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Fight off winter bugs with Traditional Indian remedies

Herbs and spices not only provide great flavour to so many dishes, but also contain a powerhouse of natural ingredients that boost our immune systems and help us fight off those seasonal bugs.

Here are my 3 favourite Indian remedies that I use year after year to fight off Winter nasties…

Winter cough: Turmeric ‘tea’

Turmeric is known for it’s many uses and this golden powder helps to loosen phlegm and send you on the way to recovery.

Turmeric remedies

Put a glass of milk into a saucepan and add one tablespoon of turmeric. Gently bring to the boil and then simmer for a minute or two. Drink once the milk has cooled to drinking temperature (make sure you put it into a mug and not a glass!). 

If making this for children, you can add a little sugar as the turmeric can taste a bit bitter (although try not to add lots of sugar). 

Repeat this twice daily until the cough has cleared. If you are lactose intolerant, you can swap the milk for your dairy-free milk of choice, as the turmeric is the key ingredient. 

Upset stomach: Lemon, ginger & mint 

Now, I know what you’re thinking…surely this combination is for a sore throat?! Well, these particular ingredients are so powerful that they can help with more than just a sore throat.

Lemon ginger mint remedies

Ginger, known for it’s stomach calming properties, plays a key part in soothing the cramping and nausea. The lemon helps to dilute the heat from the ginger and gives your immune system a general boost. Mint oil is a powerful anti-spasmodic and is often prescribed to IBS sufferers to ease the pain cause by stomach spasms.

Please be warned, this remedy will, at first, feel as though it has exacerbated the situation, this is mainly due to the heat of the ginger. However, after 10 minutes, you will suddenly realise that the nausea and pain has been subdued.

Method – On the fine side of a grater, grate a small piece of ginger until you have roughly a teaspoon’s worth. To that add the juice of half a lemon. Then take one or two mint leaves (depending on the size of the leaves) and chop them as finely as you can. Add them to the lemon and ginger. Stir all the ingredients and down the mixture in one sift go. You may experience a fizzing sensation at first (from the ginger), but this will pass and 5-10 minutes later, you will feel much better. If you have a particularly bad stomach, you may need to repeat this after 3-4 hours. Do not take anymore than 4 doses per day.

I would not recommend giving this remedy to children, mainly because they often do not like the heat from the ginger, and when they are not feeling well, it is not a good idea to test this theory! However, please use your own judgement based on your child’s personality as well as their flavour preferences. 

Headaches: Turmeric & onions

Our wonder spice, turmeric, comes to the rescue again! if you have been suffering from headaches and don’t want to be popping pills every time that tight feeling creeps over your temples, why not give this a try?

Sliced onions

Method: Slice half an onion and gently sizzle in a small amount of ghee or oil over a medium heat (add just enough ghee/oil so that it doesn’t stick or burn to the pan, no more). After around 5 minutes, or till the onions have completely wilted and turned soft, you can add one crushed clove of garlic and a teaspoon of finely minced ginger (these 2 ingredients are optional, but they do add more flavour). Then, a teaspoon at a time, add as much turmeric as you possibly can (around 5 to 6 teaspoons is a good amount). 

The more you have this mixture, the better. Take 2 tablespoons of the onion mixture before each meal, and also try to have a tablespoon between meals. Take this for one week. 

If you want to add this to your daily routine on an ongoing basis, then have one tablespoon before each meal (don’t add it between meals).

Learn how to make Indian dishes that use turmeric, garlic, ginger, onions and many more herbs and spices that your family can enjoy time and time again: See our cookery school

The information provided in this article is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.

 

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Customer Reviews

Indian Meal kits, Dinner Kits & Gift Boxes

Customer Reviews

Karen Taylor October 2018

We are having such fun cooking from The Spice Pack Collection and all the dishes have come out brilliantly. The smell is divine and Rob, who is very fussy, is particularly impressed. All our visitors are wowed when they smell the box – we’ve been too possessive to share any with others, as yet!

As a natural therapist I particularly appreciate the healthy aspect of each dish, none of which compromise on taste. Good ingredients freshly cooked makes a big difference.

We’re going on holiday with three other couples in a couple of weeks and going to take the pack with us to cook some dishes together.

Maria M / BBQ Meal Kit Box customer

“We had a BBQ for family and friends few weeks ago and we made the Lamb Kebabs & Coconut & Sesame Chutney and Crushed Tikka New Potatoes & Mango Chicken… We received such rave reviews!! All so easy to make with the spices and sauces all provided for us…food was all delicious!”

Chris & Debs - dinner kit with cook-along customer

“That was so fun…

Thank you for the zoom meet up. That was so fun. We will definitely be up for another. Please send another suitable invite and kit. We are predominately veggies so used the butternut squash version. If this continue the local takeaway will suffer for sure. Again thanks”.

Carol R. dinner kit with cook-along customer

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…The Mango Chicken was delicious and my naan bread actually looked amazing – like the real thing. I feel so successful. Thank you. Looking forward to our next cookalong”.

Pam Brown – dinner kit with cook-along customer

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– the class was amazing and we both really enjoyed the food. It makes so much difference knowing exactly how to do things and that we can make such tasty food which is gluten free. Jeera rice has always been my favourite but many restaurants don’t have it on the menu”.

Sylvia M – dinner kit with cook-along customer

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... for a great hour of cooking on Saturday evening. I enjoyed it very much as I have never done anything like it before. The Punjabi chicken was delicious and we had enough to freeze for another time”.

Sue W – dinner kit with cook-along customer

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... the best curry I've ever had and Jxx said it was like being in India ( as he’s spent so much time there with work ) loved the class and so did Exxx looking forward to coming to your workshops…
…and will order some more kits from your website”

Roy P…dinner kit with cook-along customer

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...for the cook–along workshop yesterday. It was very enjoyable and the meal tasted lovely. As someone who is not a confident cook it was ideal to follow your teaching. I have recommended this to a friend of mine who is very interested in joining the next cook–along. I will definitely be doing it again”.

Ellie Pipe

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