It’s that time of the year when the winter bugs are out in force. A nasty bout of flu can lay you low for several days. It is important to keep general immunity high with adequate sleep and rest; high quality nutrition; and regular exercise. Yogic breathing techniques; nasal cleansing; and salt ware gargling are simple remedies to reduce bacterial and viral numbers down. Apart from general measures there are several culinary herbs and spices that can be easily incorporated into one’s diet that can help keep colds and coughs away.

1) Turmeric- this is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. The active ingredient curcumin has natural anti-viral; anti-bacterial; anti- cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Typically a pinch of turmeric is added to warm milk and consumed before bed-time.

2) Garlic-  Garlic can easily be included in ones cooking, however supplements are readily available in health food stores and chemists. A single study of 146 participants who received a garlic supplement (with 180 mg of allicin content) or a placebo (once daily) for 12 weeks showed a reduction in colds( 24 compared with 65 in the placebo group and with a shorter recovery time.

3) Ginger- this is a staple ingredient in Indian cooking.  It contains a certain chemical that has been shown to be effective against rhinoviruses, which is the most common family of cold viruses. It also has anti-cough properties. Ginger can be boiled in water and kept in a thermos flask and can be drunk throughout the day. Simply take 3 or 4 slices of fresh ginger, bring to boil in 1 litre of water, let steep for 5 minutes and then pour into a flask.

4) Black pepper and honey- this is a very simple remedy for both treatment and prevention of colds and coughs. 1 teaspoon of honey with a pinch of black pepper taken twice a day is easy to incorporate. Both black pepper and honey have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

5) Red wine- the good news is that some studies show that red wine drinkers have fewer colds, and it is postulated that it is due to some of the anti-oxidant properties of constituents such as resveratrol. The study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that people who had more than 14 glasses of wine a week had a 40 per cent lower risk of getting a cold than teetotalers! 

Yes, I agree, that sounds like a lot of red wine, but it’s great that there is research supporting those of us who enjoy a small tipple!