As you all know, I'm now working out with the public and I'm concerned about the fact that I will be coming in contact with who-knows-what when it comes to diseases, etc. I've decided that I will start a regimen of eating spicy foods because many spicy foods, such as cayenne, and turmeric which - by the way are great in rice, stews, soups, etc. - are helpful in preventing colds and flu and shortening the length you are sick. (Turmeric's wide range of health benefits, for the most part, come from its main ingredient, Curcumin. This widely researched component of turmeric is highly therapeutic and is used in various drugs and pharmaceutics mainly because of its immunity boosting and anti-oxidant properties. Cayenne is a stimulant, anti-microbial, analgesic, carminative, diaphoretic, and expectorant. Cayenne can help prevent a cold or flu as well as shorten the duration of a cold or flu. It brings heat to the body, which can help dispel coldness.) I will probably make a tea from ginger, lemon, honey and a pinch of cayenne. It's delicious and oh so helpful. You can add crushed garlic to that but I tend to eat a lot of garlic with my meals. For me the tea tends to be more palatable this way instead of having garlic in my tea, but everyone is different!! There are other things that are good to use in preparing oneself for a possible onslaught of a cold such as Vitamin C, A, D3 and Zinc. Getting at least 20 minutes of sun a day is really helpful as well.
If you feel a cold coming on you should definitely resort to elderberry syrup along with all of the above. If you have a scratchy throat you might also add sage and thyme into the mix. Sage is a carminative, antiseptic, and astringent. It is used for sore throats and cough. (Don't use sage if you are pregnant or breast feeding.) Thyme is antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, expectorant, and astringent. Thyme is great for respiratory infections and coughs. Bet you didn't know that all you had to do was go to your spice rack and you could quite possibly ward off a cold, huh?
There are a lot of other things you can do but these are just a few that I personally have ready and waiting.
What I'm starting on today, before heading out the door to work, is taking a couple tablespoons of Elderberry Syrup. Tonight I'll make the Lemon-Ginger Tea. It will be ever-so relaxing and warming before heading off to bed.
Let's face it, I may still catch something. Sometimes it just sneaks right in on you but it doesn't hurt to be prepared and at the very least ease the symptoms.