Recently I got the *virus that shall remain nameless* and less than a month later, I caught a common cold. I haven't been ill at all in over 2 years so I guess I was due. Some of my symptoms were barely there and others were horrible! During one of these illnesses, winter storm Izzy decided to dump like a foot of snow on us and I live on a farm so that compounded things!
Trekking over 2 acres back and forth from the house, feed storage and various barns and coops in a foot of snow (twice a day) while sick is not fun at all, plus it will make you super sore! I'm a big believer in natural remedies and giving your body the support it needs to heal itself. I talked about this in 10 ways to shorten a cold naturally.
After the cold/snow combination I needed some help recovering so I turned to some of my favorite home remedies.
I am not a doctor nor am I any other type of medical professional. This information is for entertainment and educational purposes only.
How ginger helps with cold symptoms
One of my favorite home remedies in ginger. Ginger has a warming effect which can help you to sweat out toxins and other waste. I also talked about Ginger tea here and how it used for: upset stomachs, reducing pain and muscle aches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and to inhibit certain bacteria and viruses.
One of gingers main properties though is it's anti inflammatory ability. This can be very helpful if you're dealing with headache, muscle aches or sore throat. Ginger can also help in reducing irritation of your stomach, helping with bile production, and relieving nausea.
There are several ways to add ginger to your diet including commercially available ginger teas, ginger chews and candied or even pickled ginger. I also ferment ginger in honey and add that to my tea or just eat it off a spoon.
How honey helps with cold symptoms
Packed with antioxidants, honey is excellent for fighting infection. It helps to boost the immune system, coats the throat and it's antimicrobial and antibacterial properties can help fight the infection.
Eating a tablespoon of honey has been known to work just as well as cough syrup for calming a cough. Honey is viscous so it coats your throat as it goes down helping with soreness.
Local, raw honey is actually the best, but use what you can get! If you can get Manuka honey it's known for it's antiviral properties...but it's quite a bit more expensive! I use regular raw honey that you can buy at the grocery store or farmers market.
Recipe: Ginger honey for colds
One way to get all the cold fighting and soothing properties of ginger without the strong taste of ginger (which many people do not like) is to infuse it in honey. Don't get me wrong, it still tastes like ginger, but it's definitely a milder taste and not so... tongue burning-ish.
To use ginger infused honey simply add a teaspoon to your tea. You could also just eat it right off the spoon. It's going to have a slightly thinner consistency than plain honey though, so it's usually easier to use a measuring spoon since the bowl of the spoon is deeper than a eating spoon.
Like most foods infused with herbs or spices it does take a while to infuse completely. Usually about 4-6 weeks. However, I know you probably stumbled upon this post because you're not feeling so hot right now so I'm going to included the speeded up heat method to get you started today!
This is a super simple recipe and you'll only need 2 things:
- Fresh ginger rhizome.
- Raw honey to cover.
Preparing ginger for honey infusion
When buying fresh ginger, look for a firm root with smooth, taut skin. Once the skin starts to wrinkle and feel soft, it's already starting to age. If this is the case, pick a fresher piece.
Ginger is one of those things that sound expensive, but really isn't. The current price near me is $3.99 a pound. That sounds like a lot, but the large piece I just bought was under 3 ounces. That translates to a cost of $.68 and that piece was more than big enough to infuse about a cup of honey.
Ginger has a super thin skin, but it's quite easy to peel. You'll peel the ginger root with a spoon not a knife. You want to scrape off the peel, not cut it. Just hold the root in one hand and drag the spoon along the ginger towards you, scraping off the peel. Only peel what your going to use right away.
Once your ginger is peeled, you'll slice it into coins. You can chunk it up smaller if you'd like, I usually do. Put it in a clean mason jar. Pour honey over to cover it. Put the lid and band on the jar. Shake gently and store for about 4-6 weeks, shaking every few days.
I put mine on a sunny windowsill to let the sun warm it up daily. If you don't have a spot like that just leave it somewhere in your kitchen where it'll stay fairly warm. Once it's ready you can strain the honey into a different jar, or just leave it as is.
It won't hurt to leave the ginger in the honey longer, but it really won't help either so it's all about how you want to store it going forward.
The fast method of making ginger honey
If you are not feeling good right now and want to be able to use your ginger honey today, this is the method for you!
Peel and slice your ginger as mentioned above. I like to dice the slices into little sticks with this method...I just want as much surface space as possible touching the honey. Put this in a double boiler, aka a metal bowl on top of a pot of water. Turn the heat on medium and simmer the water for about 15 minutes. This warms the honey and ginger gently.
Make sure to keep an eye on the water level under the bowl. Too high and it splashes out the sides. Too low and it'll boil dry. An inch or two of water is best. Add more if it get's too low.
Remove from heat and let cool. At this point I like to pour the mixture into a wide mouth mason jar. Use it out of the jar as needed. Do not remove the ginger from the honey though, you want to give it more time to infuse at room temp. After a few weeks you can strain the ginger out of you wish. I usually leave it in there...it won't hurt.
Whether you use the quick method or the 4-6 week long method, they should both yield a syrup that is soothing to your cold and much tastier than straight ginger! Enjoy!
~L
Want gardening and healthy living information sent right to your email weekly? Click right here to join my newsletter list and get new posts sent directly to you the day they're published!
I am not a doctor or other health care professional nor do I claim to be. I am not trained in any medical field. I am simply passing on information that has worked for me. This information is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical condition. see a Dr if you are ill. Click for my full disclaimer.
Thank you. Wish I had this month ago. Going to make this today incase someone we know gets ill.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Let me know how it turns out!
Delete~Lisa