Recipes and Remedies to Tame a Spring Cold | Epicurious.com (2024)

I have yet to find a chicken soup I truly love (so much for my soul). And having missed my annual ritual dram of Irish Coffee last month, I'm seriously considering compensating with a double Hot Toddy tonight. But first I'm going to take a tip from my colleagues, who kindly shared their time-tested cold remedies and personal picks for health-promoting foods:

Honey and more honey: "I believe pretty strongly in the power of raw local honey to fight colds. I can only speak anecdotally, of course, but it usually works for me," Lauren Salkeld advises. Kerry Acker and Esther Sung echo the benefits of the sweet amber stuff, especially in Ginger Tea--laced with loads of lemon juice chez Acker.

Ginger: Speaking of ginger, Siobhan Adco*ck relies on drinking "a good amount of ginger ale on ice…. The fizziness and the ginger soothe my stomach, the coolness feels good on a scratchy throat, and there's just enough sugar to give me a little energy boost without the crash or the dehydrating effects of caffeine."

Spicy soups and sauce: "For me, a bowl of pasta with a lot of garlicky tomato sauce--and, if I can stomach it, hot red pepper--seems to fix me up," says editorial production manager Michele Zotos. "I'm not sure if the ingredients have to do with it, or that it's something my mom would have cooked and I feel psychologically nurtured. If I'm badly congested and have a bad cough, I have miso soup and sushi with a lot of wasabi or whatever they are using that poses as wasabi, as long as it's hot." Acker concurs: "I'm all about hot and spicy soups, especially pho."

Tincture tip: "I swear by Quantum Cold & Flu tincture. I keep a bottle on me at all times," confides "Ask Kemp" Minifie. "The minute I notice the slightest tickle in my throat, a sneeze, or if I'm feeling particularly cold, I take it. I think it's telling that my daughters swear by it, too.…. Some people find it too unpleasant a taste, but I've come to like it. You put two or three eyedroppers full of the stuff in a glass of water and drink it down."

Armed with all these suggestions, I think I'm feeling better--and hungrier--already. Ginger, honey, lemon, garlic, and hot peppers are all appealing ingredients. Do you know of other remedies and recipes that do the trick when you're under the weather?

butterfly6283
05:45:14 PM on
04/10/13

My friend Tracy gave me this recipe about 20 yrs ago, and my whole family has used it since then. Take 1 quart of fresh, or refrigerated apple cider or juice and put in a pan on the stove on med heat, while it is beginning to heat, slice 1/4cup of fresh ginger coins and add to the cider. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and just simmer for 20 mins. Cool just enough to be able to drink. Drink the whole quart in a day. The recipe can be doubled just be sure to have lots of fresh ginger & cider on hand. We also swear by pear brandy, use the really good stuff though, never buy cheap liquor. It may not have healing properties, but if you drink enough of it, you won't care how bad you feel.