If you’re fighting symptoms of a cold or flu, it’s likely you’ll reach for the aspirin and some Vitamin C to try and get rid of the bug. However, there are some great natural remedies that can help you combat any symptoms without the need for pharmaceutical medications.
The key is to choose natural ingredients that offer relief from fever and coughing, at the same time as boosting your immune system. For example, honey is antibacterial, soothes a sore throat and is a natural cough suppressant. Lemon juice contains lots of Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. They also contain antiviral properties and can help to fight infections. Lemons can help to reduce fever and they contain lots of citrus limonoids, which are compounds that protect your cells from damage that can lead to the formation of cancer cells.
Ginger has natural anti-inflammatory properties and cinnamon has anti-bacterial properties that can help fight infections. Blueberries contain natural aspirin, or salicylic acid, which can help reduce fever and relieve aches and pains.
When you combine these natural ingredients together, it’s easy to reduce your fever, soothe a sore throat, suppress that nasty cough and fight infections. Here is the recipe to make your own natural cold and flu lozenges at home.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon crushed blueberries
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Before you start, place some baking paper on a cookie tray or shallow baking dish.
Place the sugar and water into a pan. Add the honey, ginger and cinnamon.
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon until you have 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and add it to the pan. Use the back of a spoon to crush 10 blueberries in a bowl. Scoop the crushed berries into the pan and stir them through the mixture.
Heat the mixture over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the mixture starts to simmer, reduce the heat to low.
Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, remembering to stir it regularly. It will begin to thicken into syrup as you simmer. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and leave the syrup aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Carefully use a spoon to scoop some of the cooled mixture out of the pan. The syrup will still be very hot, so use caution during this step.
Drop a small amount of the syrup onto the baking paper to form a nickel-sized lozenge. Repeat until all the syrup is gone.
Leave the lozenges aside to harden and set for 30 minutes. Sprinkle a little icing sugar onto the lozenges. Shake them around on the baking paper to ensure they’re all coated well. The icing sugar will stop them sticking together when you store them.
Keep your homemade, natural cold and flu cough lozenges in an air-tight container and store them in a cool, dry place. When you need relief from a sore throat or a persistent cough, suck on one lozenge as required to help relieve your symptoms.
