5 healing ingredients in your kitchen

Before you reach out to medicines in your medicine cabinet; head towards your kitchen! An Indian kitchen is a paradise for spices that we use in our daily diet. But did you know that some of those very spices in your kitchen are packed with remarkable healing powers; so much that you will not need to pop that pill to ease a sore throat or a headache.

It is a known fact that frequent consumption of pain killers and antibiotics can lead to severe side effects. So let’s go the traditional way and look at some healing spices that can alleviate common ailments without you rushing to visit the doctor. Some of these spices are good to be administered to children as well, which I do follow as a mum to twins. 

5 healing ingredients in your kitchen

In most cases, it is always recommended to turn to natural remedies to cure minor ailments. Since time immemorial Ayurveda has recommended the use of plants and herbs to cure all kinds of ailments. Our generation isn’t the patient kind; we would rather pop that pill to supress the headache than brew a healing Kashaya or a tea to feel better.

Don’t you think it’s time we chose the alternate healing path that can provide relief in a healthier way? So stock up on these ingredients (if you don’t already have them) to make your own natural healing remedies. 

1. Black Pepper

Black Pepper is yet another amazing ingredient that works remarkably to get rid of a cold and sore throat. A few years ago when I had a severe cough, my grandmother made these wonderful pepper-jaggery candies that were not just yummy but also helped soothe that throat.

Take a tablespoon of black pepper corns and one and a half tablespoons of organic jaggery.  Crush the black pepper corns till it is just short of a fine powder. Crumble the jaggery and mix with the ground black pepper. Shape them into tiny rounds and store in an airtight container. Eat these when you have that slight itch in your throat to get instant relief. 

2. Ginger

We all love the adrak waali chai. Nothing better to kick start the day or add that boost of energy when you are low energy levels. But did you know that ginger acts like a wonderful decongestant when you have a cold?

Grate 1 inch of ginger and add to 200 ml of water. Add a pinch of turmeric and quarter teaspoon of cinnamon powder. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the gas and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain, add a teaspoon of organic honey to this and sip to ease the congestion.

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3. Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that can be used both topically and internally. It is used topically to heal small wounds and cuts. When used internally, it is generally brewed as a tea to help ease a cold and alleviate upper respiratory tract infections.

This is a classic recipe coined by Ayurveda as “Golden Milk”. It is safe for kids as well as adults when you are hit by that sore throat. Add 1/4 spoonful of turmeric powder to a cup of boiling milk and let it simmer for a minute. If you are giving this to kids, strain it or just sip it while it’s still hot to provide relief to your aching throat.

These are some of the most commonly found healing ingredients in your kitchen. If you want to look up more healing ingredients in your kitchen, read the original post. This post was originally written for Quint Fit. You can view the post here.