Q
Dear Auntie Pearl, my ma always says I am agterstevoorom, and it seems she’s right. All winter I wasn’t sick or even had a snot nose, but now that summer is around the corner, it seems I am getting sick.
I am wondering what natural things I can take to help with colds and flu. My berk is a Rasta, and I’m thinking of becoming one, and so I want to take more natural things.
Do you maybe have some advice for me Auntie, you always have some lekker huisraadjies.
A
Shame, meisie, a summer cold is one of the worst things that can happen during these beautiful sunny Spring and summer days.
Now, sometimes mense mistake hay fever for a cold, both will have you sitting with a dik kop and a snotneus.
Have you struggled with hay fever before? People with seasonal allergies often feel congested at a certain time of the year, and you’ll have a runny nose and itchy eyes, especially when there is pollen, mold or grass around.
First things first, get to the doctor and find out if you have a cold, or if you have hay fever.
That way, you’ll know better how to treat yourself.
Now, to avoid getting sick in the first place, follow these easy and basic rules: wash your hands properly and regularly, get plenty of exercise, eat healthy and make sure to get between 6 and 8 hours of good sleep every night.
Auntie believes what you put in is what you get out, and you are what you eat.
So start off by eating yourself healthy, meisie:
Citrus fruits – they are full of Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that can reduce cold symptoms.
Go for vitamin-packed citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, papaya, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.
Garlic, onions, and leeks – ja, these foods might give you a stinky asem, but you are mos not going to kiss your berk anyway when you are full of germs. The oumense have long known that these foodstuffs help natural killer cells purge the body of invaders.
Look at ginger, it helps defeat the most common cold viruses (rhinoviruses).
It also helps suppress coughing and contains anti-inflammatory properties.
Auntie also has a lekker do-it-yourself tonic to help fight colds and flu, and give your immune system a boost.
The secret is in the turmeric!
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh ginger root (or 1 tbsp dried)
- ¼ cup fresh turmeric root (or 1 tbsp dried)
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 lemon, peeled
- Water, honey and coconut oil as needed.
Method:
Place all ingredients in a blender. If you use the dried spices, juice the citrus and then add to a blender with ½ cup water and the spices and blend.
To drink this magic tonic, mix 30ml of the mixture with one cup of hot water. Stir in raw honey and coconut oil.
You can have a cup every 2 hours when you are sick.
Auntie has one every morning to keep healthy!