Hammer colds

By Kath Gannaway
YOU’RE snuffly, clogged and just feeling downright poorly – you’ve got a cold.
The good news is – it will eventually go away. The bad news is – there’s is no cure.
More good news! You don’t have to suffer the symptoms. There is a huge range of cold and flu symptom-relieving tablets on the supermarket shelves – and in the garden and pantry.
Can you imagine a timber-cutter’s wife with six (perhaps even 10) small children travelling the 10 miles or more into town to pick up a remedy 100 years ago?
I don’t think so! They relied in remedies like these:
Onion syrup
Two onions.
Soft brown sugar.
Slice the onions and layer in a glass jar alternately with two tablespoons of soft brown sugar. Close lid firmly and store in refrigerator for 12 hours.
Drain the syrup and take one teaspoon when needed.
Eucalyptus lollies
Three tablespoons of honey.
Three tablespoons of sugar.
One tablespoon of butter.
One tablespoon of vinegar.
1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
15 drops of eucalyptus oil.
Boil everything together, except the eucalyptus oil drops for eight minutes until it forms a toffee. To test drop a small amount into cold water. If it goes brittle, it’s done.
Add the eucalyptus, stirring until fully mixed in.
Pour the mixture into a well-greased, shallow tray.
When hard, break into bite-sized pieces.
Store in the refrigerator.
Sweet and sour cough mix
Two tablespoons of lemon juice.
Two tablespoons of golden syrup.
Two tablespoons of malt vinegar.
Mix all ingredients together and store in a labelled bottle.
Sip a tablespoon of the mixture to soothe a cough as needed.
Herbal tea
A sore throat will often accompany a cold or infection and can be helped by a soothing herbal tea or gargle.
One horehound herbal tea bag or a teaspoon of the herb.
One teaspoon of chopped fresh sage.
One/two teaspoons of fresh thyme.
Juice of one lemon.
One teaspoon of honey.
Brew a cup of the herbal tea together with sage and thyme. Add lemon and honey and sip four or five times during the day.
Gargle a sore throat
Mix two teaspoons of honey and two tablespoons of finely chopped sage leaves with a cup of warm water. Gargle when needed to sooth a sore throat.
If symptoms of any illness, including cold and flu, persist, see your doctor.