Green food for the bugs

Here I'll try to list healthy, ecofriendly (aka local food, processed as little as possible) and easy things to keep us on the go when we feel sick.

Sore throat: Listen to your throat. What does it need? Hot or cold?
For the hot needs, there are a lot of different teas that you can try, and combine as you like. Add those things (preferably fresh): ginger, chili, honey and sage.

You can either make tea directly out of ginger or sage, or add some base, like camomille, lime-tree blossom or others. I find peppermint, which I drink normally, too cooling for such occasions.

If you prefer cold things, try fruit juices (they contain fruit sugar, so they will also nourish you if you don't feel like eating), or cooled tea. Peppermint is great.

For all issues with your throat and sinuses, add spice! Garlic, chili, wasabi, sambal oelek.... whatever you find (although if you buy stuff, always opt for the fresh, local things), add it to your food or tea, it will help desinfect and clean that mess down there, and help you to breathe more freely.

Ognions are great for your throat, too. Make syrup out of them: Chop them up, put in a glass and cover with sugar. Take a spoonfull of the stuff every now and then. This is very effective against coughs. If you can't bear the thought, put the copped pieces on a scarf, fold it up and wrap it around your throat. Some ognion slices next to your bed will help to clear your stuffed nose.

A spoonfull of any vegetable oil can also help to free your throat and sinuses from that ghastly thick mucus: Take one in your mouth every morning, wait as long as you can stand it, keeping it there, and then spit it all out again. I promise, you'll get used to it!

Gargle: Aaah, the word allone! ;o) My best bet (that tipp is from a doctor, ladies and gents!): Two teaspoons of salt in a medium glass with warm water. Gargle as often as possible. It desinfects and cleans your tonsils. To soothe your throat (also against coughing), gargle tea from sage leaves.

Headaches: Tea from woodruff (be careful: don't make it too strong, and do not drink more than a cup a day. It can make you dizzy or hallucinate) and/or lavender. Sometimes, some lavender flowers under the pillow help as well. I also find tea tree oil and tigerbalm very effective.

Can't breathe? Brew up camomille, lime-tree blossom, sage, and add some drops of tea tree oil. Bow over the pot, put a big towel over your head, set the timer on ten minutes and breathe deeply (as well as you can... it's ok to breathe through your mouth!). Also helps with a sore throat.

For all things cold-ish, ribwort is a good bet. You find it almost everywhere around here, and I dry it and use it for making tea. It helps clearing your sinuses and soothing your throat.

A big winner for all types of sicknesses is chicken soup (if you're vegetarian, vegetables must do the job), preferably homemade (keep it in the freezer). It gives strength and soothes your throat.

Against fever, there is always the good old cold damp towel. Add some vinegar to the water, it helps to cool even more. Wrap around lower legs, ankles and put on your forehead.



Ok, that's a lot, also a lot to remember, but maybe you liked some things, and can write them down or see that you have some of the ingredients ready. The goal should be to minimize your effort because you will not be able to bend a finger twice, whenever you need these things.

Anyways: Stay healthy, you all! ;o)

picture: http://www.informer.org.in