years, often getting 50 times the recommended 15 minutes a day, at up to 14,000′ altitude. No skin problems. My theory? Since the skin is an organ of elimination, if you eat (or ate) standard American diet full of trans fats like margarine & Crisco, preservatives and other chemicals, you’ll sweat some of that out and the sun will tan your hide with it. THAT, not the sun itself, is more likely the cause of skin cancer. Just avoid burning.
I like your theory Evan. It seems to make a great deal of sense. Is this entirely based on your personal experience, or have you seen any other corroboration, either scientific or anecdotal?
Some good advice there! I’ll have to keep it in mind for the coming winter months when the kids bring home an assortment of germs from school …
I’m gonna try this next time I feel a sore throat coming on. Thanks for the tip!
Next time I’ll try this one instead of my old stand-by… Gurgling with hydrogen peroxide. Your recipe sounds a bit more pleasant and healthy. When I was a kid, my neighbor made something very similar that seemed to do the trick… I think he left out the garlic and added a nip of whiskey. He said it was from his Polish upbringing (the same excuse used to whack us with pussywillows on dingus day). I recall being excited about a cold when I was young… Because I could get a taste of whiskey and feel all grown up.
I was just wondering if the heat from the water would destroy the benificial enzymes in the honey? Would it be better to make the tea, let it cool, then stir in the honey and drink? i have learned you should not mix honey into anything over 100 degrees…..
Part of the benefit of the remedy is that the water is hot, so I wouldn’t recommend waiting until the water cools to add the honey. In regard to the enzymes, heat does speed their breakdown, but over a longer period of time than it would take to prepare and drink a cup of tea. The enzymes will also break down at room temperature over a longer period of time so the fresher the honey, the more active the enzymes will be. Regardless, the honey should never be boiled. If you are interested in in more information on honey, check out this link
Herbs for Kids // Jan 30, 2012 at 6:59 pm
[…] Click here to see another home remedy for cough–Hanna’s Napalm Bomb! […]
Home Remedies for Cough and Cold // Oct 23, 2013 at 7:24 pm
[…] complaints from your cough or cold, try gargling with warm salt water several times a day or try Hanna’s sore throat remedy, lovingly called “Napalm Bomb” by our […]