Personalising Home Remedies for Winter Coughs and Colds

Time for tea!

The first of the winter bugs has arrived nice and early this season - we have all had it in my household for the last 2 weeks. Looking from an ayurvedic lens, I've been noting the difference in symptoms amongst us, despite it (presumably) being the same virus. One family member has had crippling fatigue, wet, chesty cough with lots of mucous (guess the predominant dosha here?), another member with short lived headache, fever and nausea. I personally had one day of feeling tired and run down, then persisting dry, raspy throat and cough - that dry quality has been in excess for me!

This is where it is important to find the right remedy for the symptoms and not just a universal cough medicine.

For a wet, chesty cough with a lot of mucous expectoration, we need to find herbs that are astringing/drying (kashaya), heating (ushna) and dispersing (tikshna). Among the arsenal of respiratory remedies we can use here:

• Ginger and Ajwain (Carom) Tea (see recipe below) - with heating ginger, ajwain, black pepper and clove. Pepper also has a drying quality (yes, even in tea), ajwain is pungent and dispersing. For 1 litre of water use 1 inch grated fresh ginger, 1 Tbspn ajwain seeds, 3-5 whole cloves and 6-8 black peppercorn. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain and add 1 tsp honey per cup when it has cooled to drinking temperature.
  

• Ginger juice with honey - Crush 1 inch fresh ginger root and combine with 1 tsp honey. Take with warm water if the flavour is too strong.

• Tulsi Tea. Tulsi is balancing to kapha and vata, it is mildly heating in energetic quality, bitter, astringent to relieve excess mucous, and is a proven antimicrobial herb. Use with reverence though, as it is considered a sacred plant to some.

For a dry irritated cough, with little expectoration (mucous being released), and an irritated throat and/or nasal passage choose remedies that are moistening, coating (emollients) and soothing, to calm irritation:

• Golden Turmeric Milk: The softening, soothing qualities of milk carry the antibiotic qualities of turmeric to the irritated membranes of the throat. Use 1/4 - 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (or paste if you have it), with 1/8 tsp black pepper per cup of milk. Non-homogenised organic milk is best, use minimally processed coconut or oat milk for a non-dairy option if you must. Bring the milk and spice to a boil, then turn off the heat (make sure it doesn't boil over!). Take the milk with 1tsp quality honey, and sip slowly.
  

• Steam inhalation: This can work wonders for dryness as it is both moistening and dispersing. Fill a sturdy bowl with very hot water, and lean over the bowl with a towel over your head to hold in the steam. Be aware of hot temperatures here. The traditional eucalyptus option can be a bit harsh for irritated tissues, so try cinnamon, tulsi, thyme or mint instead. Either fresh herbs or essential oils can be used. For a spasmodic or tickly cough that won't stop, work on relieving the irritation, which could be from post-nasal drip, spasm, or a result of tissue inflammation:
  

• Gandusha, or oil pulling can be excellent for this. Use about 1 Tbspn of cold pressed sesame or coconut oil (herbalised oil with licorice, tulsi, clove is even better), and hold it in your mouth, without swallowing, swishing all around to coat all parts of your mouth and throat. Continue swishing for a least 5 minutes, or until the oil is slightly whitish, then spit out.

  
  

• Anise Seed Tea can be helpful. Aniseed is anti-spasmodic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Use 1 Tbspn seed per cup of water to brew, and add 1 tsp honey once the tea cools to drinking temperature.
  

There are so many other wonderful options from the western herbal apothecary too, like thyme, licorice, marshmallow, mullein, and elecampane to name a few, although not always available in the home medicine cabinet. Check on the properties of the herbs to ensure they are suitable for your particular symptoms.

Some fantastic, but less available ayurvedic options for respiratory illness are Mahasudarshan churna, Sitopaladi Churna and Talisadi Churna. Check if these are available to you as these can be fantastic options for more serious cases.