Every year, during the colder months many people call in sick at work or school, due to the flu. Colds and flu symptoms are thought to affect between 5 to 20% of the American population each year.
The most common ways to treat the flu or a cold is by getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of water, and taking medication to help fight your symptoms. It is also advised to stay away from people so you don’t pass on your symptoms to others.
However, there are also a few herbal remedies that you can try to treat your symptoms and ensure you feel better as soon as possible. Discover these natural Mexican remedies and try them next time you feel yourself coming down with a cold.
3 Mexican Herbal Remedies to Try
Natural remedies are used all over the world and every country has their own preferred methods of treating different symptoms. In Mexico, there are many herbal based plants that grow and can aid in bringing you back to full health.
1. Hot Drinks
Hot drinks are a go to remedy for many people when they start to feel a cold coming along. Drinking hot drinks can help soothe sore throats and warm you up.
In rural parts of Mexico, people use hot beverages such as lemon tea and add lots of garlic or onion in it, to help fight infections. It doesn’t taste the nicest, but if it helps, it is worth it! Meanwhile in urban Mexico, people use hot water and mix it with cinnamon and honey to help fight off cold symptoms.
2. Soup and Stews
Eating hearty foods such as soups and stews can also help to make you feel better when you have a cold or the flu. Remember the phrase, feed a cold and starve a fever? It is true, in order to get better faster you need to give your body the correct nutrients it needs, which is something that the people of Mexico know all too well.
According to Mateo Martìnez, a health expert, from reviewbox.com.mx, “Mexican people rely on the classic Caldo de Pollo dish, which consists of chicken, chicken broth, carrots, potatoes, cilantro, and white rice. This chicken stew is rich in vitamins and nutrients that can help speed up the process of your body fighting the flu.”
3. Onion Cough Syrup
Another common Mexican home remedy for colds and flu is where you make your own cough syrup using onions and sugar. To do this you need to cut thin rounds of onion, place them on a plate, and leave to sit with a lot of sugar on top of them. Then you leave them to sit in a warm place, which allows the onions to ooze out a liquid. The combination of the liquid and the sugar create a cough syrup.
For more natural flu remedies, check out these 12 other ways you can beat the flu blues.
