DIY: Cold Remedy

I’ve been a little under the weather the past two days, which is unusual for me. Since I switched to a plant-based diet seven years ago, I’ve only gotten one cold, and that was during my pregnancy when my immune system was compromised. Two weeks ago my husband came down with a cold, which he of course gave to the baby. After a week of sleepless nights with her, my body finally gave up. Yesterday my throat was really sore, so I decided to do something about it.

I’ve been reading up on the benefits of honey lately, and what I’ve learned is that the most beneficial type is raw buckwheat honey, but any raw honey is better than honey that has been heated/pasteurized during processing. My dad is a beekeeper, so I’ve had lots of free honey over the past few years. But his honey is heated to make it clear, so I had never actually tasted raw honey before yesterday. And I must say, I will be talking with him about changing the way he processes his honey. Raw honey tastes so much better!

Honey has many medicinal uses, such as for boosting the immune system, soothing minor burns and sore throats, reducing arthritis, and as antibiotic cream, among other uses. There is also a claim that consuming local honey can help reduce seasonal allergies, but this doesn’t really make sense from a scientific standpoint. If you think it helps you, though, go for it!

I looked online for a homemade cough drop recipe, and all of the recipes I found required boiling the honey to 300 degrees to form hard candies. I decided that would defeat the purpose of using raw honey, so I settled for making a paste instead of drops.

My husband’s cold has progressed to a nagging cough with congestion, whereas mine is just a very sore throat. I decided to make three different versions of my cold remedy, and I’m pretty proud of how successful they were. The most amazing was my sore throat remedy. It numbed my throat immediately, which is exactly what I needed!

I knew that clove oil has numbing properties and cinnamon oil is anti-inflammatory, so I used a blend (DoTerra OnGuard or Young Living Thieves) that contains both for my throat soother. I used peppermint oil in the version for congestion, and it tasted like an Altoid and cleared our sinuses quickly. And finally, for my husband’s cough, I used lemon oil. It was so delicious, he turned to me and asked, “Are you sure this isn’t candy?”

Recipes:

Sore Throat Remedy:

• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 drop DoTerra OnGuard or Young Living Thieves
• 1 drop lemon oil

Cough Remedy:

• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 drop lemon oil

Congestion Remedy:

• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 drop peppermint oil*

Blend desired ingedients together in a small bowl or cup with the back of a spoon before eating.

Note: Do not give babies under 1 year of age honey. It contains Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which their young immune systems cannot eliminate and can cause botulism.

*If you are breastfeeding, limit your use of peppermint oil because it has been known to reduce milk supply.