It’s a dank, dreary November day, and you feel miserable. Nothing sounds better than diving into your bed and pulling up a cozy blanket over your head. But before you do that, make yourself a steaming cup of tea and load it up with lemon juice.
With cold and flu season upon us, try an old home remedy: lemons.
The wonderfully versatile lemon has many medicinal properties that are often overlooked. Lemon juice is full of vitamin C: the juice of one lemon can provide up to 40 to 70 percent of your daily requirement. If you sound like a foghorn, consider this: the acidity in lemon does a great job cutting through mucus in your throat and nasal passages. This is a secret that singers have known for years.
You’ll also gain the benefits of fluid intake from adding it to your tea, because water assists with hydration and flushing germs through your system.
In addition, there are even some antibiotic properties in lemons. Carolyn Sutter, MSN, CNP, RN and nursing instructor at The University of Akron, agrees that this simple home remedy is beneficial during cold and flu season.
“Alternative therapies for upper respiratory infections include home remedies, homeopathic and herbs…lemon in your hot tea is a good idea.”
She added that people continue to ask their doctors for antibiotics for upper respiratory infections; most of which are viral in origin. “Antibiotics aren’t efficient.”
It’s best to use a fresh lemon, not the bottled stuff, because lemons lose their vitamin C quickly.
To get the most juice out a lemon, roll it on the counter back and forth a few times with the palm of your hand to get the juices flowing. Cut it in half, then squeeze or use a juicer, then add directly to a mug filled with tea or water.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for the cold or flu, but you can certainly help yourself feel better as this common illness runs its course. In the meantime, keep a few lemons handy for when you feel something coming on.
