Some remedies may be little more than old wives’ tales, but when you’re feeling under the weather, why not drink hot onion water or smear ginger on your forehead. It actually might be good for what ails you. The following foods are said to cure anything from a headache to a sore throat.
Umeboshi (pickled plums)
Heat two or three umeboshi on low heat, making sure they don’t burn and add them to a cup of hot tea. Drinking the tea causes you to sweat, which is said to lower your temperature and make you get better faster.
Grilled spring onion
Cut off a good portion of the white part of a few spring onions. Grill on low heat, making sure it doesn’t burn. Wrap in gauze and press the bundle together. Unwrap and enjoy. It’s said that spring onions are good for blood circulation and reduces inflammation and not only cures a sore throat, but is good for a stuffy nose, too.
Gingko nuts
The little fruits are incredibly smelly and cause some people to have an allergic reaction, so be sure to use gloves if harvesting them yourself. But if you have easy access to gingko nuts, eating five or six of them is said to ease a cough and reduce phlegm.
Lotus root
Drinking a broth of grated lotus root, soy sauce, ginger, arrowroot and hot water is said to get rid of a cold fast.
Hot onion water
Grate a quarter of an onion and a small amount of ginger. Add the two to a cup of hot water with one tablespoon of honey. The mixture is said to be good for a stuffy nose.
Sniff an onion
For a temporary fix for a stuffy nose, grandmas in Japan suggest taking a big whiff of an onion. Just hold a cut onion near your nose and sniff repeatedly. It’s said to clear your sinuses and give you temporary relief from a stuffy nose.