Warm Cough and Flu Remedy

This is a cough and flu remedy I came up with while fighting bronchitis and resultant asthma. My throat was terribly sore and it was painful to cough. I was tired of drinking tea and while the prescription medication was doing it's job, I still felt terrible. I came up with this concoction of spices, honey, and molasses on my own as a homemade non-medicated alternative to Thera-Flu. I'm no herbalist, but cinnamon and cloves are considered warming spices. Honey is a natural expectorant and will thin mucus, supposedly. Lemon soothes and molasses supposedly helps to relieve muscle spasms, especially constricted airways like asthma. I don't know whether it works or not, but I gave it to my mom, who is a medical doctor and thought I was nuts, but even she agreed that it soothed her symptoms. If it does nothing else, I hope it will warm your soul as it has mine and my mom's when we were feeling awful. Remember no honey for children under two. You can use sugar, maple syrup, or cane syrup if you can get your hands on that.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 3-5
• Yields: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 3  cups water
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1⁄4 cup ginger, freshly grated
• 1  tablespoon lemon zest (a few strips of the zest of about 1/4 of a lemon using a vegetable peeler)
• 1  stick cinnamon, about 2-inches
• 5  whole cloves
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 1  tablespoon molasses

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, lemon juice, ginger, lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, add honey and molasses, stir thoroughly, allow to steep 10 minutes.
3. Strain and serve warm or hot.
4. Strain remainder into a jar and refrigerate, heat to serve. I advise against leaving the the ginger and spices in the liquid as it is quite strong and spicy, but there is no harm in leaving them doing so and straining before consuming. You might want to add some extra honey or dilute it a bit, however, as the spices will have intensified.