7 of the Best Natural Cold Remedies

Sore throat? Hacking cough? Nose that’s doing its best impression of a tap turned on?

Yep, it’s that time of year. Time to fight bugs with your natural super powers, (most of which you’ll find conveniently already in your kitchen ready to go.)

Now, most of the time I feel it’s fairly inevitable that our family is going to get sick at some stage. Especially with three small kids, two of which are in school. While I can monitor hand washing and keep sick ones slightly separate here at home. At school? Well it can just be a washing machine of germs. I can’t do much about that, but I can prepare my family with the best cold remedies.

master tonic || cityhippyfarmgirl

7 of the best Natural Cold Remedies

Turmeric Tea– immune enhancer, liver detox, soothing, healing, anti inflammatory, all that good stuff is attached to turmeric.

Green Ginger Wine- I find it’s a good preventative one if you’ve got the beginnings of a scratchy throat, not one for the kiddo’s though obviously.

Citrus and Honey Shazzam- In a mug add, the juice of a lemon, juice of an orange, grated knob of fresh ginger, top it up with water and heat gently. Add 1 tsp of honey just before drinking and stir, (top picture.)

Master Tonic– I wrote about my experiments with this one recently over on Milkwood. Firey hot, but worth it, I’m completely won over with this one.

Tanya from Ecolosophy recently posted her Nanna’s Old Cold Remedy

Honey- immunity booster and cough suppressant. Dry coughs can be soothed a little by a teaspoon of honey (not for bubbas though.)

Garlic- get it into you, oodles of benefits in there.

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What are some of your favourite natural cold remedies? 

5 drinks to dunk in while watching the World Cup

Here are 5 hot drinks to dip biscuits in to while watching the World Cup in South Africa.

Why are they hot? Because here in Australia it’s winter, and especially cool here in Sydney this week. Also with the time difference the games are being shown at rather unattractive times. 2.00am and 4.30am are fine when you have been out all night and you just want to ‘keep on truckin’, but not so friendly when you have two pint sized people that like to wake up for a cuddle, drink of water, toilet stop, snuggle in your bed, snuggle in their bed etc etc. Sleep is precious and continuous hours together even more precious.

HOWEVER, it’s the World Cup and there just might be a few games that would be worthy of going to bed a little earlier and then getting up to watch in the cold and dark. Now if I am going to do that, then I sure as eggs want something to warm my belly while I watch Mr Chocolate get all excited, silently pump the air and muffle groans in couch cushions. (Actually that’s reason enough to get up, if only for the entertainment in my lounge room.)

5 hot drinks to dip biscuits in while watching the World Cup


Chai Tea

black tea (either loose leaf or bag)

cinnamon

nutmeg

cardamom

knob of ginger

milk

honey

water

Cook all ingredients up in a pot. Adding amounts to suit taste. Let simmer for awhile to let all ingredients infuse together.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

50gms dark chocolate

2 cups milk

1 large strip orange rind

cinnamon

1 small fresh chilli, split and deseeded

Vanilla Milk

1 cup milk

1 dessert spoon muscavado sugar

1/2 tps vanilla

Ayurvedic Milk

1 cup milk

1/2 tps tumeric

1/4 tps nutmeg

Green Ginger Wine

* Now this one is quite often dismissed as an old persons drink of choice. Its cheap and its good! It warms you on a cold night, it keeps colds at bay when you have a niggly sore throat that could get worse, and it’s perfect as a little night cap and to get dunked with biscuits.