Thursday, November 20, 2008

Common Cold Home Remedies

Good Morning! Well, it is definitely that time of year when we have to begin to worry about the flu and common cold. For the flu? Best bet is to try to avoid it altogether by getting a flu shot. The common cold is not as easy to avoid so here are some home remedies I've found that may help you out if you should catch the cold this year.

Colds & Flu

Here is a delicious recipe for a cold and flu soup: Sauté 6 crushed cloves of garlic in 1 tsp. vegetable oil until golden. Pour in a quart of beef or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and whisk in 2 egg whites. Beat together 2 egg yolks and 2 Tbs. distilled white vinegar; pour this mixture into the soup. Season with salt and pepper and top with croutons, if desired.

Lemon is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is beneficial in all types of cold with fever. Vitamin C-rich lemon juice increases body resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. One lemon should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoon of honey should be added to it. This should be taken once or twice daily.

Regular intake of vitamin C-75 mg for adults and 35 mg for children-will prevent the common cold. If, however, a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. One to two grams (1000 mg to 2000 mg) per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin for this purpose. Swallow one or two 500 mg tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of the first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking one to two 500 mg tablets daily.

Ginger is another excellent remedy for colds and coughs. About ten grams of ginger should be cut into small pieces and boiled in a cup of water. It should then be strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. This decoction should be drunk when hot. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding the tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for fevers resulting from cold. It may be taken twice daily.

If you have a stuffed up nose, that you just can't seem to get any relief from, I still believe in good ole Vicks Vapor Rub. When I'm sick and having trouble breathing I like to rub this on my chest and maybe a little under my nose. It may be just like hot tea and toast, or drinking ginger ale. Those are things my Mom use to do for me when I was sick and they always make me feel a wee bit better to this day.

You can also try putting some Vicks into a pot of steaming water and leaning over it with a towel draped over your head. Do I need to caution you that the water is HOT and not to get too close or stick you face into the hot water? Or to turn the stove off before leaning over it with a towel? LOL Well, just in case the woman who sued McD's over hot coffee is reading this, consider that your warning.

Last night I made more truffles, but instead of chocolate this time I made the centers cherry flavored. I also made some more Andes Mint Chip Cookies. Today I just might get around to making sugar cookies. The ones I made before with just colored sugar on top and frosting on the back went over really well.

I did get the Macaroons done the other day. I also made some chocolate fudge. I usually add some walnuts and marshmallows and make it a kind of rocky road thing. This time though I've been having this salt and chocolate craving, so I added Roasted Peanuts. Mmm, it is so good and satisfies that salty sweet craving just right.

Okay, yeah....so I tend to go a wee bit overboard during the holidays. However, keep in mind that most of what I make is freezable for up to 3 months. So I can put some of it out for Thanksgiving, and then if we have a get together, or something, I'll put some out then. Usually by the time Christmas rolls around I have to make some more of this or that. I give some of it as gifts and then put some out for Christmas day.

I just like having a wide variety of different things for everyone to try. Usually everyone has a favorite...which reminds me, I still need to make the Chocolate Saltines, they're one of Sammi's favorites. Oh! I can't forget to get some Pretzel Rods too. Those are real easy to dip in melted chocolate and then roll in whatever you happen to think sounds good. I do have the mini Ritz with peanut butter on hand. Maybe I'll melt some chocolate today and dip them.

There was some talk of everyone coming over to our house for either a Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Night karaoke party. I was thinking about doing the chocolate fountain for that but buying all the fruit and everything is so expensive. I don't know. I'll have to see where we are at that point. It's just a lot of money for food and soda and stuff when Christmas is right around the corner. I can get soda on sale, but it is still a lot when your buying enough for anywhere from 20-30 people. Then it is so annoying when you walk around after everyone has left and you find soda cans half full or nearly full that kids left lying around. That's like throwing money away.

If we do it Thanksgiving Eve then I have a mess to clean up before everyone gets here for Thanksgiving dinner, on top of all the cooking I have to do. If we do it Thanksgiving Night then I have to clean up after Thanksgiving dinner before everyone gets here. Either way, I'm going to be very busy and frantic on Thanksgiving Day. LOL As if that's anything new.

I don't know why I'm such a freak about trying to make everything perfect. It never goes perfectly smooth and it just leaves me stressing about everything. Either the rolls burn, or I forget to put them in the oven. Or I add too much milk to the mashed potatoes, or I forget to take something out of the fridge for the meal. Or I tell everyone a certain time and their either late or the turkey isn't ready yet. LOL

I can't even begin to imagine what the day is like for the kids. Ray's girls are rushing back and forth between here and their mom's or grandma's. My 3 older kids are going back and forth between here and Bowling Green, where their Dad is. And it's like that for those kids every holiday. I just hope the weather is good this year so they don't have to worry about the roads and all that mess. Little Miss Rylie just sits here and waits for her siblings and nieces and nephews to show up. I don't think the poor thing really understands yet about her sibs other mommy or daddy yet. How do you explain divorce or previous marriages to a 4 year old without confusing or scaring her?

Well, that's just the way things are around here. The kids scurry here and there...I get frantic over the food and it if all be good enough...Rylie sneaks cookies and doesn't eat dinner...and Ray...lol...well he sits and listens to Christmas tunes and just relaxes and enjoys the day and the food. Oh yeah...remember those days, back when we were kids and didn't have a care in the world? We just played with the other kids and sat down to this meal that we waited forever to get cooked and served. I never did realize all the work that went into that meal.

Thanks Mom! I don't know if anyone ever said Thank You to Mom or really appreciated everything that she did. Which reminds me...I need to call Mom.

Okay, enough rambling for one day. Have a good one!
Jill Marie

2 comments:

swmpgrly said...

I needed that vicks last night.

Sage Ravenwood said...

I'm huge on having Lemon in my tea when I don't feel good.

As for Thanksgiving. It's just Paul and I. It's been that way since we met, with one exception when I tried to invite my dad (that was just a horrible experience all the way around he smelled and was halfway drunk by the time he got here). I still go all out, Turkey the fixings. We light candles and it's so serene and romantic. Skye goes to her grandparents on his dad's side, along with working it's just not possible for her to be there.

The day after Black Friday, the tree goes up and the holiday decorating begins.

I wish we lived closer I would help out with the insanity that is going to ensue either Thanksgiving Eve. or Thanksgiving night. (Hugs)Indigo