Q. I’d like to share some cold remedies you may not know about. One can purchase ginger tea (ginger slices preserved in honey) in Asian food stores. It makes a wonderful tonic, much stronger than the tea I make with sliced ginger root.
They also sell honey citron tea. I used to teach English to families from South Korea in their homes. If I ever had a cough or a sniffle, the mothers would serve me honey citron tea. It is very soothing, though I doubt that anything other than time actually cures a cold.
A. Ginger is a time-tested home remedy for colds, coughs and congestion. Thyme tea can also ease a cough. We offer recipes for both in our Guide to Colds, Coughs & the Flu.
We also discuss other approaches that can be helpful for such infections, including the Chinese herbs Andrographis paniculata and Astragalus membranaceus (Alternative Medicine Review, March, 2011; March, 2007). These herbs may help the immune system rally to fight off some types of infection.
The People's Perspective on Medicine