Cold and Flu Remedies
Licorice and Lemon for Coughs
Another old Romany recipe to soothe any cough is made with licorice root, coltsfoot and lemon. Simmer 1 oz of licorice root in 3 pints of water till it is reduced to 1 pint. Put 1 oz of coltsfoot and a sliced lemon into a jug and add the decoction. Stir well, sweeten with honey, allow to get cold, then drink as required.
Sunflower Seed and Ginger For Coughs
If you have the hacking cough of a heavy smoker this remedy will disguise your weakness. Put two ounces of sunflower seeds into a saucepan with a quart of water, and an inch or so of whole ginger. Simmer until reduced to a pint and a half. Add sugar or honey to taste. When cold, strain. A tablespoon of whisky will help the drink to stay fresh; if it is not added, it should be made fresh every two or three days. This is an excellent decoction to relieve bronchitis or a hacking cough.
Pickled Walnut Gargle
Vinegar from a jar of pickled walnuts is a very good gargle for sore throats? Do not throw it away, keep it in an airtight jar until it is needed. Here’s a recipe for pickled walnuts: Pickled Walnuts
Elderberry Cold Preventative
Put stalked elderberries into an earthenware jar, cover with a well-fitting lid and place in a slow oven. Leave till the juice flows, then pour it off into a pan and return the covered jar to the oven. Continue doing this until you have obtained all the juice from the fruit. Extract amount remaining by squeezing the fruit through muslin.
Measure the juice, and to every pint add half a pound of loaf sugar, about half a dozen cloves and a piece of bruised root ginger.
Place the pan over heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, then strain into bottles or jars with a secure lid. Drink diluted with hot water to taste.
Elderflower Cold Cure
Take a tablespoon each of Elderflowers, Peppermint and Yarrow and infuse with a pint of boiling water. Strain off a large cupful and drink it hot in bed. Take this same medicine three times during the following day and again when you go to bed and you will find it quickly chases the sniffles away. And if the cold has turned to flu, Elderflowers again will relieve the symptoms.
Elderberry Influenza Cure.
Take half an ounce of Elderflowers and one ounce of peppermint herbs. Pour over them one pint of boiling water. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain into a jug and sweeten with sugar or treacle. Drink this mixture hot on going to bed.
Elder Flower and Peppermint For The Flu
An almost infallible cure for an attack of influenza in its first stage is a strong infusion of dried Elder Blossoms and Peppermint. Put a handful of each in a jug, pour over them a pint and a half of boiling water, allow to steep, on the stove, for half an hour then strain and sweeten and drink in bed as hot as possible. Heavy perspiration and refreshing sleep will follow, and the patient will wake up well on the way to recovery and the cold or influenza will probably be banished within thirty-six hours. Yarrow may also be added.
Here’s another variation of this same cure:
Mix 1 oz dried Elder Flowers and 1 oz dried Peppermint leaves. Boil 1 pint of distilled water in a saucepan large enough to hold a quart and while boiling, add the herbs. Cover them and let step (not boil) in a hot place for 10 or 15 minutes. Do not raise the lid or you will lose some of the strength.
When ready, strain through muslin or a thin cloth into a glass or enamel pitcher. Before taking, the patient should be in bed and well covered with blankets to retain the heat.
The dose for severe colds and fevers is drink one pint as hot as possible. Then, remain in bed well covered. It may be sweetened if desired. It will be found beneficial to have a hot water bottle, covered with a towel dipped in vinegar, applied to the feet and allowed to remain there.
The dose for children is from one half to one teacupful. In all cases, the patient should be kept in bed for at least 12 hours after taking, and kept well covered to promote free perspiration.
There will be free perspiration starting in from 20 to 40 minutes after taking and sometimes sooner. This will soothe the patient to sleep and the perspiration will continue for several hours.
The next morning if the fever or cold is completely normal, the patient should be sponged with warm water, put into a clean bed, and be given some light nourishment such as fruit juices (pineapple, orange), or prunes. Care must be taken to keep the body quite warm for a day or two.
If one does does not completely break up the fever, another should be given 24 hours latr. It will be found that, not only the 7,000,000 sweat glands discharge the poisons from the body, but the bowels and kidneys are also activated and will materially help in the recovery of the patient.
Sources: An Elementary Course in Herbology and A Modern Herbal
Sauerkraut Juice For a Sore Throat
Europeans and early Americans gargled with sauerkraut juice – the fermented juice of the cabbage plant.
This refers to the traditional fermented homemade Sauerkraut which is an excellent source of probiotics and enzymes for gut health. Commercial sauerkraut is not the same.
To make homemade sauerkraut, layer scores of chopped cabbage leaves in a Crock-Pot, sprinkling salt over each layer. Alternatively, you can knead the salt into the chopped cabbage leaves instead of layering it. Cover it with a clean cloth and tightly weigh it down with a stone or heavy plates. Let it sit for six weeks or more. Draw off the juice and gargle as needed to alleviate a sore throat.
Cayenne for Sore Throats
Early Americans were hardworking people who resented losing time to illness. That’s why cayenne pepper became one of their favorite medicinal herbs. They added a pinch of cayenne to a glass of water, gargled vigorously, and in minutes, the sore throat would feel cauterized.
Ginger and Pineapple for Sore Throat
Hawaii has had a long history of effective native medicine. Gargling with warm ginger root juice has been considered to relieve sore throats and inflamed tonsils.
Naturopathic doctors today have improved on this remedy by alternating gargling with warm ginger juice and gargling with cold pineapple juice.
Here’s the recipe for the ginger juice:
Boil one-half cup of water and one teaspoon of powdered ginger, just until boiling. Once it has cooled, add one-quarter teaspoon of honey and the juice of half of a lemon. Alternate gargling with the ginger juice mixture and with cool pineapple juice. Repeat as needed.
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