"Ah-Choo!", "Cough, cough!", "Sniffle." It's that time of year again. Yup, you guessed it. Allergy season. Springtime can be such a wonderful time of the year, and yet, numerous people run to the drugstores to get their Claritin and Flonase. But did you know that getting rid of a cold or taming those allergies doesn't require a trip to Walgreens? Certain ingredients that we carry right in our own refrigerators and cabinets are more organic and can help us to suppress those coughs, clear our noses up and help boost our immune systems to fight against present bacteria.

The common cold can start from a number of factors. Exposure to cold, sudden change in temperature, dust or other irritants, can easily be breathed in and caught in our lungs and mucous membranes. Also, depending on how strong a persons immune system is can also determine how likely they are to catch a cold. But most of all, colds are caught just by touching something that an infected person used, passing it on to you.

But no worries here. Colds can be very easy to take care of. And best of all, you don't have to worry about going outside, where it can possibly get worse, or you can pass it on to someone else. However, if you are in your kitchen, be sure not to contaminate any other food that you plan on eating. Here are some things that you can come across in your own cabinets that will make the perfect remedy:

Lemon

Lemon is always a favorite in my book because I love to put it in my tea (along with 2 teaspoons of sugar, if there is no honey present, so it has that sweet and sour taste, Yum).  Lemon, like other citrus fruits, is rich in Vitamin-C and it helps increase body resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces duration of the illness. What you want to do with this is you can put in your hot tea or if you just want the lemon itself, it should be diluted in a glass of warm water with a drop of honey. Take once or twice daily.

Garlic

Normally whenever I think of garlic, I always think of delicious garlic bread. But also, garlic has a much more relieving purpose. When cold and flu season come around, garlic can really help reduce the severity of the cold. It should only be taken once a day. The soup can be prepared by boiling three or four cloves, chopped, in a cup of water. Garlic has antiseptic (antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of infection) and antispasmodic (helps reduce muscle spasms) properties. The oil in the vegetable can help open up respiratory passages, helping you to breathe better. The soup also helps to flush out the toxins in your system, reducing your fever and combined with a teaspoon of onion juice, and diluted in a cup of water, should be drank two to three times a day.

Ginger

Ginger is really good when relieving a cold. I, however, have never liked the taste of ginger. But when you have a cold, your taste buds go on vacation waiting for their cue to come back. What you want to do with ginger is use about ten grams and cut it up into small pieces and then boil it in a cup of water. You then want to strain it and add half a teaspoon of sugar. Drink while it's hot because it can help get rid of your cold and reduce your fever.

Lady's Fingers (or Okra)

Now some of you may not have heard of the term "Lady's Fingers", but that's because it is used in other countries outside the U.S. Now, Lady's Fingers, or Okra, are very good in treating an irritating throat or a dry cough. This vegetable is rich in mucilage and acts as a drug to allay irritation, swelling, and pain. About 100 gm of this should be cut up into pieces to make a concoction. If you don't want to eat this, the steam arising from this can be inhaled to soothe the throat irritation and the dry cough.

Bitter Gourd Roots

Now these I have never heard of or tasted, but maybe that's because this is used in folk medicine to cure colds. You take a teaspoon of the root paste and you mix it with an equal amount of honey or holy basil leaf juice and you take it once every day for about a month and you should be just fine.

Tumeric

Tumeric, like okra, can be used to cure a cold and soothe a throat irritation. What you want to do is put the Tumeric powder in a hot ladle and pour the milk in over a slow fire. You then drink the mixture and it's the perfect remedy for your cold. You can also inhale the steam to quicken the discharge out of your nose and provide quick relief.

Tamarind & Pepper

Now, Tamarind and Pepper is considered a common cold treatment in South India. It's made by taking 50 mg of tamarind in 250 mL of water. Then you boil the diluted tamarind water for a few minutes with a teaspoon of hot clarified butter and half a teaspoon of black pepper powder. This steaming hot rasam has a flushing effect and you take it three times a day. You'll know it's working when your nose and eyes start to water and your nasal blockage is clear.

ALLERGY

Seeing it is springtime, that means that flowers are going to start blossoming, but that also means one other thing: allergies. Some people have the mild allergies from the pollen that flies around, some people have very sever allergic reactions, and some have none at all. But don't be so down or scared to go outside either. When you feel as if you're going to have a sneeze attack or an itch attack, here are some things that you can also find in your kitchen that will help you tame those allergies:

Green Tea is one of the best things that you can take for allergies. Green Tea has a natural antihistamine. You should drink two cups a day, sweetened with honey and just in case if you don't like green tea, you can also black tea which is made from the same plant. You can also do the same with chamomile tea.

For those that have allergic reactions in the form of a rash, you can use an avocado paste. Avocado is rich in B vitamins, as well as vitamins E and K. The pulp is antibacterial and anti- fungal. It is a great way to help heal skin problems because it will make the skin smoother. The way an avocado paste is made is that you mash a medium sized avocado well, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. You then mix it into a smooth paste and apply it to the affected area.

You can also use ginger the same way that it is mentioned above for your allergy, as well as for your cold.

All of these remedies can save you a lot of money on buying OTC (over the counter) drugs for your cold or allergy. If you are a person who really loves natural ingredients, I think you will have fun making these and provide relief for yourself at home.

 




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Sources: www.home-remedies-for-you.com, http://www.natural-homeremedies.com,