Ginger and lemon are very available in Nigeria and each of them is a good cold remedy. You can easily find them in any market where you find people who sell vegetables and fruits.
If you ever feel like you are about to have a cold, get up from your comfort zone and get to a superstore or vegetables and fruits’ market.
You will find ginger and lemon there.
Cold remedy is something to have at home in rainy season, winter or any season in your country that you experience extreme cold.
Really, if there is anything I hate it is talking to a person and sniffing like a person addicted to drugs.
Unfortunately, the catarrh just keeps trying to escape and I keep drawing it back.
The sneezing and coughing that follow cold is also a terrible feeling. You don’t want this feeling to knock your out and stop you from going to work.
Truly, if you don’t do anything to check the effect of cold, it will surely lower your productivity level.
If you desire to stay strong through the cold period, get ginger and lemon.
Most importantly, give attention to how we recommend you use it.
Why Lemon Works For Cold
Lemon and other citrus fruits are good sources of vitamin C, a potent water-soluble antioxidant.
Basically, vitamin C gives the immune system a boost through its increase in T-lymphocyte activity, phagocyte function, leukocyte mobility, and possible antibody and interferon production.
Its effects on the immune system is in line with its ability to protect your body against oxidative stress that arises from infections (1).
One thing you should know is that your body does not produce vitamin C. As a result, it is an essential dietary component.
It is worthy to note that you do not need to take excess of this vitamin to get result. You will find out why at the end of this article.
What taking lemon will do is to lower the symptom that you experience.
According to a 2016 study, there is usually a decrease in the severity and duration of colds when vitamin C is consumed at doses at or above 0.2g/day (2).
Lemon Tea For Cold Recipe
To extract vitamin C from lemon get a fruit and wash thoroughly with the water you drink. Squeeze the lemon before you cut it open to make sure enough juice is released. You do not need to peel the back of the lemon.
After squeezing, cut it open and extract the juice into a quarter glass of warm water.
Add honey to it and drink. make sure it is warm and not hot. You may also through the squeezed lemon into the warm water. The peel has a level of nutrient that works.
You can do this once a day for three days and you will get relief.
From observation, this remedy works better when you take it the moment you begin to notice persistent cold weather. This way, you prepare you boost your immune system ahead of time.
If you follow weather forecast you will know the right time to take it before the rains begin.
We do not recommend that you go for vitamin C tablets.
According to study, “it is most reasonable for patients to obtain this from their diet, considering supplementation did not decrease the overall incidence of colds in the general population” (3) (4).
Ginger As Cold Remedy And Why It Works
On the other hand, ginger has been used for thousands of years for the treatment of numerous ailments, such as colds, nausea, arthritis, migraines, and hypertension (4).
Ginger contains antioxidants that help fight inflammation, which could cause of loss of function.
When you have cold that affects your sense of smell, inflammation could be the reason.
As a result, taking ginger tea can help reduce symptom of the cold and help you recover your sense of smell faster.
All symptoms of cold and flu are by-products of inflammation. Sore throat and sneezes are caused by chemicals setting off nerve signals (5)
Ginger root contains a very high level of total antioxidants, surpassed only by pomegranate and some types of berries.
How To Prepare Ginger Tea For Cold Remedy
You can either use dry ginger or raw one.
If you can get dry ginger, all you do is add a teaspoon of it into half glass or warm water, add honey and drink.
For raw ginger, use your grater to grate a finger size into your tea cup. Add warm water and honey and then drink.
This will boost your immune system and at the same time relief the symptoms of cold.
Children and adults can take this.
Ginger And Lemon Cold Remedy Combination
If you would love to try the combination add a lemon fruit to 3/4 glass of water and grate a finger size of ginger into it. Add honey if you have it and then drink.
Side Effects Of Vitamin C
Vitamin C gotten from natural vegetables and fruits is safe.
However, if you are taking it as supplement, kindly note that you should not exceed the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin C which is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women.
See Other Cold Remedies You Can Try
High doses of vitamin C (greater than 2000 milligrams per day for adults) may cause kidney stones, nausea, and diarrhea (6).
If you find this helpful, kindly share with your friends and loved ones to help them know what to take as remedy to cold.