As the weather gets better in this part of the world, the transition seems to be quite hard on adults and children alike. My own family, for instance, looks like we’ve all been taking turns to fall ill. Cold, flu and cough seem to be most common during this time.
Tired of taking over the counter medicines that are almost always ineffective, I was looking for some home remedies on Pinterest when I came across a few recipes for DIY cough syrup. I went through a few and finally came up with this one which so far seems to be helping us all. Since it’s also delicious (way better than all those commercial cough syrups anyway) it’s a hit at home which actually means I am not struggling to make my toddler have some which never happens in the case of OTC medicines.
With a few simple ingredients, it’s quick to put together and can be stored in the fridge for about a week (I haven’t stored it longer than that anyway) and is very effective.
Here’s the list of things you need and the steps (only one step actually) to make it.
You will need:
- 1 cup pineapple, peeled and roughly chopped along win the core
- 1.5tsp organic honey
- 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled or 1/4tsp dried ginger powder
- 1/4 cayenne pepper (you can substitute this with freshly ground black pepper) – use lesser if you are making this for toddlers
- Juice of half a big lemon or one small lemon
Method:
- Add all the ingredients to a blender jar and blend until smooth. Store in a clean jar in the refrigerator.
- Consume a quarter cup 2 times a day or take a tablespoon of it every 2-3 hours.
Notes:
1. Use fresh pineapple. It contains Bromelain, which is an enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties. Fresh pineapple juice is five times more effective than any cough syrup in suppressing cough. It also helps in expelling mucus way better than OTC medicines. Do not remove the core, because although tougher to eat than the rest of the fruit, it is still edible and full of Bromelain amongst other nutrients.
2. Do NOT give this to babies under one year of age. Anything with honey is not recommended for kids below 1.
3. If cough persists, please do consult a Doctor.
4. You can easily double or triple this recipe as needed.
And So We Adult 