Old remedies

[saint-spoon]

I am not sure if folk have been watching but there has been a programme on the box about staying healthy for less recently. Anyway I caught a bit of it the other day and thought that I'd give it a go for the snotty nose, tickley cough and runny noise that I seemed to have been gited from youngest daughter.

Lemon and honey in hot water... works even better with a healthy splash of Pusser's rum, I also added a grate of fresh ginger because I had some and I like it.


I wasn't sure if it had cured me so had to try a second (for medicinal purposes and those of scientific experimentation).

the third one seemed to do the trick.

actually the honey and lemon did ease my throat but I still have a snotty nose.

[wendy]

I always take honey and lemon when I have a cold. Never tried the ginger bit. But I will now

[p.penn]

My Mum always swore by lemon and honey for a cough, but for a cold it had to be whisky mac!

[Freeranger]

The old trick of hiding under a towel breathing in steam from a bowl is supposed to be good for clearing the tubes - mint or ginger in the water, I think. Thanks to Willow, and a post about killing mould (dilute it in water), I discovered clove oil as an antiseptic (little bottle from the pharmacy=c. £2-£2.50), which you could add to the steaming water for colds, and can also be put on sore gums for toothache. Personally, I hate the taste and it makes me feel sick, but I'm told it works.
Unfortunately, none of this is as much fun as a whisky mac!

[saint-spoon]

The old trick of hiding under a towel breathing in steam from a bowl is supposed to be good for clearing the tubes

I never had a runny nose down inthe boiler room back in my steam ship days... drank a lot of alcohol back then so not sure which gave the best health benefits to be honest

[lancashire lass]

The old trick of hiding under a towel breathing in steam from a bowl is supposed to be good for clearing the tubes - mint or ginger in the water, I think

... you need menthol crystals from the chemist (it's not expensive - about £2-£5 for a little pot - like this from ebay) Boil the water, and then drop a tiny pinch / just a couple of crystals into the hot water and then put your head under the towel and breathe in the steam. Almost immediately the menthol in the steam is pretty potent (hence, don't put too many crystals in the water!) - might even make your eyes weep too, so breathe in through your nose carefully and be prepared to lift the towel up to get some fresh air. Menthol will most certainly clear a stuffy nose - you might end up with a runny nose LOL and when you lift your head from under the towel, your skin will feel "cool" from the menthol.

[Freeranger]

LL I read that too quickly and thought you were recommending meth crystals for a moment! Must have been what I was thinking of instead of mint. (menthol!)

[bikesandbirdsbob]

I have a 2 year old bottle of linctus in fridge .
Bob