Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Natural cold/cough remedies

For Linda and anyone else who may be interested . . . here are the remedies we've tried with Sam. Jim found this one on this site; it is pretty potent stuff, but seems to work! Sam slept all night again last night, for 10 1/2 hours. Keep in mind that you would not want to give this to a baby under 1 year old because of the honey. Also, I might add less cayenne next time just because it is really spicy. The woman who wrote the article didn't recommend giving it to children because of the taste, and also because "a child with a cough should be seen by a pediatrician" (her words). Well, this is just one of those annoying coughs and I don't think a dr. visit is needed unless it gets a ton worse . . . and thanks to this remedy, it seems to be getting better day by day.

Home Remedy for Cough

* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 Tablespoon honey
* 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
* 2 Tablespoons water
Mix and take by the teaspoon. (We have just been giving it to Sam in a medicine dropper, probably only about 1/2 teaspoon or so at a time.

This recipe originally came from Herbally Yours by Penny C. Royal, 3rd Edition, June 1982.

Here's another immunity-boosting recipe we are using, which sounds weird but really doesn't taste too bad. Sam doesn't like it too much, but we mix it with some juice and then he guzzles it right down. :)

Garlic Lemonade

3 medium-sized garlic cloves, chopped
Juice of one lemon
Maple syrup or honey, to taste

Place the garlic in a 1-quart jar and fill the jar with boiling water. Let the garlic steep for 20 minutes and then strain it out. Add the lemon juice and sweeten with the maple syrup or honey.

Give 1/2 to 2 cups daily, the lower dose to prevent illness and for younger children and the greater quantity for kids who feel like they are coming down with a cold.

Don't give the lemonade every day; just use it periodically as needed.


This recipe is from Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide by Aviva Jill Romm, Healing Arts Press, 2001. This is a book I would highly recommend on the subject of vaccines, by the way. It's very well-researched and provides a ton of helpful information.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you

Linda

Tracy said...

Carrie,
Congratulations on your new nephew. Tell Joanna that Darrin is adorable. Joanna looks great also. Sorry I haven't commented in awhile.

By the way, Adorable PJ's. I can't wait to get myself some new pajamas after Andy comes.

Carrie said...

Linda, you're welcome! :)

Tracy, I will pass on your congrats to Jo. Thanks for your comment--I too have been bad with commenting on others' blogs lately. I've kept up with yours, just haven't taken the time to say anything. I hope you are feeling well and that the days pass quickly till little Andy arrives! :) And yes, definitely treat yourself to some new PJs afterwards!!