Home remedies for the sniffles

What they say is so true. The moment they start childcare, it’s non stop viruses and bugs. On an average, I think he’s almost sick biweekly. And I’m not keen for him to be on meds all the time. So the week my parents went away, I decided it’s time to do it my way. The natural way – home remedies.

Honey, lemon and pepper – Stir a spoonful of honey in warm water with a teaspoon of lemon (freshly squeezed). Add a pinch of white pepper if it’s a phlegmy cough. Drink it while it’s warm. Lemons are naturally high in vitamin C and could help with a sore throat. Honey is a natural cough suppressant and I will go organic with the lemon. Please do not give honey to children under the age of one. Get a New Zealand honey with UMF10+ because it has that special UMF antibacterial property certified. This concoction should be had at least thrice a day for at least a week to get rid of phlegm and cough completely. But it’s for not for the faint hearted. By the time, my parents came home 5 days later, Samuel is immediately sent off to the doctor although I actually feel he’s much better.

Garlic – One of the flu fighting food. Needless to say, we all know garlic has all these anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.Take 5 cloves of garlic and chop into small bits. Add it to all the dishes you are feeding the baby. Samuel loves it! Note this is more for prevention than cure because raw garlic would have been more effective but it could be too strong for the baby’s sensitive stomach.

Air purifier / humidifier – Add 5 drops of rosemary and 5 drops of tea tree oil to the humidifier. Have both humidifier and air purifier turned on at the same time. The air purifier could help clean the air, preventing any impurities for breathing since babies still lack a fully developed immune or respiratory system. The humidifier is good for relieving congestion and soothing dry nasal passages. This is additional step in relieving symptoms of cold and improving the baby’s sleep so he could get more rest for healing.

Chicken soup is good for the soul

I always wondered why chicken soup is good for the soul. But it actually works more for my soul because as long as it get rids of all the sniffles for Samuel, I’m a happier mum. Besides recent research has proven that homemade Chicken soup really does make you feel better when your sick. It reduces congestion and inflammation by limiting the movement of white blood cells that produce infection-related mucus.

Chicken soup

• Chicken pieces – I prefer the chicken bones and one large breast meat so no chopping is necessary.
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 large size onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 small turnip
• 1 tomato
• 2 medium size potatoes
• 5 gloves of garlic (diced)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
• 1 bunch of coriander, chopped
• A handful of baby pasta shells
• Water

1. Remove all skin and fats from chicken pieces.
2. Add chicken to water and bring to boil. Make sure water is at least one inch over the chicken.
3. Pour away the water and add another 6 – 8 bowls of water and bring to boil again, then lower heat and allow the soup to simmer for at least 90 minutes. Skim off any foam from the surface of the soup as it accumulates.
4. Meanwhile stir fry the diced garlic with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add to soup together with potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mix and continue to simmer until the potatoes turned soft. It took me another hour or so.
6. You could choose to simmer to the right texture of soup or let it cool and put the soup through the blender.

This is a great soup full of antioxidants which can provide great relief from flu. Sipping hot soup could help clear up congestion and it’s especially comforting for Samuel’s dad who was down with flu at the same time. He had 4 bowls of rice with it!