Cough, cold, and flu season is once again upon us, so here is a recap of my all time favourite, organic, homemade cough and cold fighting syrup. It also works well as a preventative as it boosts your immunity.
This yummy flu brew is my go-to remedy whenever the throat begins to tickle or the chest feels heavy. I make loads each winter to share with family and friends, plus give as gifts. It is super simple to make, tastes yummy, is completely organic.
What you need to make your homemade Cough & Cold Remedy?
Organic lemons – Homegrown or organic as you will be adding the peel, too.
Ginger root – Just a small knob will do you!
Honey – I am blessed to have a terrific local honey farm just a few minutes down the road. Support local, if you can.
How-to make your own Cough & Cold Remedy…
I use one half to one whole lemon per jar. Scrub the lemon well, and slice into thin wedges, quarters, slices, anything you like. I tend to use really thin half slices or thicker wedges that I quarter. Remove seeds and any tough, pithy bits.
Peel the knob of ginger and slice into small discs. I like to slice the disks into slivers so that you are sure to get a bit in each cuppa. Use as much or as little as you like. I am not a huge fan of the taste of ginger so I use less, however, I have found that the zing nicely mellows as it sits, so if you are a fan, use more.
Place a few layers of lemons into the washed and sterilised jars. Toss on a few pieces of ginger, and repeat till full. Cover with honey, letting it ooze into all the crevices. Let sit and settle for a few minutes and then top up with more honey, covering all the lemon and ginger slices.
Refrigerate.
The juices from the lemons will settle on top while it sits, so give a good stir before you scoop out a spoonful of goodness for your cup…. or dig through the layers and grab a bit of everything on your way.
Add a spoonful to your cuppa tea or into a cup of hot water. It tastes terrific both ways!
Why this works…
Ginger helps to control and calm the symptoms that come with colds, flu’s, upper respiratory tract infections, and bronchitis. It also helps to reduce muscle pain, and settle the tummy if one has nausea or vomiting.
Lemon aids in controlling fever and chills as well as adding that much needed boost of vitamin C to soothe your sore throat. It has anti-septic properties and also gives one a boost when feeling fatigued. If taken before you get sick, it helps to build up your defence system and prevent flues, colds and inflammation.
Honey has natural anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties so helps to boost immunity to fend off colds, coughs and flues, plus aides in the healing and soothing of symptoms if you do get sick. It is also a soothing cough suppressant.
As these are stored in the fridge, are not shelf stable, you can use any pretty jars that you like. I found a set of 6 of these cute plaid topped jars at my local dollar store.
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