This is an excellent and effective remedy for very early stage colds with sneezing, chills or body aches. If you usually feel a winter cold coming on before if fully hits you, then this easy to make tea is a must have in your home remedy collection.
How do you know your catching a cold? Maybe you just don’t feel yourself. Maybe you just can’t get warm or your neck and shoulders are suddenly a bit stiff or achey. Maybe you started sneezing a bit and feel a bit “under the weather.” These symptoms are often the start of a cold.
“The wind is the origin of one hundred diseases,” it is said in Chinese Medicine. The sort of cold I described above is typically seen in windy and cold weather and is called Wind Cold. It is one of the “one hundred diseases” caused by wind. To prevent catching this sort of cold it is best to dress warm and protect yourself from cold wind by wearing a hat and scarf. It is also important to keep your qi or your immune system strong by heeding the “6 Ways to Stay Healthy This Winter,” so that your body can properly fight off the illness.
Wind Cold can turn into Wind Heat once inside of some folks’ bodies. Wind Heat can also be caught directly and is more prevalent in the warmer seasons. Symptoms of Wind Heat include sore throat, fever, yellow or green nasal congestion, strong thirst and a hacking cough either with or without phlegm. If you’ve got Wind Heat then this tea is NOT for you. In this case it best to come on into the clinic for acupuncture and an herbal consult and we can send you home with the appropriate herbal remedy.
If you do end up catching a true cold then you can make this quick and easy tea to help drive that Wind Cold right out of you. Sip this tea hot. Wrap yourself up in hat, scarf and blanket to keep warm and break a slight sweat. Don’t forget to rest, too. You should be feeling better shortly.
Ingredients
1 cup water
3 slices fresh ginger
1/4 -1/2 of a scallion (sliced)
Instructions
- Put water into a small stainless steel or enamel pot and bring it to a boil.
- Add the ginger and scallion and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes only (no longer!)
- Strain and drink the tea.
- Don’t forget to dress warmly or wrap yourself in a blanket so that your body sweats a little.