Are you looking for a natural remedy to overcome consistent cold and cough symptoms? Then the combination of honey and lemon is something you should try.

This remedy is natural, and has amazing healing properties. Would you like to know more? Keep reading.

Honey And Lemon Benefits:

Honey and lemon are known as the traditional cure for treating cough and have gained a good amount of credibility in the medical community. Individually, each ingredient has its own power of treating cough, and when used in combination, the power gets enhanced giving guaranteed results.

Properties Of Honey:

• Honey is known since time immemorial for its antibacterial properties that help in getting rid of the harmful cough-causing bacteria(1).
• It is loaded with vital nutrients such as potassium. It also contains calcium, manganese, phosphorus, and copper (2). These minerals are needed by the body for normal and healthy functioning.
• The combo of such nutrients helps in repairing and stimulating tissue growth.
• These nutrients also serve as anti-oxidants and eliminate the harmful free radicals from the body.
• High-quality honey contains very low water content, and hence easily attracts the surrounding tissues to use water.

Properties Of Lemon:

• Lemon needs no introduction and is known to be one of the citrus fruits that are rich in vitamin C (3). A glass of lemon juice provides one-third of the daily recommended allowance of this vitamin.
• Vitamin C is known to help the body build up the immune system. The antioxidants help in repairing and preventing cell damage (4).
• Lemons have strong antibacterial and antiviral properties.

How Does The Combination Of Honey And Lemon Work Against Cough?

Coughing is your body’s way of responding to the irritants in the throat and the airways. The diaphragm muscles contract and try to expel the irritation. That is why coughing is considered beneficial to the body as it clears off the mucus from within. However, in case the mucus has developed in a large amount, it leads to incessant coughing making it difficult for the person to sleep at night and get through the day. The sweetness of honey stimulates the salivary glands and induces the release of the mucus through the airways. Moreover, the antimicrobial and antioxidant effect of honey restricts the further formation of mucus, thereby providing complete relief from coughing. Lemon helps to increase immunity against these infections, and when you drink the concoction of hot water, lemon and honey, it loosens mucus, calms the throat, and clears the irritating airways.

Here are some of the recipes with lemon and honey that have been found to be effective in treating cough:

All the recipes given below are very easy to follow and can be prepared using your regular kitchen ingredients in a matter of few minutes. So, they are not only effective, but cheaper and less time consuming. Whenever you are using lemon and honey for the cure, make sure that you use local, organic honey and fresh lemons. Avoid using bottled lemon juice for the treatment, as you will not get the desired results.

1. Honey And Lemon Juice (Regular Recipe):

This is a very simple recipe.

1. Combine 1 cup of organic, local honey with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
2. Add ¼ cup of warm water to it and stir until the ingredients are mixed completely.
3. Take this mixture the moment your body indicates the first sign of a cough.
4. Take it in the daytime once or twice and before going to bed for undisturbed sleep.
5. You can refrigerate the leftover mixture of lemon and honey for further use. It can be used safely for a month.

2. Lemon Juice, Honey, And Glycerin:

Glycerin is known for its great moisturizing properties. If you do not have glycerin at home, get it from a nearby cosmetic store or drugstore. It works best in the case of raw, scratchy throat.

1. Take a saucepan and boil one uncut lemon in the water for around 10 minutes.
2. Mix in 2 tablespoons each of honey and glycerin.
3. Squeeze the boiled lemon, take it out from the mixture, and store it in a bottle.
4. Take 1 teaspoon of this mixture twice or thrice a day to get relief from scratchy throat and cough.
5. Refrigerate it for further use.

3. Lemon Juice And Honey With Garlic:

The combination of lemon juice and honey with garlic works best, if along with cough, you also have congestion in the chest. Garlic breaks down the phlegm that causes congestion and helps to clear the chest.

1. Take a saucepan and squeeze half of the lemon juice into it.
2. Grate 1/8^thteaspoon of garlic and add it to the lemon juice.
3. Add one cup of water and boil the mixture.
4. Pour this mixture in a cup, add 1tablespoon of honey and drink it after stirring properly.
5. For larger quantity, you can double or triple the garlic and lemon juice amount and adjust the honey accordingly.
6. You can store it in the refrigerator.

4. Lemon Juice And Honey With Ginger:

Using ginger to get rid of chronic cough is highly recommended. It contains antioxidants and many essential oils and a special cough suppressant, oleoresin.

1. Take a saucepan and add 2 cups of water to it.
2. Grate 1 tablespoon ginger root and add it to the saucepan.
3. Squeeze lemon juice of ½ a lemon into the saucepan.
4. Boil and take it off the heat.
5. Let it cool for 20 minutes.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and drink the lemon juice, ginger concoction.

5. Lemon Juice And Honey With Coconut Oil:

Coconut oil is used in many cuisines and can be found easily at any grocery store. But since you are using it for treatment, make sure that you purchase essential coconut oil in its purest form so that you get quick results.

Coconut oil is rich in antioxidants, antiviral and antibacterial substances, and provides immunity to the body. It decreases the length and severity of illness.

1. In a saucepan, mix 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and ¼ cup honey.
2. Heat until the coconut oil has melted completely. Do not let the mixture reach its boiling point.
3. Take one tablespoon of mixture as a remedy and store the rest in the refrigerator for later use.
4. Because coconut oil hardens fast, each time you will need to reheat the mixture and then consume.

Preparing Cough Syrup At Home Using Honey And Lemon Juice:

You can prepare a cough syrup at home using lemon juice, honey and other natural ingredients.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup raw, organic buckwheat honey or local honey
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 to 4 tablespoons of organic lemon juice

Optional:

You can also add these ingredients as an option:

• Chopped garlic
• Freshly grated ginger
• Onion
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Addition of onion increases the antibacterial and antiviral potency of this cough syrup, whereas the capsaicin content in the cayenne pepper is warming and a circulation enhancing pain reliever.

Method:

1. If you do not want to add any of the optional ingredients, then, you can simply blend regular lemon juice, honey and extra virgin oil together by stirring properly. Drink this mixture either warm or at room temperature.
2. In case you want to infuse cayenne pepper, simply add it to the above mixture and drink it immediately.

When adding onion, garlic or ginger, follow the given steps:

1. Take a clean container and place ½ a cup sliced onion, grated ginger or 2 tablespoons chopped garlic.
2. Cover the ingredients with ¾ cup of honey and let the ingredients infuse and settle for around 8 hours.
3. After 8 or more hours, add lemon juice and olive oil to it.
4. Strain the syrup and store in a clean jar.
5. For long-term use, store it in a refrigerator.
6. It lasts for 4 to 6 weeks when stored in the freezer.
7. Stir and gently warm it every time you use it.

Things To Remember:

• While you are using lemon juice and honey for treating cough, you must remember that the recipe should not be tried on pregnant women and small children.
• According to experts, honey contains Clostridium botulinum, a type of botulism that can cause fatal food poisoning in children. That is why the Centers for Disease Control has advised that honey should not be given to infants or babies under one year of age.
• In case you are running temperature and coughing up green mucus, you must immediately consult your caregiver. These symptoms are serious and can lead to other grave consequences.
• If you are having trouble in swallowing or finding it difficult to breathe, honey and lemon in hot water, although may serve as a cough suppressant, will not cure the root cause of the illness. Hence, in such circumstances, you must take help of the caregiver.
• You must avoid honey and lemon juice treatment if you are allergic to these ingredients or suffer from a gallbladder problem.

The combination of lemon juice and honey is potent enough to do away with not just your cold, but also other symptoms associated with it. It is easy to prepare at home, very economical, and has absolutely no side effects, making it a safe tonic for adults and children alike.

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by Daiwik Suresh Gejji via STYLECRAZE